All,

I have a 93 Geo Tracker 5 speed 4wd with an 8v 1.6 liter engine and boy is she tired !

I acquired a 96 Sidekick 5 speed with a 16v 1.6 liter and am probably going to swap this into the Tracker. Things look straight forward but I do have some (fundamental) questions...

- Will the 16v bolt up to the 8v transmission so I do not have to swap the tranny too? Any special considerations for the clutch etc?

- Any other special considerations? I know about having to swap the ECU and some/all of the engine wiring harness from the Sidekick to the Tracker. Engine peripherals and firewall components as well. That's why it's nice to have a donor vehicle!

HP gains will be nominal (but still noticeable I've been told). Since all I have down so far is yank the engine out of the Sidekick, I can't help but wonder if now is not the time to make the change more meaningful... perhaps to get a J18, J20 or even a J23 engine and make the swap. I just do not know what will bolt on (like engine to the stock Tracker trans) and what will need any serious fabrication?

There is a fellow on youtube that swapped a J18 out of his 96 Sidekick Sport for a J23 out of an Arieo. He made it look so easy! His name is Rafael Lynch and this is his video:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2huecsc6NQU

Does he come around these parts? Anyone know him? Would love to ask him some questions like is the bolt pattern from a 96 Sidekick Sport with a J18 engine different than the bolt pattern from a slightly older 93 1.6, 8 valve Tracker?

Anyway, any suggestions would be greatly appreciated and thanks!

Wow... no reply's?

How about this; can anyone tell me how easy/hard it would be to swap a 16v 1.6 from a 93 Sidekick to a 8v 1.6 93 Tracker?

That's what I have to work with... 93 sidekick donor!

Thanks!

 

Briefly, you’ll need to swap the engine, ECU, harness, fuel system. You don’t advise whether either of the vehicles are 2wd or 4wd, auto or manual tranny, etc.
And your 8v is ‘tired’....what exactly does that mean? How many miles on it? Is it tuned and timed right? I have the 91 - 210,000 miles - not ‘tired’ at all. Regarding power, after all the work of the swap, you will be swapping 80hp for 95hp. Not really a big difference.....????

 

Both are 4wd and 5 speed manual. Considering that they are the same year, how difficult could fitting the 16 v engine be?

I know that hp dif is minimal but i heard that that 16v engine is more efficient in the way it applies the power revs smoother... feels like it has more power than the rated 95.

i pulled the ECU from the Sidekick. How much of the wire harness will I need? Much of it is connected beyond what I can see and disconnect via connections. I can start cutting wires, but I don't want to...

 

Regarding power, after all the work of the swap, you will be swapping 80hp for 95hp. Not really a big difference.....????

I'd have to disagree (though it's only the time I have ever disagreed with Bex :huh That amounts to just under 20% which is rather substantial on these little things, after all we are not dealing with V-8's here.

Although they are two different rides, my 94 being an automatic I can sure feel the difference in power when I get in the 99, 5 speed.
I think you would consider it a very good improvement.
As far as the harness, it's only a bunch of wires, taken one wire at a time they simply connect one to the other. (Boy is that an understatement or what)
Point being that if your intent on committing to doing the meticulous work to get the job done your rewards will have been worthwhile and rewarding.

My 99 was purchased with a wiring harness that burnt to a crisp, I knew it would be a time consuming project but what the heck, I wasn't doing it for profit, I wanted the resulting vehicle.


I'd say. . . . .
Go for it!!

Swap plates, hehehe!


Don

^_^

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I think part of your difference in ‘feel’ is that your 94 is an auto tranny - the additional weight of that tranny would impact whatever power/acceleration you’re feeling. Just dumping our back seats makes a difference in ‘power’ in these cars - imagine the difference with the tranny.
Perhaps I’m just ‘old’ and somewhat ‘content’ - with the 8v, I never really get into situations where its acceleration is less than what I want. It’s speedy enough to pass when I need it, go up inclines, etc. Once you’re cruising at highway speeds, then acceleration is no longer an issue. And frankly, when you consider it, even 95 hp is not something that’s really great...lol.
Anyway, for me, it would be a lot of work, with little reward. If the 96 in the original posters thread is running, why then just not use the 96? Why even do the swap at all?

 

I will chime in here since I just got my swap running...

Mechanically, it's simple enough. Mounts, flywheel, clutch, trans, rad hoses all work the same.for both motors, heater hoses need to be from the 16V. Obviously you need both manifolds from the16v as well. Fuel pump will work but you need the fuel feed line from the 16v. The soft one from the frame to the rail, has a sort of flare nut where the hard line from the frame attaches to the soft line to the engine.
Airbox needs to be transferred from the 16v, the coolant overflow needs to be moved and cruise control module if you have it.

Electrically it sounds simple, but it can be intimidating and time consuming. I wish I had the entire dash harness available to me as I feel it would have been easier (I'll tell you what I did and you can decide).

I grabbed as much of the donor harness as I could but someone had been in there before me hacking things. I had the harness from the ECU going out to the engine, up to the steering column, as far right as the heater box as thats where it was cut, and the fuse box and main/fuel pump relays.

I spent alot.of time widdling it down. I was left with the ECU plugs, main and fuel pump relay plugs (swapped over the power in wires and out wires from the original harness), basically stripped it down to whatever didn't go between the engine harness (you'll find it has 2 plugs) and the ECU. The stretch of wiring that has the plugs for the MAF and IAT also has the headlight wiring in it, I separated it away.

Basically I had a harness from my ECU going to my MAF and IAT, then to the engine harness and anything that wasn't run off that harness I transferred over from the original harness. Think speed sensor input, igniter output, power steering pressure input etc.... If you'd like I can look at my list the next time I'm around the truck, but I think this atleast gives you an idea....

My thread is in this section near the top somewhere...

Cheers

 

I might be asking you many questions in the days and weeks to come...

Keep up the determination and perseverance!

 

Wow, this is getting interesting! I am thinking of going for it! I am pretty mechanically inclined (I did stuff a v8 in a Porsche 914!). I have an intact donor vehicle...

I have been in contact with Trail Tough (Medford OR) and apparently if I send them (part?) of the Sidekick wire harness, they can modify it to work in the Tracker. They say the option is this (for 400.00) or me having to transfer ALL of the wiring from the Sidekick to the Tracker. I've gone back and forth trying to find out what part of the harness they need but they have been pretty vague with their responses. Are there any other good reputable companies that do this or from where I can get engine rebuilt parts?

Speaking of engine parts, when I removed the can from the 16v, I noticed there was a chunk of metal broken away (?) from the cam (see pic). I could not find the "missing" part anywhere. Just wondering if this happens with this engine or did someone once upon a time, break it during a repair and if so, do I replace it, is it still okay?

 

Speaking of engine parts, when I removed the can from the 16v, I noticed there was a chunk of metal broken away (?) from the cam (see pic). I could not find the "missing" part anywhere. Just wondering if this happens with this engine or did someone once upon a time, break it during a repair and if so, do I replace it, is it still okay?

i'd say someone dropped it and broke it, its been running for years now.....

 

I like rockauto for parts, might just be me though.

Not sure exactly how to word this, but no cam bearings, the aluminum cylinder head acts as a bearing surface you could say.
As far as I know, if the cam bores are beyond limit you need a head.

 

I really like the way RockAuto categorizes everything. Looks easy to navigate and find what you need!

What about quality from its vendors? For example; I am looking at engine gasket rebuilt kits and they one from ITM and another from EngineTech. I know those companies use parts from yet other vendors to compile their kits but which is better, ITM or EngineTech?

Also; been seeing here and there that if you remove the cylinder head, you should replace the bolts? Why is that?

 

I am trying to understand what is being said about the can bearings. See the attached picture. No bearings to remove from the caps or bores. Is this right? I drove the truck for around 10 miles before I parked it then started disassembly. Although it was missing a muffler, I don't think I heard any nasty sounds. What gives!

 

perfectly normal, the cam "bearings" are part of the head casting itself. As long as wear is not excessive and in spec, then every thing can be reused. If either head or cam are worn and out of spec, replacement of either or both parts may be required.

 

Ah, okay. So if I decide to replace the cam because there is a small chunk of cast metal missing from it (see previous picture), I can do so without replacing the head as well (gosh I hope that is the case!)?

 

yes, as long as the head bearing surfaces and dimensions are within spec, if they are worn past the specified limits (check as per manual) then you may be in for a head as well.

 

they modify it for the different ECU and engine control systems / sensors and injection

 

But if I'm swapping the engine and including all of the wiring and the ECU, what's left to modify?

 

I saw their modifying service as well, and what I took it as more so for people swapping an 8v or 16v into a samurai. I think in your case, as long as the years are close enough, like both OBD1 or OBD2, you should be able to just put the whole donor harness into your truck.
The only things that may be different, at least that I can think of, would be maybe instrument panel (do both have tachometers?) and heater controls (A/C?)

Edit
I looked back and saw your donor was a 1996. It should still work, I see no reason why the wiring to the rear and doors would be too different.

Instrument panels may be too different between the OBD1 and OBD2 units. You'd have to compare and make a decision. Is the 1996 speedometer electric or cable?

The harness could be modified to work with your 1993 instrument panel, leaving the cable speedo in place, just making connections for your dummy lights and tach.

Of course I've never had an OBD2 cluster in hand so I can't say for sure

 

check the wiring carefully, I suspect there will be an idle control circuit on the A/C vehicle that makes the ECU raise the idle when the compressor clutches in. If the 16V is not a/c equipped then this might be an issue as it may not be included in the ECU. Not sure how those models controlled the idle up on a/c.

As for converting to R-134.....not recommended.

Using R134a in Systems Designed for R22

If you have a auto air conditioner designed to work with R22 refrigerant, and the system needs a recharge, a number of issues prevent the direct substitution of R134a. For one, the cooling capacity of R134a is only 60 percent that of R22, so the system condenser has to work overtime to produce the same amount of cooling. Here are some other issues:

R134a has a lower thermal conductivity than R22, so an R134a system needs a larger heat exchanger.
A system circulating R134a needs a drier, because of the propensity of the refrigerant to absorb water.
R134a swells the rubber components in the refrigeration system and causes leaks.
R134a corrodes copper, so the system must include an additive to prevent it.
R134a systems require special lubricating oils that are, on the whole, inferior to those used in an R22 system.
The silicone based oil in R134a systems is not compatible with the mineral oil in R22 systems which means the entire system, including the compressor must be thoroughly cleaned of old oil traces before use.

 

Update...

Took the head in for testing and had it planed. Came out fine.

So it looks like the project is a go.

Am looking at Rock Auto for parts and have some questions...

- What should I get to rebuild this engine! Every thing? Pistons, oil pump, rings?

- We know the head was fine. I reckon the rest of the engine is okay. What is typically replaced when rebuilding an engine as a "light" rebuild?

- Is there a way to test the existing oil pump to see if it is still okay?

- I asked before but even on Rock Auto it mentions replacing the cyl head bolts. Is that something that is typically replaced?

Thoughts?

 

replace head bolts, its cheap insurance.

What was compression like? what pressures? what do bores look like? any side to side movement of the pistons? measure piston to cyl clearance and check against specs.

talk to the engine guy that did your head plane, or go chat to a rebuilder, easier to seek pro advice now, rather than spend money on bits you don't need, or that won't fit after machining.

 

- What should I get to rebuild this engine! Every thing? Pistons, oil pump, rings?

- We know the head was fine. I reckon the rest of the engine is okay. What is typically replaced when rebuilding an engine as a "light" rebuild?

- Is there a way to test the existing oil pump to see if it is still okay?

- I asked before but even on Rock Auto it mentions replacing the cyl head bolts. Is that something that is typically replaced?

Thoughts?

Replace the oil pump, pistons , rings , bearings, timing belt, water pump, tune up parts and use new head bolts.
If your going through the trouble of opening up the engine then you might as well do the best job you can. It makes no sense to do a half___ way job. The old saying of penny wise and dollar foolish applies to engines. It's a small engine and parts are not that expensive, your not talking about building a racing engine here. One word of caution on the Rock Auto parts, be sure to weigh the pistons. I bought a "set" for a four cylinder engine and had one piston weighing 4 ounces more than the rest, one was an off brand from the others.

Best of luck, you can do it!!

Don

^_^

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