7MGE like-for-like engine swap

yale · 06-13-2018, 10:41 AM

Some updates on the woes encountered with the engine swap.
Replacement driveshaft from ShaftMasters.....best thing since sliced bread! Highly recommend that to anyone. Pulled that heavy split driveshaft out of there and lifted the shiny, light-weight aluminium one into place. Perfect fit.
No vibrations, no noise. Runs down the highway as smooth and quiet as my Volvo XC90.

She has developed a cold start issue. Checked the cold start injector and it appears to working okay (resistance checked, but on the high side). Temp sensor maybe? I haven't been able to see where the CSI gets it's signal. Also seems like the she is starved for fuel when first starting. The fuel pump doesn't start until the engine is spinning, right? Not like newer cars where the pump comes up to pressure with the ignition on, right?

Still idle "hunting" that she does when first starting. Idle bounces between 700-1100 RPM, and will eventually die if left alone. Just a bit of throttle (really just resting your foot on the pedal) is enough to even out the idle. Or turning on the AC.

However, after a sprint down the highway to work there are no idle issues.

Definitely running rich in all situations, cold or warm. Thinking this might be related to the O2 sensor. One improvement I made was to put on a Pacesetter header, which moved the O2 sensor farther down the pipe, right in front of where the catastrophic converter used to be. It sits very high on the pipe, barely extending into the exhaust flow. I got a check engine code early on that the O2 sensor wasn't getting warm enough (don't recall the number), but haven't had another check engine light in the last 3 months. Are there longer O2 sensors that are compatible?

06-13-2018, 10:41 AM	#3
yale Intake Join Date: Oct 2015 Location: CT Posts: 38	Some updates on the woes encountered with the engine swap. Replacement driveshaft from ShaftMasters.....best thing since sliced bread! Highly recommend that to anyone. Pulled that heavy split driveshaft out of there and lifted the shiny, light-weight aluminium one into place. Perfect fit. No vibrations, no noise. Runs down the highway as smooth and quiet as my Volvo XC90. She has developed a cold start issue. Checked the cold start injector and it appears to working okay (resistance checked, but on the high side). Temp sensor maybe? I haven't been able to see where the CSI gets it's signal. Also seems like the she is starved for fuel when first starting. The fuel pump doesn't start until the engine is spinning, right? Not like newer cars where the pump comes up to pressure with the ignition on, right? Still idle "hunting" that she does when first starting. Idle bounces between 700-1100 RPM, and will eventually die if left alone. Just a bit of throttle (really just resting your foot on the pedal) is enough to even out the idle. Or turning on the AC. However, after a sprint down the highway to work there are no idle issues. Definitely running rich in all situations, cold or warm. Thinking this might be related to the O2 sensor. One improvement I made was to put on a Pacesetter header, which moved the O2 sensor farther down the pipe, right in front of where the catastrophic converter used to be. It sits very high on the pipe, barely extending into the exhaust flow. I got a check engine code early on that the O2 sensor wasn't getting warm enough (don't recall the number), but haven't had another check engine light in the last 3 months. Are there longer O2 sensors that are compatible?