2.5L -> 2.5L engine swap

Contour Enthusiasts Group Archives

Last week I found a rear-wrecked '98 CSVT and am buying it with a salvage title today. I went to see the car on Saturday and heard the engine run. It purrs. I hope to pull this engine and place it in my '00 CSVT, since I spun a bearing in that one.

So, does anyone have any advice or warnings for me? Any major differences that'll bite me between the '98 and '00 engines?

Any members in CT interested in helping out? Or, looking for a parts car once I get the engine out of the '98?

I'm hoping that in a year or so, I'll be able to use the heads, etc. from my blown engine to do build a 3.0L hybrid, and do another swap.

i'm doing one of these too...non svt 2.5 to svt 2.5 it shouldnt be too hard

...as far as parts i need a passagner side door cover...front,midnight blue if possible...let me know

Fuel system is different. You'll need to use your old fuel rail for sure.

I'm sure there is plenty of other things but I dont know enough to tell you.

Are you doing a complete engine/drivetrain swap, or just the shortblock?

The plan at the moment is to do a compltee engine swap, replacing the 2000 SVT 2.5L with the '98 SVT's 2.5L. Maybe in the future, I'll build a 3.0L hybrid with the 2000's 2.5L components, then swap again.

I've been off-list a bit. I hope that your swap is going alright. Last I recall, you had some overtightening problems, or something...?

I might be able to help out

might also be interested in some parts off your parts car also

what color is the donor? i may want a couple parts as well

either color i need the lower splash guard thing (the black thing behind the lower grill. and if its silver mebbe side mirrors and hood if its in mint condition.

good luck with teh swap.

-Snipey

If it is Silverfrost, how is the driver's side sideskirt? I need a new one!

As CSVT1214 said the fuel rails are different. You would want to switch out the lower and upper intake from the 2000 anyways though since it flows better. The rest of the engine should be the same. Not sure which transmission you are using but the 2000 may have a few upgrades but I'm not positve about that. Good luck and wish I could help but I have no weekends.

I took some snaps, for those interested in parts, etc.

WARNING: The following images may be shocking to younger viewers, or SVT enthusiasts with weak stomaches.

Once I swap the engine, I'm going to part the donor car out. Anyone who helps me with the engine swap is welcome to have their choice of parts before I start parting it, in exchange for helping me out. I am looking to grab a few parts for myself as well, but generally, I'm willing to share the donor car with anyone who wants to turn a wrench with me on this project. I'm mostly just interested in the engine/drivetrain.

thats nothing wait till i post pics of ryans old car

....also i want the door panel off of the pasg side,and pm me with a price on those side skirts...

Oh god, I've seen that car in person last year I think. A previous owner tried racing me with it in Wethersfield. I wanted to laugh my ass off when I saw it looking like that.

(If it's the same SVT, although it was in identical condition.)

I'm going to hold off on pricing/parting until I finish the engine swap. Like I said, I want to give anyone who helps with the wrench work first dibs on parts. I'll make sure to let everyone know when that's done, so that the requests can start flowing. I should have actually waited, I guess, to say anything about parting the car out until I was ready. Sorry about that.

Ha! Probably the same one! I have a salvage title for it. The car was originally titled to someone in Newington. What's that, like 5 miles from Wethersfield?

I got it from a guy in NY, who bought it, figured out how much it would cost to fix it, then wanted to get rid of it. We both thought that it was interesting that the car was coming back to CT. If I'd blown my engine sooner, I could have saved some travel time back and forth between CT and NY.

was it listed in the bargain news by chance? as I jsut saw a SVT listed with a salvage title from NY the other day

Originally posted by brapple:
was it listed in the bargain news by chance? as I jsut saw a SVT listed with a salvage title from NY the other day

I was going to ask the same question. I think it moved from Newington, to New York, now back to CT.

Originally posted by CSVT1214:

Originally posted by brapple:
was it listed in the bargain news by chance? as I jsut saw a SVT listed with a salvage title from NY the other day

I was going to ask the same question. I think it moved from Newington, to New York, now back to CT.

I think it was. A friend spotted it, and told me about it.

i thought about calling on it hopeing the bumpers and side skirts were not messed up, and of course the engine parts, but you need the engine more anyway and I don't need the body parts per say

Actually, if the plastic pillar for the seatbelt slider on the driver side is still good, my friends SVT, which i'm driving right now, needs a replacement.

One of the clips on it broke so it hangs down once a while. Drives me nuts when I turn to my left to change lanes, and see a freakin pillar in my face.

When do you think you will be doing the swap??? I would like to rebuild my engine some day so if i can learn some things from doing yours itâ�?��?�s all the better. I donâ�?��?�t know much but I can turn a wrench and lift stuff. How far are you from Merrimack???

i've never pulled an engine and i'm far from an engine expert but i'd certainly be willing to lend a hand of i'm free when you do this.

Originally posted by HeavyWeight300:
When do you think you will be doing the swap??? I would like to rebuild my engine some day so if i can learn some things from doing yours itâ�?��?�s all the better. I donâ�?��?�t know much but I can turn a wrench and lift stuff. How far are you from Merrimack???

The work will be done in a friend's garage (home, not pro) in Milford, CT. I'm not sure how far that is from you, but I'd appreciate help lifting, etc.

My friend also home brews, and has a kegerator, so hopefully anyone helping out will not go thirsty.

Originally posted by hmouta:
i've never pulled an engine and i'm far from an engine expert but i'd certainly be willing to lend a hand of i'm free when you do this.

That'd definately be appreaciated. I still don't know the exact date that we are going to do the swap. We're arranging access to a cherry picker, an engine stand, some better jacks, etc. "The sooner the better" is what we both keep saying. Unfortunately, you can't circle that on a calendar.

Speaking of jacks, can anyone tell me how realistic it is to drop the engine from a CSVT without a full lift? Like, in a home garage? Is it possible (or practical) to pull it with a cherry picker rather than dropping the subframe, or whatever?

Originally posted by slashdevnull:

Originally posted by hmouta:
i've never pulled an engine and i'm far from an engine expert but i'd certainly be willing to lend a hand of i'm free when you do this.

That'd definately be appreaciated. I still don't know the exact date that we are going to do the swap. We're arranging access to a cherry picker, an engine stand, some better jacks, etc. "The sooner the better" is what we both keep saying. Unfortunately, you can't circle that on a calendar.

Speaking of jacks, can anyone tell me how realistic it is to drop the engine from a CSVT without a full lift? Like, in a home garage? Is it possible (or practical) to pull it with a cherry picker rather than dropping the subframe, or whatever?

I am the same as Hugo, haven't done it but willing to help out, also Milford is only about 20 minutes from me and I come through there on the parkway every day so it is easy for me to be in the area

um, people have pulled engines before at home with out lifts, you can get the engine out the top

what I also saw done in pics with a tempo was the guy got the subframe on the floor and lifted the front of the car up off the subframe

Originally posted by brapple:
um, people have pulled engines before at home with out lifts, you can get the engine out the top

what I also saw done in pics with a tempo was the guy got the subframe on the floor and lifted the front of the car up off the subframe

Keeping in mind that we need to pull the engine from two cars, I'd like to do this in an efficient manner. I don't want to make a mess of my friend's garage and/or driveway for any longer than possible. We'll probably tow the donor car the moment that we get the engine out of it.

I know I haven't replied to any of your PM's lately slashdevnull, but I'd like to help when I have the time. I've been so busy getting the car done, and now trying to catch up on life since the car left me no time for anything. LOL

Just post when your going to be working on it, and I'll try to make it out there. Too bad your not doing it in Southington.

BTW, using a regular jack, the car can get high enough to pull the engine out the bottom. After doing mine, I think pulling from the top would be 100 times harder.

I still can't believe the Duratec swap was my first car repair ever. What a learning experience.

No prob, and thanks.

As far as Southington goes, I'm there when I'm not working. So, if you want to show off that 3.0L to someone that'd appreciate it, give me a call or PM.

The jacking info is good to know. Another friend of mine is ordering a tall jack that he offered up to me for this project. He plans on using it to jack his Porsche (the bastid!) to drop and pull the engine.

The jack we used went very high, but not high enough to pull it out. We had to put a 2x4 piece of wood on top of the jack to give us the extra hieght. Sounds ghetto, but it did the job just fine.