'04/'05 Eng. Swap

[BamaVibe]

Hey, Everyone! New to the forum and have a question for you......Can an '05 VIN eigth digit - L, engine swap for a "04 VIN eigth digit - 8? I know the drive by wire was added in '05 sometime, but got to see if this '05 donor car has the cable or not. If it is DBW, I'm thinking it's not worth the hassle changing out the throttle body, etc. Any info would be helpful.....Also, what are the differences with the transmissions in these year models....Thanks!

[northvibe]

Uh i forgot the vin difference between the 2zz(vvtl-i) and 1zz (vvt-i). But if they are both 1zz all you should have to do is swap throttle bodies with is just 4 bolts, super easy. If they are both 2zz (vvtl-i) then your fine.Tranny's didnt change between those years if its the same engine. (auto for auto, stick for stick).Welcome to the site!

[joatmon]

8 is the 1ZZ, L is the 2ZZ. You'd need to also swap the ECU's, at least, probably more pieces too

[coldmm803]

Quote, originally posted by joatmon »8 is the 1ZZ, L is the 2ZZ. You'd need to also swap the ECU's, at least, probably more pieces tooand get the tranny built up if its an auto. is the tranny mount different for the 2zz? i believe the 2zz's use a 6 speed manual and the awd and base vibe only have a 5 speed.

[BamaVibe]

Thanks for all your help! Decided to look for an '04 engine. Here's why:The '05 donor did have the 1ZZ instead of the 2ZZ that we thought, previously. Well, we thought the only issue we would have with the donor 1ZZ would be the throttle body which northvibe said it would be easy, which was true. Just to make sure all was clear, I called our local pontiac dealer to talk to parts/service. They are a pretty good bunch of guys and was friendly and helpful with my questions. They informed my about the variable cam timing that was put on the '05. After checking the donor engine against the '04, we confirmed the differences. Although, the computer from the salvage yard said the '04 had it too......confused.Figured finding a direct replacement would be much better and safer than the trouble to change everything over for this engine.Oh, even though the engines were pretty much the same, the donor came with the other tranny, which has different gearing. Again, didn't know how much trouble that would be for the existing computer.What all would have to be done to be able to put the donor's engine/tranny in the '04? Just the computer, or other parts?Again, thanks for your comments! It has definitely been helpful........

[joatmon]

I'm now confused. When you say Quote, originally posted by BamaVibe »What all would have to be done to be able to put the donor's engine/tranny in the '04?is the donor car an 04 or an 05, and is it a base engine (1ZZ) or GT (2ZZ), and is the recipient car an 04 or 05 and base or GT? Are you looking to replace a 5 speed 6 speed auto or awd with a 5 speed, 6 speed, auto or awd?Why do you want to swap engines, or is it that you need to replace the engine? If you need to replace the engine, what happened to the first one? Why do you think it failed? Is there anything about why it failed that we other Vibe owners might need to be aware of as a potential failure in our own engines?

[BamaVibe]

Sorry for the confusion...... Let me explain better, hopefully.Own a 2004 base-5 speed (oops 4 speed) auto with 95k miles. The engine started smoking a little and oil was coming out of the exaust and of course loosing oil. Took off valve cover and noticed sludge, even though the last oil change was about 6500 miles ago, with more consistant changes during the past. Visited a mechanic and he confirmed the severity of the problem; started looking for an engine.Found an engine at a salvage yard from a 2005 base- ? speed auto with 12k near my brother's house. After some research from some of this forum's threads, I came to realize that there may be an issue with the Drive By Wire which was introduced in the '05 model. Decided it would be an easy fix. Then after some confusion with the salvage yard as to this engine being an "8" or an "L", we found it was an "8" just like my '04. With so much confusion, I decided to check with the local dealer to get some advice with the situation. I was informed that even though the engines showed the same 8th digit on the VIN ("8"), the '05 had variable cam timing, where the '04 doesn't. I also was interested in the tranny from the '05 before all this new info, but it was a different tranny (different ratios) from mine and the shop guys were concerned that it wouldn't work with my wiring/computer/etc.As you can see, I'm not a mechanic and was concerned about having to change out more and more equipment to get this combo to work. Decided to just look for as low a mileage '04 combo that I can find.Again, thanks for the info! If I hadn't have come here I would not have stumbled onto the problem. What's funny, is a guy came up needing an engine for his '03 just as we were figuring everything out. Boy did he learn a lot in a short period of time......P.S. - Oh yeah.....the question I was asking (and you were confused about) was about how much trouble it would be to take the engine/tranny from the '05 and put it in mine, considering what the guys were saying about the computer, wiring, etc. Is it easier than what they were saying? Potential problems?

[Lancer]

I'm actually doing a swap right now (taking my shop forever to actually DO it though, he's had my car for 2 weeks now.)You can swap in any 1zzfe engine from any year and any car that uses them into your car. They all have VVT-i. And the automatics only have 4 speeds. It's hard to find a good complete used auto tranny AND the ecu for it. I went through all that 2 years ago and ended up rebuilding my old one with a shift kit. Now MWR has a built auto tranny (700hp) for only $500. The throttle body is no big deal. Just swap your old one in if the new one is dbw.I got one from an '07 corolla with only 4000 miles on it! For $800!! You didn't go to a Pontiac dealership did you? They're hopeless! Try going to a shop that specializes in foreign or Japanese cars.

[joatmon]

I don't remember anyone here having a sludged Vibe engine before, so I wonder why yours got sludged. What brands of oil have you used in it?