2.3 NA regina to 2.3 Turbo LH2.4 motor swap

[comanche250]

I got it out as well, took like an extra 5 minutes. I'll have to fix the ignition switch plug as the previous owner wired in their own universal ignition key.

Called pick and pull and they're gonna come take the car away soon then I can focus on doing the exact same thing to my car.

 

[comanche250]

They are definitely different. That said, they may not be different in a way that will affect your conversion. The only way to know is to examine the bulkhead connector wires/pins and see how closely they compare. The 95 dash harness definitely has a different type of connector for the instrument cluster connections.

They're both 1991 model cars so I figured the dash harnesses would be the same

 

[2manyturbos]

I must’ve mixed it up with someone else’s thread. I thought you bought a 95 parts car. Since they are the same year it should be easy to tell whether or not it is the same dash harness. Just compare the bulkhead connectors on both harnesses.

 

[comanche250]

The Regina harness is a lot simpler. I'm just finishing pulling it out. I'll have a photo dump in a bit, this is good information for everyone.

 

[comanche250]

You definitely can't use the Regina dash harness with the Bosch front harness unless you reroute some wires, not worth it over spending another 15 minutes pulling the rest of it out.

 

[comanche250]

Well my 740 doesn't have these body connectors on either side of the 940 dash harness. Oh boy hope it runs, everything else has been fine.

I'll get some more photos uploaded after dinner comparing the harnesses.

 

[comanche250]

WAIT


I think those are just the door wiring harnesses and they're different of the 940 vs 740. Well nothing is needed to run the engine or brake lights through the doors and my doors plug into the other plug so I should be good

 

[comanche250]

the two harnesses are quite similar on the dash side, I'm sure you could get away with using the regina dash harness, however it takes an extra 10 minutes to get the rest of the harness out, and I haven't tested it so the wiring could be different. But the main thing (circled in yellow) between the turbo lh2.4 harness and the regina (and I guess the non turbo 2.4 harness) is the battery is on opposite sides of the engine bay, and respectively the main battery power junction box is on opposite sides. I'm sure you could extend the wires if needed.

The regina engine harness actually disconnects from the rest of the left hand engine bay harness which can be handy. I also like how it comes up from the side by the alternator, opposed to the 2.4 harness coming up behind the engine right on the firewall.


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Overall, its really not as bad as everyone makes it out to be. The hardest part for me was getting the right hand connectors past the heater matrix box and out/in the hole. The dash isn't really that hard to pull. If you have a nice regina car, just get the entire turbo harness and expect it to take 3-4 days. I had the engine and wiring harness out in one day. I'll probably have the engine in tomorrow after work.

 

[v8volvo]

Nice work!

 

[Pietercc]

That's the main thing is most people don't have a whole parts car, but the second you got a whole parts car it made the job a lot easier. I'll have a parts 94 945 soon that I will be chassis swapping the harness so I can add ABS and other goodies to a 87

 

[2manyturbos]

View attachment 29131View attachment 29132View attachment 29133
the two harnesses are quite similar on the dash side, I'm sure you could get away with using the regina dash harness, however it takes an extra 10 minutes to get the rest of the harness out, and I haven't tested it so the wiring could be different. But the main thing (circled in yellow) between the turbo lh2.4 harness and the regina (and I guess the non turbo 2.4 harness) is the battery is on opposite sides of the engine bay, and respectively the main battery power junction box is on opposite sides. I'm sure you could extend the wires if needed.

The regina engine harness actually disconnects from the rest of the left hand engine bay harness which can be handy. I also like how it comes up from the side by the alternator, opposed to the 2.4 harness coming up behind the engine right on the firewall.
View attachment 29134

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Overall, its really not as bad as everyone makes it out to be. The hardest part for me was getting the right hand connectors past the heater matrix box and out/in the hole. The dash isn't really that hard to pull. If you have a nice regina car, just get the entire turbo harness and expect it to take 3-4 days. I had the engine and wiring harness out in one day. I'll probably have the engine in tomorrow after work.

Everyone? I told you right from the start this is straight forward, just time consuming.

 

[comanche250]

Everyone? I told you right from the start this is straight forward, just time consuming.

Ah more of a play the forum in general. When I was first looking into the swap there is still very little actual information on how to do the swap, most of the threads are filled with smart asses saying to just buy a turbo/2.4 car it's not worth building a Regina car. I was even told that myself when I first joined and started asking questions.

 

[2manyturbos]

Ah more of a play the forum in general. When I was first looking into the swap there is still very little actual information on how to do the swap, most of the threads are filled with smart asses saying to just buy a turbo/2.4 car it's not worth building a Regina car. I was even told that myself when I first joined and started asking questions.

I told you the same thing because it is much easier to just buy the correct car. You still have issues ahead of you. The ABS systems are on the opposite side of the engine compartment for a reason. The swap is possible, just time consuming. I've sold the harnesses to folks on here that have done the swap. 10 years ago, finding a Turbo car was no problem. These days, finding any 940 in good condition is getting to be difficult.

 

[comanche250]

I told you the same thing because it is much easier to just buy the correct car. You still have issues ahead of you. The ABS systems are on the opposite side of the engine compartment for a reason. The swap is possible, just time consuming. I've sold the harnesses to folks on here that have done the swap. 10 years ago, finding a Turbo car was no problem. These days, finding any 940 in good condition is getting to be difficult.

Oh my car doesn't have ABS or airbags. I grew up to a family that went to pick and pull and pulled a working engine to replace a blown up one in our car instead of buying a new car so buying the car I like them swapping the engine in I like is just second nature for me. I dumped a little turbo diesel in my Toyota before.

 

[2manyturbos]

Oh my car doesn't have ABS or airbags. I grew up to a family that went to pick and pull and pulled a working engine to replace a blown up one in our car instead of buying a new car so buying the car I like them swapping the engine in I like is just second nature for me. I dumped a little turbo diesel in my Toyota before.

That certainly simplifies the swap. Any Volvo 7-9 1991 and newer here in the US was ABS equipped, as far as I have seen. Any 1990 and newer Volvo came with air bags.

 

[comanche250]

That certainly simplifies the swap. Any Volvo 7-9 1991 and newer here in the US was ABS equipped, as far as I have seen. Any 1990 and newer Volvo came with air bags.

Oh interesting. Canada must have different regulations, although we have DTRLs in all our cars.

Yeah I'm pretty much done with the under dash stuff aside from those extra door connectors, might have to do some wiring there but priority is getting the engine running. I'm gonna drop it in tonight and put the front end back together.

 

[fatcatbestcat]

Oh my car doesn't have ABS or airbags.

That's extremely weird, I have a '91 940 that has both ABS and airbags. What did your steering wheel look like, before you pulled the car apart?

This isn't related to your swap, I'm just genuinely curious as I also haven't seen a '90+ Volvo without airbags or ABS.

 

[2manyturbos]

It may have been one of the Tourist Volvo 740s brought over from Europe. I’ve seen some really strange combinations when they come to the US via that program.

 

[comanche250]

That's extremely weird, I have a '91 940 that has both ABS and airbags. What did your steering wheel look like, before you pulled the car apart?

This isn't related to your swap, I'm just genuinely curious as I also haven't seen a '90+ Volvo without airbags or ABS.

Well there's no clock spring, just a metal ring for the horn.

It may have been one of the Tourist Volvo 740s brought over from Europe. I’ve seen some really strange combinations when they come to the US via that program.

It's a Canadian car, assembled in Nova Scotia.

 

[2manyturbos]

Well there's no clock spring, just a metal ring for the horn.

It's a Canadian car, assembled in Nova Scotia.

That doesn't surprise me. 92-93 240s built for the Canadian market didn't get ABS as standard equipment.