How much work am I looking at

[NachtRitter84]

The last year and a half of COVID shelved my plans for a project neon, resulting in the sale of my ATX 05. Which was fine, I had a new dart for work and things were swell. Now I find myself with time on my hands and an itch to actually project on something. Scored an ‘02 neon with 94k miles on it, and I hate the body on it. Maybe I’m just used the the ‘03-05 but I feel like the engine compartment is ridiculously cramped and the car feels smaller than my ‘05 did.

So I’m considering pulling an 04 with close to a quarter mil miles on it locally(that I’m fairly certain has been blue deviled) and just swapping the motor and trans over. I’m under the impression that it’s the same motor and trans from the later year? How much work am I really looking at for this kind of direct swap?

[JeremyJ]

The engines are not compatible between the '02 and older, and the '03+. You'll have to swap over the entire engine harness, and possibly part of the body harness (someone will have to clarify that part for me). I find it strange that you find the engine compartment to be smaller when they're identical between the two cars.

[occasional demons]

The '02 engine management is illegal to install into the '04 as far as EPA is concerned.

Not an issue if you don't have E-Check AND never sell it with the older engine/engine management.

If you sold it, and the buyer had to E-check it, they can make you pay restore it to 2004 MY emissions.
Or worse if you traded it in, and the dealership came after you. But that is unlikely, as they would just send it to auction without even looking at it. Somebody would eventually have a headache on their hands.

IMHO, it isn't worth it. NGC (2003 to 2005) is an overall better platform than SBEC (1996 to 2002).

I would either keep the 2002, or sell it, buy the '04 and freshen up the engine. Or Swap an Engine/trans from a PT Cruiser. The other edge NGC has, is if you want to 2.4 swap, PT's were compatible through all years of production from 2003 to 2010.

Considering we are over halfway through 2021, the most recent the better...

And this is from someone who is not a fan of the caravan front end of the '03-'05 neons.

[NachtRitter84]

Undoubtedly my fault, I went to view it late at night and the guy listed it as an 03. Similar enough that I bought it before checking the title and seeing it was an 02. I should probably learn Spanish if I’m going to buy from non-English speakers.