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Almost complete with my 2.0-2.5 swap

O

organizedinsanity

New CEG'er
Joined
May 18, 2008
Messages
17
So I have a 96 contour with a 2.0 zetec that finally blew up after 179,xxx miles and a slipping tranny. I bought another 96 with 120,000 miles and a perfect running 2.5 duratech and a good auto trans for $300. The car ran and drove but someone beat it to hell and back with a ballbat. I had time on my hands but no money to speak of so I said the hell with it and started the swap. I am taking a break from the car right now cause im tired of looking at it but I have the engine cradle bolted up, the necessary wiring ran, the entire brake system switched from abs with rear drums to non-abs with rear disc, and much much more. All I lack right now is dropping the radiator in, hooking up a bunch of hoses, and installling the exhaust system. All in all the swap wasnt that hard but It was pretty time consuming. I will post pics and give the necessary details on what needs to be swapped within the next few days.
 
beyondloadedSE said:
Yes good luck. You might be the first to do it, since generally buying a car is cheaper than doing the swap.

Btw, its duratec.
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he's not the first to complete. the guy in Cincinnati that i bought my spare zetec engine and tranny from did it, hence why he had the spare engine and tranny. i dont remember his SN but i know he did complete it.
 
IT RUNS!!!

So after getting bored with the project and not having any free time, I let the car set for 2 months without fiddling with it. I bit the bullet and finished it up as my ranger isnt very gas friendly. All in all I think the most troublesome part of the entire swap was the wiring. Swapping the engine bay harness was kind of a pain, but the real pain in the rear was repairing various defective wires in the fan circuit and the hot leads coming from the fusebox going to the battery.

The car is running beautifully and I only have a few minor gremlins to work on like the bright lights not working (think bulbs are screwed), the check engine light randomly came on after about an hr of driving (99% sure its an o2 sensor), and the factory fog lights I installed dont work. I think i might have to add a wire in the harness from the headlight switch as my car wasnt originally equipped with them.

All in all it wasnt a very difficult swap and was very worthwhile in my opinion. The car will probably recieve minor mods in the future but for now its my wifes car. And before you tell me that a Duratec/Atx isnt worth a darn, its a whole hell of a lot better than the worn out blown up Zetec/Atx piece of crap that was in there before. I plan on purchasing a CSVT when I find one around here that isnt ran hard and put up wet and it will be my playtoy. If I dont find one soon enough I might end up with a Cavalier with a 4.6 Northstar under the hood.


Oh yeah...pics will soon follow when I snap me some finished pics tomorrow and figure out how to post them on the forum.
 
organizedinsanity said:
IT RUNS!!!

So after getting bored with the project and not having any free time, I let the car set for 2 months without fiddling with it. I bit the bullet and finished it up as my ranger isnt very gas friendly. All in all I think the most troublesome part of the entire swap was the wiring. Swapping the engine bay harness was kind of a pain, but the real pain in the rear was repairing various defective wires in the fan circuit and the hot leads coming from the fusebox going to the battery.

The car is running beautifully and I only have a few minor gremlins to work on like the bright lights not working (think bulbs are screwed), the check engine light randomly came on after about an hr of driving (99% sure its an o2 sensor), and the factory fog lights I installed dont work. I think i might have to add a wire in the harness from the headlight switch as my car wasnt originally equipped with them.

All in all it wasnt a very difficult swap and was very worthwhile in my opinion. The car will probably recieve minor mods in the future but for now its my wifes car. And before you tell me that a Duratec/Atx isnt worth a darn, its a whole hell of a lot better than the worn out blown up Zetec/Atx piece of crap that was in there before. I plan on purchasing a CSVT when I find one around here that isnt ran hard and put up wet and it will be my playtoy. If I dont find one soon enough I might end up with a Cavalier with a 4.6 Northstar under the hood.


Oh yeah...pics will soon follow when I snap me some finished pics tomorrow and figure out how to post them on the forum.
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major kudos man! i admire your resiliency:). for someone with only 2 posts, i gatta say very well done!
 
Holy crap! I am really happy for you. Some guys can't even swap a 2.5 with another 2.5 and get it to run properly :thumbsup:
 
Here is a before and after photo. I have more photos to follow if these work.
before.jpg


after.jpg


Let me know what you guys think. I think it looks stock enough to pass most visual tests. The only thing that gives it away is the sticker on the hood that says the year model and 2.0.
 
Do you have the V6 or I4 suspension/springs still? :crazy:

That's an amazing swap!! Kudos for having the patience to rewire and everything, very impressive. On a Moonlight Blue car too, one of the best pre98 colors.
 
see theirs people that make many posts about creating a twin turbo duratec then theirs theirs the people with very little posts that already knows what needs to be done and they get it done.

ps. GREAT JOB :)
 
It will probably be me...cause I have my eyes on another 2.0 car and I know where a wrecked 2.5 mtx car is. The salvage yard I am very good friends with has quite a few good 3.0s so dont be surprized if that is my next swap.

By the way when I swapped the engine/trans out I also swapped out the entire front suspension, rear suspension, and brakes.

Before my car was a 4 cyl auto with front discs, rear drums, and ABS.

Now it is a 6cyl auto(wife cant drive a stick or it would be MTX) with front and REAR discs, and no abs. I hate abs with a raging passion and i am glad I got the opportunity to ditch it.
 
Harrry said:
It was already done by stazi for bk4223432424 w/e his name is lol on here
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uh, no it wasnt. Steve went from a 2.5 in his cabernet red SE to a full 3L, done by Stazi, which ended up going up in flames. I cant remember what happened to his Zetec.
 
Nezerconezer said:
What! Why!?
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I have had several gm products with abs that would not stop when abs engaged. You could hear the abs motor engage, the pedal would surge, and then your stopping distance multiplied by like 3X. The contour's abs system wasnt as bad, but I still didnt like it. Now with my non-abs brake system I feel much more comfortable when I stop. ABS is for people who cannot drive, Its as easy as that. The only time I will lock a wheel up with the non-abs system is when im on ice (almost never in AL) or when I do it purposely. I certainly understand that more attention is required in the rain or on roads with more traction, but I know my car well enough to not get in a position where I slide while braking. I guess to each his own, but in my opinion abs is just another thing to break.
 
organizedinsanity said:
I have had several gm products with abs that would not stop when abs engaged. You could hear the abs motor engage, the pedal would surge, and then your stopping distance multiplied by like 3X.
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Same here. Snowy roads are the worst, I have coasted into intersections several times --- without ABS I would have just slid to a stop. (Thankfully I can engine brake now with MTX.) I have only locked up wheels once on dry pavement, in my first Contour, and pumping the brake fixed the issue quickly.
 
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