vr motor into vn

I had the same experience with my VP sedan. Recovered car with a hole in the side of the block. I put a 2nd hand VR motor in using the VP ECU and wiring loom. It runs fine. Don't know about with a VN but I reckon it will be a goer. Someone here will know for sure. I discovered my gearbox was shot too -- after I had put it all back together. That was a bummer!
Good luck with it

 

They both run Buick 3800 motors. Will fit

 

vr runs a different trans... different ecu....

 

but you will be able to hook the VR motor up to the VN tranny ( keep the analogue kickdown cable) and the new motor wii probably run happily enuff on the VN ECU. That's the part I'm not 100% on. I know the VP ECU will run a VR donk just fine but I have no exp with the VN ECU

 

i can't verify that either, but if you're correct, i still think it would be worth rechecking if it were an s1 vn, as theres a few differences between the s1 and s2 engines/transmissions etc. as far as i recall, when i was looking around for a t5 manual, i'm pretty sure i found that being that it was a s1 vn, i need a t5 out of an s1 vn, because if it were out of an s2 i'd need to buy/make/have made some form of adaptor plate, i beleive the cost was around $500 odd. i'd think that this could pose a problem even with an auto. and glad to hear you got your car back, brothers car got stolen a year or so ago, got rolled and whatnot. turned out it was his neighbour. scummiest bloody thing a person can do, pathetic crap. sorry to hear about your loss mate! sucks that you have to go and change your engine just cause some idiot thought he was good. good luck mate!!

 

VR has a different computer as said, gearbox as said. Also a crank sensor was added from memory.

 

I have a VR V6 and T5 in my series one VN. Use your existing series one wiring loom, only have to lengthen a couple of wires to back of manifold (just peel back tape, is enough length in loom so no cutting needed). Need a series 2 VN or later radiator with pressure cap, heater tap and hoses. Ignore cam angle sensor on VR motor, is not needed with VN ecu and cable kickdown trans. Use VN auto, may have to reuse VN throttle body or swap throttle plate if no provision for kickdown cable on VR motor. I done this entire conversion start to finish in a day on my driveway with standard tools, no stress at all. Get a memcal written when done to make the most of conversion, car will run fine on VN chip, will be a lot smoother and economical with rewritten memcal to suit though.

 

Not quite right. The VR added a CAM angle sensor. They ALL have a Crank angle sensor--that's where the spark comes from (I think). The cam angle sensor is just sitting and has nothing plugged into it on my car. No codes show and the VR donk runs fine on the VP ECU(except that I would like to get more ks per tank of fuel-- but that's another story). I am interested in the rewritten memcal mentioned in Teletran1's post tho.
My understanding is that it would be really complicated (if possible at all) to use the VR ECU with the VP transmission. If I wanted to use the VR ECU I would be better off to change to a VR (electronic) tranny.
If your ute is S2 VN I reckon it will be a straight swap using the existing ECU and loom. Might be a different story if it's a S1 but that;s outside my level of experience.
Good luck with it bro. Changing the motor over is fun. A chain lift and a gantry makes it easy and I lifted the motor and tranny out together, bolted the bits together outside the car and lifted them back in together. Would probably do it the same way again (if I had to).

 

Hiab in an out

 

yeah and? Plus very few people have access to a truck with a crane.

 

Hahaha yea bro I just got a s2 motor but the owner tried to put it in a vr an no go

 

Just for future reference as these cars age,my VN Wagon has a Series 11 VP(earlyVR) Motor,bolted on to a VN Tranny,standard VN wiring,ECU etc.,the motor was just bolted straight in.
The only thing you have to change(no need to thou.) is the Coolant Temp. sender,VP/VR is a different ohm rating.
It doesn't matter what HB(from VN11 on)you use as long as its got the corresponding CAS.
I get over 30 mpg on the highway and over 20 around town so the standard VN ECU matches the VP/VR Motor fairly closely.

 

Wow, I wish I could get those economy returns. What's HB?

 

HB would be balancer Rob. Not sure what 30MG would be in metric but i get around 13 per hundred on the hilly highway with air conditioning on the highest setting and rarely turned off.

 

when l went to school, it was about 4.5 litres to gallon.
Just checked google.
US gallon = 3.79 litres
UK gallon = 4.5 litres

 

Yeah,Harmonic Balancer,i think there is 3 or 4 press fits that are slightly different,with different CAS,from VN11 to VR.
Sorry about the Imperial i always relate to MPG,my Air Con. compressor internally imploded about this time last year,,crap all thru the system,it still free wheels OK so not really worth getting fixed,that probably helps my MPG.

 

Thanks for the replies guys. By my rough calcs 30mpg is about 9 litres per 100km. 30 miles = 48km x 2 (call it) 100km. So 2 gals per 100 km = 4.5 x 2 = 9 litres /100km. In the USA 30 mpg would be under 8 litres per 100 km. Can be done on highway driving in a V6 Buick if all is smick but I don’t get that. More like your figures Losh