Ive got a 94 Volvo 850 with some engine issues see thread here.
I would like to swap the 850 with a 2.3 L turbo in instead of the 2.4 L n/a. I swapped a motor 3SGTE into my celica and did some rewiring and had to re-weld hard body mounts. So my question is do the 2.3L and 2.4L use the same mounting locations, and will the 5 spd manual trans from the 2.4L bolt up to the 2.3L?

 

Trans will bolt up. Engines are different. 2.3 is plumbed for a turbo, 2.4s are not. If you do a manual swap, it's more than just bolting up the transmission. There's rewiring you have to do, there's also two different transmissions that require different wiring.

 

Well I know they are two different motors. In the Celicas for instance the GT and the GTS are almost exactly like the All-trac which came turbocharged with 200-250hp depending on the year. The chassis is set up on the GT and GTS to accept the 3SGTE that came out of the all-trac with only having to deal with wiring. On the ST I had to modify the engine mounts welded to the frame.
So with the Volvo the wiring would be no issue because I would try and find a 2.3L with the entire engine harness intact which would just need to be wired into the dash harness to get all the lights to work on the cluster (I wired up the 3SGTE in my Celica so this would be no issue). The 850 I have currently is a 2.4L with a 5 SPD manual so its not like I'm switching from an auto to a manual (which would require cutting and drilling into the fire wall to accept the master cylinder, clutch pedal, etc...). So you can use the 2.4 trans with the 2.3 granted it may not last as long because it was built for an engine with less power is what I'm assuming.

So my real question now is would the 2.3L use the same mounts as the 2.4L? (As in would it drop in and bolt up with no re-welding of the body mounts?)

 

Actually, the manual transmission will hold MORE power than the automatic. If you go to volvospeed, you'll see that all the guys who are making monstrous power are running a manual transmission on their cars. Also, if you switch from an auto to a manual (or vice versa) there's no cutting that has to be done anywhere. The mounts are the same, and the cables go through the firewall in the same place. if you pull up the carpet on the drivers side up under the pedals, you'll see a grommet that bolts in that holds the cables. this is the same shape for the auto or manual, so it's just a matter of feeding cables through and bolting it in.

I may be wrong here, but I'm pretty sure that both motors use the same mounts in the same places.

 

Cool that's what I was hoping for! Makes things easier

 

woah. Swapping wiring harnesses?! I think you're over thinking this. The motor mounts are the same yes. 2.3 blocks have drains in them for the oil return line from the turbo. Are you trying to turbo your car? There's zero point in swapping wiring harnesses, it doesn't make any sense. If you are thinking of adding a turbo to it, good luck. You could put your 2.4 oil pan onto the 2.3 block I guess.

manual transmission will hook up no problem. manuals are stronger than autos.

 

I'm not looking to turbo the motor I have, I am looking to completely swap the turbo motor into the car. So I would take a turbo motor with the engine harness and turbo computer and drop it in instead of sticking with the N/A motor.

 

If thats your plan, I still think you would have far less time, effort, and bleeding into just selling what you have and buying a turbo car.

 

2.4 and 2.3 started off on the same chassis in the factory. If you are replacing the 2.4 with the 2.3 you will need to take the turbo setup (including the intercooler and plumbing), the intake, plus change out the radiator (6-hole vs 4-hole) and get the associated harness, ECU and some sensors. Accessories you might be able to re-use.

Prices for these would probably be the same as getting a turbo car. Unless of course, you are looking for a project, and are getting the donor for free.

For a full part-list you might want to create a spreadsheet with part numbers from either FCP or http://www.volvopartswebstore.com.

 

OK, So again, you want to turbo your NA? Correct? Yes. That's what you just said. You'll also need a different downpipe. And like Henry said, intercooler set up, intake, intake pipe, Different PCV system, harnesses, computers, etc etc. The list gets larger the more you think about it. You basically need to swap in the entire bay. This has been discusses multiple times, people trying to turbo an NA, even on Volvospeed it has been attempted, and you'll get the same response there. Once you start thinking about what's all required to do it, you don't want to.

 

I think he said he wants to remove the NA motor and put in a 2.3, with turbo etc. Same answer though....

 

Spot on, I'm guessing its not all that common to do that type of swap.

 

Everyone thinks about it, and thinks that it's fairly straightforward and simple, and in reality, you basically have to buy a turbo car to do the swap, because you need almost the entire bay. A lot of people on Volvospeed who are MORE than capable of doing it, say to not bother with it.

 

Even if you found a donor for free and have nothing else to do in your life, if you want turbo performance, sell your NA for $ 800, buy a Turbo car for $ 1000, and you can spend your time to make performance improvements on that.