What years Turbo Engine will work in a 2004

[zeeboid]

Hey All.

I just picked up a 2004 PT Cruiser GT, and I'll be doing quite a bit to it (Interior swap for the newer style, minus electronics that are angery, some performance stuff of course bla bla bla)

Long story short, its got 130k on it and I can pick up a used engine for around $800-$1300. Its much less expensive to replace the engine then it is to rebuild everything.

So my question: Knowing 1st vs 2nd gen and the CAN-Bus... What years am I limited to for an engine swap?

2004 only?
03-05 (keeping larger injectors)?
the whole run?

Thanks!
Pete

[Handy_Cruiser]

All of the PT turbo engines are basically the same. There are some minor differences such as the plastic intake manifold that was used from 2005 and up and some minor vacuum hose differences. But the blocks and heads should be interchangeable to the best of my knowledge. As long as you have the complete original engine, you should be able to change out any external parts that are different.

The real differences are in the non-turbo engines. Of course, the non-turbo engines are not interchangeable with the turbo engines. And the 2001 and 2002 non-turbo engines are unique due to the type of crankshaft sensor and crankshaft sensor wheel used. So they are not compatible with the 2003 and newer PT's.

The forum member to confirm this with is UpTownSport. He knows an awful lot about the the heads and blocks used in the PT Cruiser. You should be able to send him a PM.

[zeeboid]

Does the same go for the SRT4 engines?

[Handy_Cruiser]

From what I've read, the long block (head and engine block) are the same. But the intake and exhaust manifold and a few other external items are different. Again, if you have the original engine for the externals, they will likely interchange.

SRT4 Engine (in a PT Cruiser)


PT Turbo Engine




However, it is possible that the cam sensor magnet will be at a different clock position. To check, you would have to remove the sensor magnet from your original engine and note the position of the dowels while the engine is at TDC. Then do the same with the SRT4 engine and see if they are the same. If different, there's a couple of ways to deal with it. You likely would want to check this with a PT turbo donor engine as well. It's been reported that some PT turbo engines used the Neon magnet position rather than the usual PT position.

[Busted_PT]

Originally Posted by Handy_Cruiser

From what I've read, the long block (head and engine block) are the same. But the intake and exhaust manifold and a few other external items are different. Again, if you have the original engine for the externals, they will likely interchange.

SRT4 Engine (in a PT Cruiser)


PT Turbo Engine




However, it is possible that the cam sensor magnet will be at a different clock position. To check, you would have to remove the sensor magnet from your original engine and note the position of the dowels while the engine is at TDC. Then do the same with the SRT4 engine and see if they are the same. If different, there's a couple of ways to deal with it. You likely would want to check this with a PT turbo donor engine as well. It's been reported that some PT turbo engines used the Neon magnet position rather than the usual PT position.

If your doing a compleat engine. The magnet makes no difference. Until you go to change it. The you would need an exact replacement to run. Bet at 130k on the other guys pt. Why bother. Lots of life if it's not dead. Just make sure the turbo is healthy.

[Handy_Cruiser]

Originally Posted by Busted_PT

If your doing a compleat engine. The magnet makes no difference. Until you go to change it. The you would need an exact replacement to run. Bet at 130k on the other guys pt. Why bother. Lots of life if it's not dead. Just make sure the turbo is healthy.

Both engines use the same cam sensor and magnet. The timing in the PCM is the difference. At least, this is the way it worked on the older 2.4L swap into the Neons. Most of the time, the dowel pins are just ground off the magnet and it is reinstalled in the right position.

While this issue has been reported with PT's and SRT4's, I'm not so sure it's common at all. And it may not even be an issue on these 2003 and up 2.4L engines no matter the configuration. I don't have access to enough 2.4L engines to check this out for myself. So I have to depend on the advice of others for this one.

But, it bothered me enough to check the dowel hole position on the donor cams used to grind my performance cams. And I would still recommend checking this anytime a 2.4 engine is swapped.