Is it possible to swap an engine from a 1997 Volvo 850 into a 1993 Volvo 850 GLT car?

If so what needs to be done to make it compatible? What issue are there?

 

Many of the '93 versions have a funky variable intake dampening flap and the shape of the intake port is different. I think you can pull it off if you keep the '97 intake manifold but then you may get into EGR issues since I think the '97 versions dropped EGR and added SAS. I'm not sure if the '93 models had EGR or not.

...Lee

 

What is EGR and SAS?

 

Electronically is there any difference between the 93 and the 97 engine? keep in mind I am putting a 97 engine into a 93 body.

 

The ECU differences are huge. The '93 has the LH 3.2 system and the '97 should run on the Motronic 4.4.

The engine itself is all the same if you swap stuff between the manifolds and leave the original emissions stuff there. My only question is back to the intake ports on the head - they may be different on your '93 from the '97 which would mean that you need to swap the intake manifold. If your '93 has EGR the hole likely won't be there on the '97 manifold.

...Lee

 

Intake manifold ports are shaped differently. The '93 manifold won't line up with the '97 head, and yes, the 97 lacks EGR, as well as having a different setup for the air injection system. Also, some '97s use the high- impedance "pencil" injectors, while the '93s use regular low- impedance injectors. While the engine will run if you use the correct "mix" of parts, it's not going to be right. A '94 is a direct swap, and a '95 should still have EGR, with the different head, but it'll work. Or if you have to, find a '95 manifold to put on the '97 engine.

But really, do you WANT to spend time and money figuring out which parts to use? a '94 engine is identical, with the exception of having the thicker timing belt, which is actually a good thing. So look for a '93 or '94 engine.

 

How do I tell which computers are in there now? Also if I do the engine swap can I simply upgrade the ECU to the newer ones? (what year ECUs are compatible with the 97 engine?)

 

In order to switch out the ECU with the later one, you'd need to do some serious rewiring. 95 and newer are OBD-II, which has a diagnostic port inside the car. 96 loses the outside port. There's also other sensor and pinout differences... basically, if you wanted to totally change it over to the 97 setup, you'd need to replace the entire wiring harness.

93 and 94 engines interchange totally- they are the same. Same ports on the head, and all
95 goes to the smaller ports on the head and the non- split intake manifold. Most still have EGR. You could put this engine in without much of a problem.
96 I don't know about for sure.
'97- no EGR, different intake ports, different injectors, so you'd need to swap injectors, you'd have to live with codes due to the lack of EGR (or find a '95 intake manifold. You'd also have to dicker with/ rig the secondary air injection system so it would work.

My question is this: why are you looking to do the swap? Can't find a 93 or 94 engine? the 97 has extremely low miles?

 

What is EGR?

 

basically this is what happened:

Swap has already been done. Bought a 1993 from a guy who had it running for a while with a 97 engine in it and recently he said it wouldn't start. Checked it out and there is no spark. Cannot figure it out and I am trying to go back and see if he missed something when he did the engine swap.

 

EGR stands for exhaust gas recirculation. It is an emissions item that puts some of the exhaust back into the intake tract during partial load.

 

Should I have it on the 97 engine or 93 car?

 

I think you are fundamentally misunderstanding what we are doing are best to explain to you.

The engine is pretty much the same for all of the white block engines through '97. There were three different ECU iterations in that same time period. The '93 had the LH Jetronic 3.2 system. From there on the cars went through various version of the Motronic 4.3 and 4.4 ECU systems.

They all have different wiring harnesses and different sensors and emissions junk.

The only real practical way to put the '97 engine into a '93 is to swap it between the manifolds and leave all of the original ECU and emissions stuff there. The real problem is that the intake manifold porting is different on your '93 than it is on the later model cars. The intake manifold from the '93 will not mate with the '97 head properly.

Here is where you are. You can buy the '97 engine, swap the '93 head (assuming it is good along with a new head gasket and all of the related seals) to the '97 block and bolt everything back up and it should run OK, be sure to move the camshaft pulleys from the '97 camshafts to the '93 camshafts or just swap the '97 camshafts into the '93 head. For my part I like to keep the cams with the original head and keep the original lifters from the original head in their exact order after also keeping them soaked in oil. This is all assuming the '97 is a VIN 55 engine.

Any attempt to mix and match the ECUs will be a disaster at best since the wiring is completely different as are all of the sensors.

...Lee

 

ok, so just stick with the 93 ECU then and pair everything up. Someone had already done this swap, I am just trying to go over and double check any errors they may have made.

 

So, am I to understand that when I swap out the motor in my '94 n/a wagon I need to use a '93 or '94 motor for a hassle free swap?

I plan on doing this in the next few months so a little more info on the '94 version would be appreciated.

Thanks.