[A.j. Schreiber]

I have an 04 non turbo with a 5 speed stick that has it's engine blown, I was wondering if the 2.4 from SWB minivans will work or any other 2.4 besides the one in cruisers that'll work. Caravans are more common at the local pick a part then cruisers are so thats why I'm wondering.

 

[valiant67]

Only another 2004 PT Cruiser engine is a direct swap, maybe 2005 also but no minivan is an interchange. You go with just the block and you can swap PT Cruiser 2004-2007.

 

[A.j. Schreiber]

appreciate it Valiant! but thats odd how an 04 is the only direct swap, I'm looking for a complete block.

 

[grungerockjeeper]

It'd take some doing, but it sounds like the perfect opportunity to dump a turbo engine in your car!

 

[Dave Z]

True, but if it's the GT engine, he'll have some pretty bad grip issues unless he also swaps wheels and front suspension parts! and brakes were probably different, too.

The light pressure turbo would be a great swap. But they never sold it with the stick -- not sure if that would cause computer issues.

 

[A.j. Schreiber]

I was actually thinking about the light turbo, what would that require? different intake pelum and ECM and exhaust for sure, but I dont see why the 5 speed wouldnt bolt on. Can someone elaborate why no other model year engine will work? I just find that really odd.

 

[valiant67]

It is not uncommon that many assemblies like this are one year only items due to the changing regulatory environments. The interchange books don't tell what is different, only that it is different. of course, they are geared to someone doing the swap in the allotted book time. Someone with spare time might be able to work with a different engine plus the blown engine and cobble something together. The big thing to watch for is the change in the crank position sensor, that's a definite issue for sure.

 

[grungerockjeeper]

yeah, the electtronics would be the biggest snag. The turbo-lite never was offered with a stick, but its the same block as the H.O. On the other hand, the front suspension probably isnt much different. Better brakes, yes. But the GT doesnt have a limited slip, unlike the neon SRT-4.

 

[dana44]

AJ, what is actually wrong with your engine? One person's definition of a blown engine may not be as bad as someone else's definition of a blown engine.

Is it bottom end or top end, piston, rod, loss of oil pressure seized, any idea at all?

I don't know the specific difference between the 2004, might be something as simple as a camshaft or sensor moved one location to another, but the PT is very different from the other 2.4s, you could literally see the differences if the two engines were side by side, like intake port shape, exhaust port shape (so those two items alone knock out using the head, intake and manifold), pistons are different, not worth the effort.

So, what broke?

 

[A.j. Schreiber]

well it's not seized, I can turn it over by hand. The oil light would flicker at idle after prolonged freeway driving and one day my dad thought it was fine if he drove the rest of the way home (which is another 20 minutes on rural roads) with the oil light on. Came home with it knocking like it was a wanna be diesel, took off the valve cover, no obvious damage, but took off the oil pan and disconnected the rods to find completely spun and chewed up bearings and enough scars on the crankshaft to consider it shot. Could I replace the bottom end and send it on its way? sure, but whos to say there isnt more wrong with it, so I explained this to my parents and had a professional mechanic who is a family friend come in to double check my verdict and he agreed. My verdict basically was I'm afraid of replacing the bottom end of the car and for the rest of its life chases various internal engine problems, it's best if we start from scratch with a quality low mileage engine and not have to worry about it again. plus you'd need to get the transmission out to replace the crankshaft so might as well just swap in a new one.

 

[dana44]

Sounds like there is a problem with the oil pump itself, dirty oil, or some kind of contaminant to spin the bearings. These little 2.4s are pretty durable, what with the bottom end having a cradle for the main bearings and all, I would think getting a short block bottom end and cleaning the head would probably be cheaper than a whole engine ( unless you find that low miles couple hundred dollar pull it yourself engine, but then you wouldn't know its history), and go from there. I looked at the rockauto.com site and the bearings and gaskets are the same for the 2.4 blocks 2003-2008, it is a matter of the correct pistons for the PT head and then the location of the crank sensor (your PT head would have the cam sensor), the master rebuild kit with oil pump, timing belt, rings, bearings (rods and mains), freeze plugs, and gaskets is $497. So, if you could find a known good block for less, that's the benchmark. Some real online investigations of changes and updates done year to year may be able to tell you some of the differences, things like Road and Track or actual Mopar tech articles, could tell you if a sensor was changed, improved seals, smog improvements, things like that. Bottom end-wise, unless there is a change like this, the short block should work without an issue.

 

[A.j. Schreiber]

Definetly see your point, I honestly could do that. we're waiting for a settlement from the insurance company for our recently totaled 06 Charger (guy fell asleep behind the wheel and came across the lanes and hit my dad offset head on, everyone is ok now) to repair the PT

 

[A.j. Schreiber]

So really considering the light turbo, looking online for engine blocks and looks like a lot of the turbo engines are from GTs, what are/what makes the difference between the GT and the light turbo? is it ECM programing, different turbos? If the turbo is the difference could I have a GT block with the light turbo? this hasnt been green lit yet, but being highly considered

 

[A.j. Schreiber]

as for crank position sensor I could just cut the wires and add more to make it all hook up if that's the only real problem with the other years

 

[dana44]

A.J,, if the sensor is moved, it means the sensor fires at a different time, meaning it would advance or retard the spark in relation to the crankshaft, not a good thing without the proper computer knowing what is going on.

Did you ever figure out exactly what happened to the engine?

 

[A.j. Schreiber]

the lower end pretty much blew out, removed the pan and had metal flakes in the oil pan. and I'll stick to an 04 engine then, did some shopping and replacing with the same engine would be about $1600 and $3600 to upgrade to the turbo light

 

[EWTech]

I may be wrong here but I thought the reason the light turbo was not offered with the T-350 5 speed was that the transmission was not up to the torque of the increased output of the engine. The automatic, despite it's inefficiencies, is actually very robust.