hey guys, i have an 02 sunfire coupe right now. and im wanting to swap in either a 3400 or 3500 V6 and a 5 spd. Car is currently a 2200 OHV with 4spd auto. Just wondering how hard/how long this would take to do? ive found a couple 3500 engines around here for about $300-$400.

This is exactly what im going for right here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9DVDJAkABAc

read the stickies in the 3rd gen forum. really not as hard as you would think, but it'll take more than a night that's for sure. those v-6's will bolt right up to your tranny, custom mounts will be in order. but all in all you have pretty much the perfect donor vehicle.

yeah ive been trying to read up on doing it. but i cant seem to find the cost (excluding the actual motor) and how to do that piggyback system using 2 computers.

can anyone point me to where that would be? or have the answer? thanks.

You're not going to find a how-to on the wiring, particularly on the piggyback setup. What you need to do is to wire in the necessary power, sensor feeds, and serial data line to/from the factory computer. This will allow your factory computer to receive the necessary info and run your gauges. What you need to do is get your hands on your factory wiring diagram and the donor engine wiring diagram, and trace the wires you need.

If you're converting from auto to 5-speed, check out the transmission forum. There is info there on what's involved.

Quiklilcav wrote:You're not going to find a how-to on the wiring, particularly on the piggyback setup. What you need to do is to wire in the necessary power, sensor feeds, and serial data line to/from the factory computer. This will allow your factory computer to receive the necessary info and run your gauges. What you need to do is get your hands on your factory wiring diagram and the donor engine wiring diagram, and trace the wires you need.

If you're converting from auto to 5-speed, check out the transmission forum. There is info there on what's involved.

that wiring doesn't make much sense to me.

which engine would you recommend i go with? the 3400 or the 3500? and what year? thanks.

You can run a 3500 using a 3400 computer. Though you'll need an external crank trigger for the engine to do it. Then maybe some tuning adjustments.





i find it amusing that SHOoff has nothing better to do but follow me around & be an unhelpful dick in even cross-forum. - Jon Mick

yeah i read up on the crank trigger thing.

but how do i go about tuning? am i gonna have to spend like $500 just to do that? cause i dont know anyone who has an hptuner or whatever. or can i do it myself using a laptop?

I would do the 3400. Judging by your questions, cost is a concern for you. It will definitely be considerably more to do a 3500, because the crank trigger isn't cheap, plus you'll have to have more tuning done. You can do your own tuning with HPT if you know what you're doing, but for a couple hundred. You can have the transmission code turned off and the anti theft turned off (if the computer you get requires it). Also, forget about the piggybacking. I forgot when I responded that you are doing the swap in an 02. This means you want to use an Impala (02) computer (or have another one flashed to the Impala program). Your gauges will work perfectly with that setup.

Quiklilcav wrote:I would do the 3400. Judging by your questions, cost is a concern for you. It will definitely be considerably more to do a 3500, because the crank trigger isn't cheap, plus you'll have to have more tuning done. You can do your own tuning with HPT if you know what you're doing, but for a couple hundred. You can have the transmission code turned off and the anti theft turned off (if the computer you get requires it). Also, forget about the piggybacking. I forgot when I responded that you are doing the swap in an 02. This means you want to use an Impala (02) computer (or have another one flashed to the Impala program). Your gauges will work perfectly with that setup.

thats very helpful! thanks a bunch. and also does the impala computer have to be from one with a 3.4L or is it semi-universal (3.1, 3.4, or 3.8)? cause theres some on ebay for about $40.

It definitely can NOT be a 3.8 unit. Completely different triggers on those. However, I don't think it can be from a 3.1 only because I don't believe they made the Impala with a 3.1 during the years which work.

Quiklilcav wrote:It definitely can NOT be a 3.8 unit. Completely different triggers on those. However, I don't think it can be from a 3.1 only because I don't believe they made the Impala with a 3.1 during the years which work.

so it has to be from a 3.4, but does it still have to be from a 2002? and also, does it matter what year the motor is?

well i just bought a pcm off ebay for $36 (cheaper than my local junkyards) says its from an 02 impala with the 3.4.

so i need to buy an upper motor mount from a 94-97 grand am w/3100, engine harness (from 02 impala?), and a 99-02 motor? is that it?

bump

Quiklilcav wrote:It definitely can NOT be a 3.8 unit. Completely different triggers on those. However, I don't think it can be from a 3.1 only because I don't believe they made the Impala with a 3.1 during the years which work.

It's not that the crank triggers are different, it's that the 3.8 is odd fire and the 3400 is even fire. The 3x00 has a firing event every 120 degrees, on the 3.8 it's something like 150, 90, 150, and so on.





i find it amusing that SHOoff has nothing better to do but follow me around & be an unhelpful dick in even cross-forum. - Jon Mick

so i need to buy an upper motor mount from a 94-97 grand am w/3100, engine harness (from 02 impala?), and a 99-05 motor? is that it?


also, is anyone on here still making those custom upper and lower mounts?? if so id like to buy some, thanks!

so besides the flashing the impala computer and modifying the mounts, would everything basically just bolt right in and not have to do any wiring? im looking to be able to have the swap completed in a week.

SHOoff wrote:

Quiklilcav wrote:It definitely can NOT be a 3.8 unit. Completely different triggers on those. However, I don't think it can be from a 3.1 only because I don't believe they made the Impala with a 3.1 during the years which work.

It's not that the crank triggers are different, it's that the 3.8 is odd fire and the 3400 is even fire. The 3x00 has a firing event every 120 degrees, on the 3.8 it's something like 150, 90, 150, and so on.

Actually, I'm pretty sure the low resolution one is different, that the 3.8 does not have a 7x trigger. Back when the swap hadn't been done yet, and Mr.Goodwrench and I were talking about different computers, he was planning on using an F-body 3.8 ECM/harness until he read the diagram and saw the difference in trigger resolution.

Dustin Ouellette wrote:so besides the flashing the impala computer and modifying the mounts, would everything basically just bolt right in and not have to do any wiring? im looking to be able to have the swap completed in a week.

anyone?

Yes it's pretty much bolt in, but you are going to have to so some wiring. It only took me a few days to wire it, but then again I don't know your "skill" level.


- Your not-so-local, untrained, uncertified, backyard mechanic. But my @!#$ runs

Oedwards wrote:Yes it's pretty much bolt in, but you are going to have to so some wiring. It only took me a few days to wire it, but then again I don't know your "skill" level.

im not too bad with wireing, plus ill be having my brother help with it. did you also do a 5 spd swap at the same time?