J20A Swap in Place of J18A

[Ezzie]

I have a 1998 Sidekick Sport with a very worn J18A with automatic gearbox (300,000 k's). Has anyone ever swapped in a J20A from a Vitara to replace the 1.8 ltr.? If so, were their any major issues?

[Ezzie]

Wow!! No one has ever done this on here????

[jtgh]

we dont get too many 1.8L , questions, just noisey chain or bad COP.
about it.
the 1.8 is used in the Esteem. so there is a source.
what year J20a?
4wd?

you can see they are sister engines. like a mirror.

will ecu like 200CC more? i dont think so.

I looked at all tranny bell housing pn, both diff.
i looked and engine mounts, same and not same.
same if after a certain body after sn.w4102929~

you do it , we watch.
swaps are lots of fun.
Id make sure the bell housings fit up. (PART NUMBERS SURE DONT !) step 1.

the bottom of engine cross over is diff. but I think that is body issues. as ,mounts are same.

i looked at sq420 vitara, e28 canada.
against SV 418.


if you search here , we did this before. you are the only one this year. , 1 last year.


ooops. diff throttle body, very diff. and
oops, diff IAC
diff TPS
and 420 has MAF and 1.8 Liter has none. (see inducion pipe just behind air cleaner.
I have no idea , all the stuff inside a 1.8L TB, you tell me....
Echo from last year.....
yes, yes, I know , just the block head changed. right.
so it gets down to manifolds and ECU mapped all off for 200cc.
ok
i looked at the intake and exhaust.
both gaskets are diff.
65d00 1.8 and 65d01 2.0
77e00 1.8 and 77EA0 2.0

i would presume the center line to center line on each cyl is wider. ( i know they dont waste aluminum)
and the manifolds are not the same.
so i will forget exhaust as you can just weld it in. SOP.

Intake? YOU need to put the old TB on the new intake.manifold.

might fit, so start there.
but the IAC and EGR setup is completely diff . Egr in rear on 420 and i have no idea if the feed back on it is the same.

i am looking at the gasket and the TB , and the mount, they look different.
pn is diff on gasket .
if you adapt the Old TB to new intake man. (make a plate adaptor)
and block off old IAC on new intake man.(right side)

or cut the old TB mount off old man. and cut the same on new and weld on old to new.
TIG/mig .weld.
conclusion:
you must keep old ecu
you must keep old throttle body.
you must block off stuff on new intake man.
EGR ? hummmmm

fuel tables will be problematic.

[Ezzie]

Thanks jgth. The vehicle is the 1998 Sidekick Sport with the 1.8 ltr. (J18A) with an automatic 4x4 behind it - Canadian market car (probably build at CAMI in Ingersoll but I'll have to verify with the VIN). My idea was to swap the short block - by this I mean retain the old ECU, TB/intake & exhaust manifolds, motor mounts, sensors, etc.

Based on your part# search, sounds like there are a lot of differences between the J18A and J20A. I thought the 2.0 ltr. might be the same castings but just a slightly higher deck or bore size than the 1.8 ltr. What I think I hear is that there are more casting differences than that. My experience with Jap engines has all been with the old 1970's - 80's Datsuns - the L16, L18 & L20 family of engines were all interchangeable with common bell housings, etc. Even the 240Z's - 280Z's from that era used the same bell housing patterns. You could swap blocks & heads, tranny's etc. around within reason and everything would still line up and be made to work with minimal fabrication.

Guess I better look into rebuilding this tired old 1.8 ltr. or find a decent one in a JY.

[jtgh]

200 cc. the intake and exhaust gaskets are diff. dont know why?
yes, same fit up's on many
but on v6 , i dont think so.?
I4 engines, most likely.

tranny just swap the bell housing , if need be 3sp or 4sp?


j18a 84 mm bore, 83 mm stroke
j20a 84.0 mm bore, 90.0 mm stroke


you are right, it is a stroker.
so maybe heads are simular.? no , the pn on head, gaskets and cover all diff.
my suspesiion is combustion chamber larger for stroker.
but, may be this will drop you C/R and you can run a turbo..... LOL


google searches "swaps"
"The 2.0L looks almost exactly like the 1.8L so I am guessing it will work. I called Suzuki and the could not tell me. I also called the corporate people and they said I would have to call the factory in Japan."


not alot out there on this subject....

speak Japaneese?

it may bolt up.
but dont change, sensors and actuators.

I like that 2.0, nice motor.

[Ezzie]

Thanks jgth, I'll do some more research on it and post back here if I find out anything more that might be useful. Since the 2.0 ltr. is a longer stroke version of the 1.8 ltr., the only difference is likely to be the crank. Heads should be very similar. One thing I noticed is the cam chain/tensioner rebuild kits (aftermarket) are the same for both motors so the 7mm. (little over 1/4") deck height difference must not affect anything much.

I have a search going on around the local JY's to see if they have any J20A's around.

[jtgh]

just find a photo of the 1.8L block dech and 2.0
if pistons on both are flush with deck, then the head has bigger chamber or
the CR is on the moon, might even run diesel moon.

[jtgh]

50 cc more pre cylinder is a huge volume diff. 200 div 4.
campared to the chamber size.
same displacement as 1 of my chain saws ! LOL

i think heads are diff. but cant prove it.

i think the pistons are flush with deck, because other wise the fancy wedge combustion would be wrecked, (highly evolved these chambers are)
I vote, completely diff , heads, 1.8L to 2.0L

but i dont know for sure.

just pn are for sure diff. (large PN diff too)
usually they just change the last digit for tiny change.