02 Malibu 3.1L LG8 to 98 Lumina 3.1L L82 Head Swap

[Jlabelle]

Hello

I'm a newbie to this forum.
I have a 2002 Chev Malibu with a 3.1 L engine (LG8 "J-code") that I just found out has a cracked head. The car being in really good condition and me being really poor, I'm trying to to find the cheapest way to get the car back up and running. I know someone with a 1998 Chev Lumina 3.1 L engine (L82 "M-code") the engine didn't pass emissions, however it runs really well.

Can I get away with just swapping the heads?
Are the heads on these engines interchangable?
or Will I have to change the intake, EGR valve, wiring harness, PCM, fuel rail (different fuel pressures), etc?


thanks
any feedback is appreciated
John

[bszopi]

Welcome to the site. Is the guy with the 98 Lumina parting out the engine just because it didn't pass emissions? That seems awfully odd, but whatever... So, to answer your question, yes you can use them. You will loose some performance as the newer heads flow much better (larger values, better port design, etc) than the older heads, but if you just need the car to run on the cheap, it will work. You can keep all of your topend on the older heads. Of course, it won't be ideal, and if you ever get around to having the $$ to swap newer heads back on, it wouldn't be a bad idea, especially if you decide to make some performance improvements to the engine.

Hopefully that is what you were looking for.

[Jlabelle]

Thanks for getting back to me so quick.

I think I should have been more specific. The 1998 Lumina engine is only being parted out. I can only get the heads off of this engine.

I'm going to try swapping heads.
I'll let you know how it goes.
thanks

[kellu]

Welcome to the site. Is the guy with the 98 Lumina parting out the engine just because it didn't pass emissions? That seems awfully odd, but whatever... So, to answer your question, yes you can use them. You will loose some performance as the newer heads flow much better (larger values, better port design, etc) than the older heads, but if you just need the car to run on the cheap, it will work. You can keep all of your topend on the older heads. Of course, it won't be ideal, and if you ever get around to having the $$ to swap newer heads back on, it wouldn't be a bad idea, especially if you decide to make some performance improvements to the engine.

Hopefully that is what you were looking for.

What about swapping the heads the opposite way? I'm having some head issues myself on my l82 3.1 and I want to put NEW LG8 heads on it. Would I have to change my ECU ect? I know the LG8 heads will have more power but I don't know if it's enough for me to change the rest of my sysem. Also I want to put 3.4 injectors in, will I need to make any serious changes for that?