Hey guys... anyone know anything about these wee beasties? Friends of mine have a low mileage 05. The timing belt went on it, unfortunately it's an interference engine. They're not car people, but have a friend who is, and is willing to drop an engine in for them if they find one. I found them a couple on ebay, but they're 06-08... the only 05 I could find were twice the price. Anyone know if the later motor will work, or are they totally different?
1.6 L E-TEC II engine had replaced with ECOTEC (GEN-III) engine with new features such as variable valve timing mechanism.
The 1st gen engines are also garrrrrrrbage. The facelift ones are slightlybetter (not that that helps).
You've been searching for the Suzuki Swift+ as well right?
no easy engine swap huh? would love one with a easy hot motor swap
In reply to HiTempguy: Yup. Swift, Aveo, Wave and a host of ugly korean jellybeans. Apparently the timing belt/valve problem is a frequent issue.
Not financially prudent to buy some valves and have the head repaired?
all i know about them is that there was a Chevy dealer her in MN that was giving them away for free with the purchase of a 4X4 Silverado at sticker price.. well, they did right up until GM found out about it- apparently they put a stop to it because they thought it cheapened the Aveo brand..
novaderrik wrote: ... they thought it cheapened the Aveo brand..
snicker That's possible?
Yeah, from what I've been reading, those engines are pretty crappy and prone to self-destruction. I'm trying to talk them into a low-mileage 323 I found instead of throwing money into something that's probably going to let them down again.
CarKid1989 wrote: no easy engine swap huh? would love one with a easy hot motor swap
i know a guy that bought one new. the engine literally fell out of the car to the ground on the highway with under 20k miles on it.
Lesley, car-part dot com says there's an '04 engine at Port Perry Auto Wreckers in Blackstock, but they want a grand for it, which kind of redlines my personal WTF meter.
I don't have any first hand experience, but:
I believe there was a time where consumers reports had them listed as the most unreliable car on the market. If memory serves me correctly they were listed as 2.5-3x more unreliable than average. :)
If I also recall correctly, the fuel economy wasn't nearly as good as you would have expected for a car of its class.
Streetwiseguy wrote: Not financially prudent to buy some valves and have the head repaired?
That is what I would do and have done it a couple of times.
my job has some as delivery vehicles.
they get poor mileage. they drive terribly. lastly, they're completely used up in every measurable way by 100k miles.
in contrast, we were generally getting 180-220k miles out of S-10's. at which point the pickups merely looked haggard.
iceracer wrote:Streetwiseguy wrote: Not financially prudent to buy some valves and have the head repaired?That is what I would do and have done it a couple of times.
I'm not sure whether the damage is just confined to the head - haven't even seen the engine in question. I'm trying to talk them into a more reliable car.
CarKid1989 wrote: no easy engine swap huh? would love one with a easy hot motor swap
The 1.6 is deep fried pooh with a side of sugar sprinkled mouse vomit. However, Holden made 1.8, 2.0 and 2.2 liter versions of that d-tech. All of those are much better, with better intakes, better oiling systems and cylinder heads. Avoid the variable geometry intakes cause they make everything worse. All the 2.0s and 2.2s have forged bottom ends. Some 2.0s and all the 2.2s have a crank girdle - so they're pretty stout.
These engines DO NOT interchange with Ecotechs. If you want a 1.8 or 2.0, you can get it out of a Daewoo Nubira. The Daewoo Leganza came with a 2.0 and a 2.2, but that 2.2 was an Ecotech. The 2.2 you can use is most commonly found in Suzuki Forenzas.
They all pretty much bolt in, though you do need to move a couple fuel lines, make your own intake plumbing and do some very, very minor re-wiring.
CarKid1989 wrote:CarKid1989 wrote: no easy engine swap huh? would love one with a easy hot motor swap
They're junk. Said 323 would be a much better option for anything.
... and suddenly, when you search Daewoo Nubira on car-part dot com (instead of Chev Aveo), the price for a 2.0 engine drops to 500 bucks, plus or minus. Cool.
Cool. That will be a big performance upgrade too. Try Suzuki Forenza/Reno as well.
I have an 04 with a engine that still runs, unfortunately that is just about the only original mechanical part that is still on the car. The 04-05 engine are expensive because so many of the blew up and only those years can interchange. My experiance with the car (i bought mine new), run away, run far away. Every suspension part on my has has been replaced once and most need replaced again. I am at the point of considering dropping the body onto a 4x4 Amigo I have just to not have to deal with that dam suspension anymore.
Thanks guys. I'm gonna pass on everything I've learned to them so they can decide. If it was me, I'd take the 323, obviously 
Yeah, I was reading on another forum about how (among other things) this guy's stepdad had a timing belt let go. Went to the trouble of having the head rebuilt only to have the entire engine self-destruct shortly after the head re-install. Personally, I'd scrap it and buy a 20yo Corolla/Civic/323 etc. before I'd bother trying to fix this steaming pile.
Wow, so glad I didn't pick one up. I knew something was sketchy when the the price was only $3500 for an 05.
$3500 is way too much. I would sell you mine for that except I wouldn't be able to live with myself, and mine runs perfect it just a crap car.
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