I suppose that I am really showing my ignorance here but as I ponder what to do with my ’88 Duke with a blown head gasket I find myself dreaming of an engine swap.
Over the past few years as I thought about engine swaps I keep coming back to the Ecotec as the perfect engine for the Fiero (for me). Light weight, rugged, does not completely fill up the engine compartment requiring a contortionist to change the plugs, good fuel economy, can build to any amount of power desired from modest to insane, for my thinking it fits the philosophy of the car, my Fiero was born a 4 cylinder and maybe it was intended to stay that way.
So why are there so few Ecotec swaps? Is it expensive? If so, why? Are there features that make the swap difficult? I presume that it is completely computer controlled making all the instrument gages and indicator lights more difficult to hook up?
Are there other factors? Are 4 cylinder engines just not desired?
I am not an all-out car nut so I just do not know and I would like to.
I think its because the 3.4pr (oh the horror!) and 3800 are so cheap and easy. Personally I think the ecotec is a great option and I am surprised it never really took off. I would imagine the Colbalt SS supercharged engine and trans would make for a really awesome Fiero.
have they cracked the ECU's on those yet so you don't need to transplant the BCM and all with it? id not want a mess of wires behind my seat for buncha stuff I don't need/want.
have they cracked the ECU's on those yet so you don't need to transplant the BCM and all with it? id not want a mess of wires behind my seat for buncha stuff I don't need/want.
(I haven't readup on them yet)
Yes, HPTuners can disable the VATS on the cavalier pcm. I've been contemplating one, so I've been doing the research.
The newer turbo Ecotecs that make 200+ HP aren't cheap yet, and aren't so easy to swap.
The older N/A Ecotecs that are easier to swap and cheaper to find, don't make as much power without building them up and throwing an aftermarket turbo on. It's often cheaper to just swap in a Series II 3800SC.
An Ecotec would be a great swap though, even without a turbo. It'll make more power than the Duke, sound better, and can still get 40+ MPG on the highway.
Originally posted by hookdonspeed: what about the need for the BCM / gauge cluster?
You need to clarify specifically which model of Ecotec you are talking about. There are many. The Cavalier didn't come with the 200 HP turbo model, that runs on the Bosch motronic ECM. Early 2000s Ecotecs are easy. The LNF and similar models will be more difficult to wrangle with.
80-90+ % of people doing swaps want to be able to buy what they need and bolt it together with very good/detailed instructions. They also want to do swaps that other have done with success so they know it will work, and they will be able to finish it.
At this point the ecotec is still a one-off project where you will need to custom fabricate all the needed parts and handle the harness on your own. Very few people are willing to take on such projects, so there are very few completed ecotec swaps.
It will take more completed swaps from DIYers or strong vendor support for the swap for it to take off and be more common.
Exactly! On the 3800sc, it is practically plug and play and has plenty of power. No new ground-breaking required and plenty of support. Wouldn't be surprised that there are more 3800sc engines in running Fieros than 2.8s. They're getting long-in-the-tooth for decent used. So easy, even a caveman can do it!
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Originally posted by fieroguru:
80-90+ % of people doing swaps want to be able to buy what they need and bolt it together with very good/detailed instructions. They also want to do swaps that other have done with success so they know it will work, and they will be able to finish it.
At this point the ecotec is still a one-off project where you will need to custom fabricate all the needed parts and handle the harness on your own. Very few people are willing to take on such projects, so there are very few completed ecotec swaps.
It will take more completed swaps from DIYers or strong vendor support for the swap for it to take off and be more common.
Exactly! On the 3800sc, it is practically plug and play and has plenty of power. No new ground-breaking required and plenty of support. Wouldn't be surprised that there are more 3800sc engines in running Fieros than 2.8s. They're getting long-in-the-tooth for decent used. So easy, even a caveman can do it!
Lol at the more running 3800 than 2.8. I'm not a big fan of the 3800 but if a person is looking for an inexpensive replacement for a blown Fiero motor the 3800 is the most bang for the buck. I would probably still prefer the 3.4 pr for a bunch of reasons but the Ecotec is still way too exotic for most people's taste.
