engine questions for the 2.4 twin cam and 2.3 twin cam
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berettaz24
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engine questions for the 2.4 twin cam and 2.3 twin cam
i currently have a 1998 grand am se with a 2.4 5 speed it has 219,000 on the body and 100,000 on the engine and still commands respect on the road but i am looking to replace the engine and i am somewhat confused with how to proceed i find tons of info on the 2.3 engines but not alot on the 2.4 engines .... is it possable to swap from the 2.4 to the 2.3 high output engine with out swapping the computer and wiring harness ? if not is there any sites that anyone knows of that i can track down a beretta gtz or z24 as i miss my 95 z24 it was the best car i ever owned but it had frame rot and was no longer safe to drive so it was parted out ..... i am looking to build a strong car to pass onto my son whern he becomes of age if you have any information that can help me i would be greatful thanks for your time .....
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berettaboi
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Re: engine questions for the 2.4 twin cam and 2.3 twin cam
quad 4 forums will be your best bet really. i don't think anyone here has done that swap.
4th one's a charm, 5th one is, beginnning to sound like this is an addiction...
95 black z26, '96 White z26 awaiting new life, and 2.5 mazda trucks
95 black z26, '96 White z26 awaiting new life, and 2.5 mazda trucks
Re: engine questions for the 2.4 twin cam and 2.3 twin cam
Berettaboi is right regarding the Quad-4 forums being your best source, but I've done more than a little work on the 2.3s and 2.4s, including mix/match/hybrid work on them. Specifically, I put a 2.3 Quad with a 2.4 Twin Cam head into my '97 Z-24 five-speed (now '01 higher-compression 2.4 Twin Cam intercooled turbo) car for about a year.
So, yes, your 2.4 Twin Cam computer will run the 2.3 Quad engine, but it may not do it optimally. Unless you are swapping heads (or at least cam-carriers), you will lose the direct-drive power-steering pump setup that the 2.4 uses, which IMO was the best change GM made to the engine design going from the 2.3 to the 2.4. In '98, the Twin Cam should still be using 'conventional' (non- low impedance) fuel injectors, so the ECM might run the 2.3's injectors fine, but I would plan on swapping the 2.4's back on anyway, at least give yourself that option in case it doesn't run quite right. The small displacement change might cause tuning problems, or even cause your car to run a little rich, but it should still run fine if you can pass through emissions (if applicable). Engine accessories, such as the alternator, will not bolt directly up, so you will need to retain the 2.3's accessories, and the alternator's field-circuit wire is different, so you will need to spike that off from a different source (I used the ICM's ignition power-lead to energize my alternator). It has been several years, but I don't think there was much else that had to be swapped-over. I do remember messing with the water-pump to make the 2.4's pump work on the 2.3's block, but that was because my 2.3 was originally a SOHC, so I couldn't retain the timing-case for use with the 2.4's head, and the 2.4 drives the water-pump directly off of the timing chain (very stupid, since you have to break into the timing-case to replace the water-pump), rather than using the intermediate shaft and bearing that the older 2.3's used. Going from a 2.4 to a 2.3 H.O. Quad, or ANY 16v DOHC Quad, you shouldn't have a problem. Heater-hoses might not plug straight in, I don't recal having any issues though, and radiator hoses are plug-and-play. Honestly, I'm not 100% certain regarding the cam position sensor, but the Quad forums should be able to answer that. Throttle-body locations are different, but a CAI will negate that issue, I don't know about exhaust manifolds vs exhaust pipe flange mounts, but I can't imagine that would be much of an issue if you are already going through the trouble of an engine-swap.
Or you could just turbo-charge your 2.4, it worked for me, and my little '97 Z will totally decimate my '89 Camaro RS 5-speed Police Special 350 car, at least up to highway speeds. In fact, it almost keeps up with my 3800 SC 5-speed GTU up to 80 mph.
<Edit: the knock-sensor isn't compatible on some year 2.4s vs the 2.3, so you may have to find another place to mount that in, too.>
So, yes, your 2.4 Twin Cam computer will run the 2.3 Quad engine, but it may not do it optimally. Unless you are swapping heads (or at least cam-carriers), you will lose the direct-drive power-steering pump setup that the 2.4 uses, which IMO was the best change GM made to the engine design going from the 2.3 to the 2.4. In '98, the Twin Cam should still be using 'conventional' (non- low impedance) fuel injectors, so the ECM might run the 2.3's injectors fine, but I would plan on swapping the 2.4's back on anyway, at least give yourself that option in case it doesn't run quite right. The small displacement change might cause tuning problems, or even cause your car to run a little rich, but it should still run fine if you can pass through emissions (if applicable). Engine accessories, such as the alternator, will not bolt directly up, so you will need to retain the 2.3's accessories, and the alternator's field-circuit wire is different, so you will need to spike that off from a different source (I used the ICM's ignition power-lead to energize my alternator). It has been several years, but I don't think there was much else that had to be swapped-over. I do remember messing with the water-pump to make the 2.4's pump work on the 2.3's block, but that was because my 2.3 was originally a SOHC, so I couldn't retain the timing-case for use with the 2.4's head, and the 2.4 drives the water-pump directly off of the timing chain (very stupid, since you have to break into the timing-case to replace the water-pump), rather than using the intermediate shaft and bearing that the older 2.3's used. Going from a 2.4 to a 2.3 H.O. Quad, or ANY 16v DOHC Quad, you shouldn't have a problem. Heater-hoses might not plug straight in, I don't recal having any issues though, and radiator hoses are plug-and-play. Honestly, I'm not 100% certain regarding the cam position sensor, but the Quad forums should be able to answer that. Throttle-body locations are different, but a CAI will negate that issue, I don't know about exhaust manifolds vs exhaust pipe flange mounts, but I can't imagine that would be much of an issue if you are already going through the trouble of an engine-swap.
Or you could just turbo-charge your 2.4, it worked for me, and my little '97 Z will totally decimate my '89 Camaro RS 5-speed Police Special 350 car, at least up to highway speeds. In fact, it almost keeps up with my 3800 SC 5-speed GTU up to 80 mph.
- '97 Z-24, notice the fender is the only clean spot on the car, because the steel Z-3 fenders are new!
- The intercooler is small, but so is the IHI turbo feeding into it. It receives cold air directly from the functional hood scoop.
Last edited by Rettax3 on Sat Nov 17, 2012 3:18 pm, edited 1 time in total.
1989 SuperCharged 3800 Srs-II (First)Six-Speed GTU
1990 Turbo 3.4 5-Speed T-Type
1990 4.0L 4-Cam 32-Valve V-8 5-Speed Indy GTi (Project)
1990 Stock(!) 3.1 MPFI Auto Indy
1995 LA1/L82 4T60E Z-26
1995 3.4 DOHC Turbo 5-Speed Z-26
1990 Turbo 3.4 5-Speed T-Type
1990 4.0L 4-Cam 32-Valve V-8 5-Speed Indy GTi (Project)
1990 Stock(!) 3.1 MPFI Auto Indy
1995 LA1/L82 4T60E Z-26
1995 3.4 DOHC Turbo 5-Speed Z-26
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berettaboi
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- Joined: Sun Mar 23, 2008 10:58 pm
- Location: canananada
Re: engine questions for the 2.4 twin cam and 2.3 twin cam
Cool!
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4th one's a charm, 5th one is, beginnning to sound like this is an addiction...
95 black z26, '96 White z26 awaiting new life, and 2.5 mazda trucks
95 black z26, '96 White z26 awaiting new life, and 2.5 mazda trucks