by David Stephenson

Created on: January 28, 2007   Last Updated: April 10, 2007

In the world of auto mechanics an engine swap is just about the biggest job you can undertake. No matter what kind of car you drive its inevitable that the engine could possibly fail. If your car has very high miles its almost a given. You have a few options if that happens. You can sell your car as is, pay to have a new engine installed, or take the liberty of doing it yourself. The level of difficulty that changing an engine has changed with automotive technology. The newer and more advanced your car is the more technology goes into making the engine work. Back when carburetors were used things were much simpler. Changing an engine basically consisted of disconnecting a few wires, motor mounts, trans mission, radiator hoses, and throttle linkage. The same basic process still applies on modern engines but it just involves a lot more work. There a many more connections, hoses and cables that need removed.

When changing your own engine the basic challenge is to disconnect everything and put it back exactly how you started. As I mentioned in the previous paragraph the age of your car is where the complexity issue comes in to play. Basically it is the same process but, the older the car the easier the process. When undertaking a job of this size you should be sure to have all the needed tools to perform the job properly. Not having the correct tools can lead to damage of parts and a lot of lost time. You can spend more time working rather than looking for the correct tool to perform the task. Overall spending a little money on the right tools can save you a lot time and money in the future. Depending on where you vehicle was made will determine whether you will need metric or standard tools. European and Asian will require all metric tools and almost all domestics will take standard.

When selecting an engine you must be very careful and be completely sure that you have chosen the correct engine. Thats not something you want to find out when installing the new engine. Again, as automotive technology has advanced so have engines. In the past if you could make an engine fit in the engine compartment you could make it work. The electronics of modern cars makes this virtually impossible without major modification. Fuel injected cars are much more complex. They involve electronic controls rather than manual controls. Basically the most important thing to remember is: Do your research. You need to know the exact model, year, and engine displacement of your vehicle.

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