Thread: Well this sucks...

I don't really post much but I lurk a lot. I've got a 93 SE-R with 130k miles.

Last night I spun a bearing or did something, but now I've got a terrible lower end knock. This car is my daily, so I need to get it running ASAP.

Can I swap the engine for any other FWD SR20? Such as one from a later G20 or something? Do I just swap out the sensors? Will my clutch/flywheel/trans bolt up no problem? Is there any fitment issues (exhaust, intake, etc) with certain ones that I should watch out for?

Thanks in advance guys.

I think as long as you swap sensors you could put any FWD SR in there.

Any FWD SR20DE is all right as long as you swap the sensors and such. I like to stick to the same year as the engine I had originally but anything from the same generation would be good too. Last swap I did was from a 1994 G20 automatic into my 1994 Sentra SE-R manual. No problems at all.

AND they're super easy to swap. You can prolly do it over a weekend as long as you have some friends OR you've done it before.

Disconnect mounts, coolant lines,wiring harness, tranny ( or you can leave it in ) , cherry picker. and depnding on preference, out the top ( my preference ) or out the bottom on a dolly or something sturdy.

If you're dropping the motor out the bottom I would take the transmission with it for sure. If you seperate the two don't forget the halfshaft brace attached to the block.

How difficult is it to remove the engine with the tranny in the car?

I've never removed an engine in a FWD car, I grew up with RWD Zs and have done many engine swaps, clutch jobs, tranny swaps, etc, but I can't fathom how you would have the room to do any of that in a FWD car.

Is there a write up anywhere on how to do it? I have a cherry picker, so I think for me it would be easier to remove the engine from the top. Also, don't G20's have a lower redline? I've found a 1999 G20t with a broken trans that they are selling cheap! Or am I safe to rev it that high?

For the most part SR20DEs from the same year all had the same redline and cam profile if I remember correctly. Also, really the hard rev limit is forced by the ECU so you're going to be able to rev to what even you did before assuming you keep your ECU.

I've always dropped the engine and transmission out from under the car and this is super duper easy using nothing as special as a cherry picker, just two jacks. If you really want to go out the top you still might want to take the transmission with it. Yah you have to remove axles and tranny fluid and put them back again but sometimes I find that easier than unbolting the bellhousing from the block and lining them up again. *shrug* I guess it's up to you really, maybe I'll pull it out the top and leave the tranny in place next time for a good change of pace. =]

As for how much room their is... RWD cars can be a bit easier but I've seen some bolts on BMWs I'd never want to do again when doing a clutch job... As long as you're not doing a starter motor or a water pump there always seems to be enough room.

As for a write-up I really don't know of any nor have I ever looked. They could be out there. I can whip up another BenFenner copyrighted step-by-step procedure out of my аss right here if you'd like. I'm not sure if you're leaving the transmission in or not and if you're removing from the top or the bottom so I'll just go over all methods?

Engine + transmission from underneath:

Drain transmission fluid, engine oil and coolant.
Place some plywood or something under the car for protect and to slide the engine on
Loosen front wheel lug nuts
Raise the front of the car in the air from the front support beam and remove front wheels (chuck rear wheels, be safe)
Loosen axle nuts with breaker bar and cheater pipe
Leave nuts on the end of the axles and hammer axles out of the hubs with a medium to large hammer
Pull driver's side axle from transmission using Herculean strength
Unbolt passenger's side axle from the block support
Pull passenger's side axle from transmission using typical strength
Remove coolant hoses from engine
Remove radiator (it will get damaged otherwise, don't ask)
Unplug every electrical connection to the engine and transmission you can find and label them or have photographic memory
Remove fuel lines from the fuel rail
Remove vacuum hoses from brake booster and misc.
Remove power steering lines from the power steering pump
Detach the clutch cable from the transmission
Detach shift linkage at the rear engine mount
Support the engine and the transmission with a couple of jacks with wooden blocks to protect oil pan and such
Unbolt all engine/tranny mounts (passenger's side, driver's side, front dog-bone and rear mount)
Jack the front of the car up some more
Lower the engine to the lowest setting on the jacks and then carefully lower engine onto the ground and slide out, or you can raise the front up even higher and roll the engine out on the jacks
Remove all emissions equipment and sensors from the old engine and replace onto the new engine
Remove transmission/flywheel/clutch/pressure plate from old engine and attach to new engine
Assembly is reverse of removal



Engine (and not transmission) from underneath:

Wouldn't attempt. Axles could easily be damaged. If you remove the axles to prevent damage you might as well take the transmission with the engine.

Engine + transmission from above:

Drain transmission fluid, engine oil and coolant.
Remove the hood
Loosen front wheel lug nuts
Raise the front of the car in the air from the front support beam and remove front wheels (chuck rear wheels, be safe)
Loosen axle nuts with breaker bar and cheater pipe
Leave nuts on the end of the axles and hammer axles out of the hubs with a medium to large hammer
Pull driver's side axle from transmission using Herculean strength
Unbolt passenger's side axle from the block support
Pull passenger's side axle from transmission using typical strength
Remove coolant hoses from engine
Remove radiator (it will get damaged otherwise, don't ask)
Unplug every electrical connection to the engine and transmission you can find and label them or have photographic memory
Remove fuel lines from the fuel rail
Remove vacuum hoses from brake booster and misc.
Remove power steering lines from the power steering pump
Detach the clutch cable from the transmission
Detach shift linkage at the rear engine mount
Support the engine and the transmission with your cherry picker
Unbolt all engine/tranny mounts (passenger's side, driver's side, front dog-bone and rear mount)
Lower down the front of the car using the jack
Raise the engine and transmission out of the top of the car (you removed the hood right?)
Remove all emissions equipment and sensors from the old engine and replace onto the new engine
Remove transmission/flywheel/clutch/pressure plate from old engine and attach to new engine
Assembly is reverse of removal

Engine (and not transmission) from above:

Drain engine oil and coolant.
Remove the hood
Raise the front of the car in the air from the front support beam
Remove coolant hoses from engine
Remove radiator (it will get damaged otherwise, don't ask)
Unplug every electrical connection to the engine you can find and label them or have photographic memory
Remove fuel lines from the fuel rail
Remove vacuum hoses from brake booster and misc.
Remove power steering lines from the power steering pump
Support the engine with your cherry picker and the transmission with a jack
Unbolt all engine mounts (passenger's side and rear mount (maybe dog-bone too?)
Unbolt the transmission bellhousing from the block
Lower down the front of the car using the jack
Raise the engine out of the top of the car (you removed the hood right?)
Remove all emissions equipment and sensors from the old engine and replace onto the new engine
Remove flywheel/clutch/pressure plate from old engine and attach to new engine
Assembly is reverse of removal


Then of course, I could just be making this all up.

Haha thanks so much!
This is going to be really helpful.

On the bright side to all of this, I might end up with a boosted B13 (I've got a line on a bluebird motor for a good deal). On the not so bright side, I might end up with a 1999 SR20DE. On the worst side, I'm parking the car and getting a $800 beater...

Thanks for the help! I'll keep updating it all.

If you get a SR20DET you'll need to do some more stuff for the swap. You'll need a DET ECU and wiring harness. I'd be reluctant to put anything newer than a 1994 engine in a B13 just because I wouldn't want to loose any power due to cam profile and emissions crap... But you do what you have to do.