Engine and transmission swap questions
 

I've done some searching around and it seems to be pretty straightforward I just have a few questions.

First some background. My cousins got a 02 saturn sl1 I believe with a 5speed. He got rear ended and totaled the back half of his car. I've got a 99 saturn sl1 with a bad engine and transmission. The 99 was originally an automatic car.

-Looking around it looks like I should be able to use all of the parts from my cousins 02 to switch into the 99 correct? (Pedal assemblies, engine/trans, PCM, clutch slave cylinder ect.)

-I understand I have to change the PCM from the 02 to the 99. Are the connectors the same for the PCM's? And when I swap them will I need to have the PCM flashed at the dealer or no?

- I will also change the cluster over, will this also be plug and play?

- when I remove the engine and transmission from the 02 I will pull the whole cradle, can I put the cradle from the 02 in place of the cradle from the 99?

- will any extra holes need to be drilled for the clutch rod to slave cylinder or is this hole already present? Any other holes for the swap?

Thank you for your help,
Spud

Start by reading
https://www.saturnforum.com/forum/general-tech-help-13/swap-questions-4523/

and then read
https://www.saturnforum.com/forum/general-tech-help-13/tranmission-swap-8652/

Then go to the new member area and give yourself a proper introduction. After that stop in the USER CP top left of the page, open "signature" and add your first name, location and car info.

I've read both of those already, the only questions I still have I've posted.

I've never done this, so can't answer your questions.

The computers are different for the 00-02 from the 96-99. I don't know if the 96-99 had a body control module like the 00-02 models have. That could complicate things if some of the functions in the earlier PCM were off loaded to the BCM.

But as far as I can tell, the engine sensors are essentially the same so using the older computers may work, but I can't say that for sure. If all the connectors line up, I'd be inclined to use the older electronics. I'd even go as far as to swap any sensors that are different. Thats easier than rewiring the car.

The only concern would be the AT wiring.

The at wiring is my main concern as well. I'm hoping a few people who have done a similar swap can chime in.

No body else to chime in on the swap?

You asked about the connectors to the PCMs being the same, I don't know if they are, but the PCM in the 96-99 models is under the dash where on the 00-02 models, it is in the engine compartment behind the battery. I think to do this swap, you will have to swap out the wiring harnesses.

If you can make the AT work in the 99, the engines can swap because the sensors are all the same. If it turns out that the 02 has an AT, your really in luck, it too should just swap out.

swap out the whole wire harness may even need to swap in the bcm, and everything else is pretty much straight foward

I'd chime in if I had all the answers. I don't, and those that did are becoming less and less on Saturn forums as they have moved off in other directions. RjION retired from GM ie SATURN, and still has a few sources but as he has said they are drying up daily. Hell evan Rj bought a new car and it's not a GM car and he is posting on a that brands forum. If he didn't still have a couple ION's in the family we'd loose him too. Unc, Ocean, Derf, and Rube are great to have around here. Keith has been a plus for this site and we don't want to loose him either. We do our best and depnd on members passing on usefull information as they come across diffenernt things. So please post your findings, it'll help us and others in the future.