Dan Gallagher

are the engines out of the 86 and the 87 different in any way? for some reason i am thinking 87 made more power? if so, why?

are the computers and stuff compatable between the 2? anything i need to worry about buying a used 86 motor to drop into my 87?


im sure the search button could help me here but there is alot of stuff to sift through and im just looking for a quick answer

Rich Sandor

86 and 87 have identical power output.

i don't know what ALL the differences are, except pretty sure the main difference is that the 86 crankcases do not have an oil level sensor, whereas the 87's do. (according to PET)

Laust Pedersen

A quick answer it shall be then:
As Rich said and a belt tensioner.

Dan Gallagher

thanks...

if one wanted could the level sensor and tensioner be easilly fitted onto the 86 motor with parts from the 87 motor? (i have the 87 complete just not running due to rod bearing)

and the most important question; are the computers compatable or do i need an 86 computer?

Wormhole

Dan, welcome back. I guess you decided to keep the car.
Make sure you weld a oil baffel on the new oil pan this time
I would imaging the 87 wiring harness should bolt right up. You can probably just leave the oil level sender disconected. If you want to keep it you need to install the 87 pan on the new engine.

Dan Gallagher

back, new co-driver, new shop support, new engine, new company, new girlfriend, newly going to school, lots of new plans... life is good!


my new 2.8l race motor was done and waiting to ship but i quit the hellish shop i was working at and therefore lost my partner on the project and my chances of coming up with the rest of the $ for the motor.

Wormhole

Oh, so which shop you with now?

What ever happened with the 2.8, did the builder we shall not name ever come through?

Dan Gallagher

the builder we shall not name was very helpful to me at all times, cut me a great deal in exchange for sponsor (graphic) space on the car, hoping to get the good word out about him through me since i worked with so many high end cars at my former job, agreed to sign a waranty contract to my specifications for the longevity of the motor and the sleeving process (based on the fact that i worked where i did and he trusted our work as well), always answered and returned calls...

we did go considerably over schedule but honestly what do you expect of a custom job, if it had been done on time i would have paid for it in full and installed it in the car by now but i cant really hold hard feelings for the time like some would because i have seen it from the other side too....

i had absolutely no bad experience to report with him up until i left my job and flaked on the deal which i feel really bad about. and i would have no problem naming him but then that will just completely change the direction of this thread.

Toward the end when the builder was calling me (at the shop) to collect payment they were apparently not telling him i quit and it ended up being a problem for them i suppose... the deposit wasnt on my credit card so i walked away from the whole mess..



i have a deal with a new shop that looks to be 99% finalized, my car will actually be worked on and professionally for once... as soon as the car is running again you can be sure i wont shut up about how great the new shop is to everyone i talk to... in the meantime there are a few people i want to keep guessing.

fortysixandtwo

I'm not positive if these changes happened between 86 & 87. The bearing caps for the balance shafts on an 86 sit under the balance shaft cover. On the later cars the bearing cap is intergrated into the balance shaft cover. The oil pressure regulator may be different also.

ldt1

I had my mechanic transplant an 87 motor into my 86, and according to him it was a straight swap in every way. The guy has worked on my cars for 15yrs and I TRUST him in all things automotive.

Tom M'Guinn

The OPRV and block orifice for same is different too, for what it's worth. Shouldn't make any difference for an engine swap though. The auto-tensioner is not a direct bolt on an 86. The computer should work fine, although I can't say I've ever done it myself.

Wormhole

Well, good luck, I'll see you out there.

As for the engine, if your transplanting the whole thing it is a straight swap. If your mismatching parts, then you might run into some problems like the b-shaft covers as mentioned above, and the oil cooler housing mainly the OPRV.

Zero10

The balance shaft assembly is different, regarding the bearings and the covers for the balance shafts (as already mentioned) on the 87 when compared to the 86.

Ian Carr

The belts on the front end of the 87' have a spring tenshioner as compared to the 86' manual tenshioner. With all the other stuff included i BELIVE that most if not all 87's came with k26/7 turbos compared to 86's with k26/6 but i wouldn't put money on it. I read a article saying that they compared a 86' to a 87' and the 86' was SLIGHTLY faster because the #7 hot side with the k26 cool side does not spool as quick as the k26/6. They could be full of cr@p too..

Just some word for thought.

-Ian

Rich Sandor

Ian, they are full of crap. ALL 86, 87, and 88-nonS turbos had K26/6 turbos, and the 88Ss and 89s (and 90s and 91s) had k26/8 turbos.

ps: there is no 'h' in tensioner.