I have a dream....... a slightly weird dream that I probably don't have the money or skills to make happen right now. But........ I figured we could turn my question into a discussion.
What would be the easiest 4 cylinder engine to swap into a completely unrelated and RWD vehicle? What would be involved in getting it to run reliably?
Would a standalone ecm be the easy button for controlling it?
My current thoughts were some form of KA24 because of how well documented they are.
Mazda BP
Nissan SR20
Toyota 4AGE
Ford 2.3
All of those are good options.
These engines are DOHC and therefor normally a but taller than a pushrod engine (if that is what is in your car now) so take careful measurements before buying.
I'd add the 2.4 NA LE5 Ecotec and the 2.0 turbo LNF Ecotec to the group.
Mechanical injection diesel :) Seriously, you give it a fuel line and a starter. Done.
The question of a standalone ECU is important. Everyone thinks that's the easy button, but it's a whole range of other challenges. Remember that you are now responsible for every aspect of the engine's operation, and all the hard stuff is usually ignored by forum tuners. WOT is easy, cold start and idle control is hard.
So I would suggest that a pre-OBD-II engine with a fairly discrete engine management setup would be a good choice. Of course, all of these are at least 24 years old. Or a post-OBD-II that has the ability to be tweaked by the builder. The GM PCMs for the LS engines are in teh latter category. I know those aren't fours, but that's an example.
The Mazda BP engine looks good in a vintage platform, but it's a bit of work to isolate the ECU from the rest of the wiring harness.
Easiest probably comes down to which bellhousing pattern has the most trans/adapter plate options in the aftermarket. If you are making everything yourself they are probably 80+% all similar effort until you get into controlling DI.
The ones with a distributor that you can stick carburetors on.....................
For my purposes I would want something fuel injection. My naive self wants to eventually supercharge it after the swap.
If a standalone would increase complexity how hard is it to wire the original ecm and harness into a car from scratch?
In reply to Daeldalus :
That's very likely going to depend on how integrated the ECU was with the rest of the car's systems. Usually, the newer, the harder.
I had a friend use the entire harness from the car that the motor swap came from; it was not difficult at all..........it just took a bajillion hours. I think he spent a month wiring the car.
I had another friend attempt to merge the two (he's an electrical engineer) and he had no end of grief, he did eventually get it sorted.
GM is really good about isolating the engine harness from the chassis harness. So the answer there would be Ecotec.
Except, there are few easy buttons for transmission if you desire rear drive. Front drive drivetrain swapping can be a major nightmare because of axle and general fitment issues.
Volvo B230 with LH2.2. Harness is laid over the body harness, and is very easy to remove.
Edit: from a 240, 85 to 88. 740 is more integrated, later is more integrated.
As an addition to o the above, I once took the bell housing from a Volvo AW71, stuck it to the AW71 in a D50, used the Volvo motor mounts, welded a couple of plates in, connected the Volvo downpipe to the Mitsu exhaust and had it driving in about a day.
Cheated a bit, because I used a B21A, single SU carb engine, but still, it was a piece of cake.
Pete. (l33t FS) said:GM is really good about isolating the engine harness from the chassis harness. So the answer there would be Ecotec.
Except, there are few easy buttons for transmission if you desire rear drive. Front drive drivetrain swapping can be a major nightmare because of axle and general fitment issues.
This is what I was thinking/assuming. Don't the Ecotec Miata kits mate to the Miata trans?
Streetwiseguy said:As an addition to o the above, I once took the bell housing from a Volvo AW71, stuck it to the AW71 in a D50, used the Volvo motor mounts, welded a couple of plates in, connected the Volvo downpipe to the Mitsu exhaust and had it driving in about a day.
Cheated a bit, because I used a B21A, single SU carb engine, but still, it was a piece of cake.
That just ain't right. 
Do you remember which converter you used?
OBD1 Ford 2.3, I’m not even sure how ours is still running. As long as we keep the dizzy gear from slipping it runs, with or without an 02 sensor. I think it just has a throttle position, temp, intake idle actuator, map sensor and four injectors.
Honda K series. Harness swap kits are available and not terribly expensive.
Pete. (l33t FS) said:Streetwiseguy said:As an addition to o the above, I once took the bell housing from a Volvo AW71, stuck it to the AW71 in a D50, used the Volvo motor mounts, welded a couple of plates in, connected the Volvo downpipe to the Mitsu exhaust and had it driving in about a day.
Cheated a bit, because I used a B21A, single SU carb engine, but still, it was a piece of cake.
That just ain't right.
Do you remember which converter you used?
The Volvo one. Everything behind the bell housing (which includes overdrive) was Mitsu, everything ahead was Volvo. Didn't even have to work too hard to use the Mitsu rad.
Tried to talk him into a B230FT, but he thought not.
I stuffed a LE5 and 5 speed out of a Solstice in a Datsun B210 this year. Using a Swap Specialties harness and the stock ECU it fired on the 3rd try. The only reason it took 3 tries is the injectors were stopped up with goo from sitting for 10 years and I don't know how to use HP Tuners. With zero tuning beyond turning off the security crap it ran most of a 24 hour race and drove on the trailer under its own power.
Keith Tanner said:The question of a standalone ECU is important. Everyone thinks that's the easy button, but it's a whole range of other challenges. Remember that you are now responsible for every aspect of the engine's operation, and all the hard stuff is usually ignored by forum tuners. WOT is easy, cold start and idle control is hard.
So I would suggest that a pre-OBD-II engine with a fairly discrete engine management setup would be a good choice. Of course, all of these are at least 24 years old. Or a post-OBD-II that has the ability to be tweaked by the builder. The GM PCMs for the LS engines are in teh latter category. I know those aren't fours, but that's an example.
The Mazda BP engine looks good in a vintage platform, but it's a bit of work to isolate the ECU from the rest of the wiring harness.
Good point. When I was grafting a 94 GM engine into my old MG, I didn't want to have to remove and ship the whole ECM back and forth to a tuner (I'm ine Canada and almost all the tuners were in the US) so I chose an OBD 1 ECM that was tunable by changing chips. I looked at the early Megasquirt set up but opted for the other way as I wasn't racing or changing things once I had it set up the way I wanted it.
The early Mazda engine does look good - here is one in an MGB.
http://www.britishv8.org/MG/EdTheobald/EdTheobald-MGBGT-B.jpg
His comments on that project included:
The 2001 Miata is equipped with an immobilizer system and, after months of trying to by-pass it, I ended up incorporating the entire immobilizer system from a Miata (all from the same donor car) into my modified wiring harness. This is my third MG/Miata conversion and the immobilizer issue has been far and away the most difficult problem I've encountered. The previous two projects used 1996 and 1997 engines with their wiring harnesses.
Maybe you guys have a way around that by now. He mounted the original ignition switch with key (turned on) under the dash and added another one to power that circuit to run the car.
Step #1, check with Kennedy engineering regarding available adapters
Then go from there. A lot depends on desired power output. Later 22re's were fuel injected, if peak power and efficiency isn't a requirement, but ease of ability to work on and reliability are, then one should be considered. Their output is definitely modest, but they're engaging in a humble way.
Streetwiseguy said:Volvo B230 with LH2.2. Harness is laid over the body harness, and is very easy to remove.
Edit: from a 240, 85 to 88. 740 is more integrated, later is more integrated.
This true, but the newer harnesses are better. I know it depends on climate, but around me any lh 2.2 car will need a new harness, or a lot of work. This combo is also good for 200hp without even really trying, and really is bulletproof in the hands of an operator with some brains.
Tom1200 said:The ones with a distributor that you can stick carburetors on.....................
Fiat twin cam.
Isn't the duratec/mzr the small block ford/chevy of modern times?
The problem I see with the Honda K's is that they're not made for RWD arrangements, so there ends up being oil pan and pickup issues along with other challenges that require parts swapping. Gearbox won't be factory obviously. It adds up.
I wonder about the Nissan KA24DE out of a truck or 240SX.
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