donbrew

Fat fingers, Yes ECM.

donbrew

Both engine do NOT have LAP. The engine that came from the factory is LE8. LAP came from a Cobalt. A swap might work with no mods, give it a try, I would not.
Do whatever you want to, no use arguing.

WoodysMobile

Maybe the e85 / flex fuel option was needed in the EPA calculations for new vehicles those years to make the numbers work to sell the big gas guzzler money making full size SUV's? If I'm in the midwest and it's a few cents cheaper give me the refined corn oil.

With both engines it should be possible to swap the ruined engine wiring into the donor engine then things should plug and play.
If incompatible connectors are encountered deal with them before dropping in the new powerplant.
A reprogram and sync of the ECM system(s) would be a great idea and would speed up the relearn process I'd think.

But that's automotive tech I don't know about for sure. The CEL in the Citation was new technology for me. Yikes nightmares of electronic carburetors .

donbrew

The FlexFuel ECM calculates and adjusts for alcohol percentage. E85 eats old fashioned rubber/plastic seals.
There is a reason for FlexFuel engine to be LE8 and non-FlexFuel is LAP besides different programming. If they were identical they would be the same designation.

Oldblue

K.I.S.S. Just don’t run E85 as the LAP engine isn’t designed for it.

PulpFriction

To be clear, my comments are not to dispute the advice to not use E85 after the swap. I don't disagree. Maybe even replace the yellow gas cap with a black one. I was just fishing for more precise information as to where the trouble spots might be, just in case, you know, someone has actual knowledge and not just a propensity to speculate. Noting wrong with erring on the safe side based on guesses, but actual facts are nice, too.

There are many reports of tuning 2.0's for E85 with impunity. I expect many of those guys will have fuel pump troubles eventually, may not ever realize it was caused by the E85.

The way I understanding it, the E85-compatible fuel pumps are backwards compatible, so for all we know, LAP cars still got an E85 fuel pump.

PSA, the E85 problem is NOT solely about chemical attack on rubber etc. Many are aware of metal corrosion problems, but it seems few are aware that some of those problems are galvanic in nature because E85 is also more much more electrically conductive than regular. I do know that the BCM in E85 cars poll the fuel level sensor differently, for this very reason, and there were changes in material specs to avoid corrosion.

It seems GM might have been thinking ahead to the possibility of more E85, as the 2010 SS 2.0 LNF got larger injectors with E85-compatible seals. For all I know, all BCM's since might now poll the fuel level sensor in an E85-safe way, because, why not, it's free?

I wouldn't expect engine seals to have any immediate problems with E85, although I suppose a non-DI intake manifold and gaskets could hypothetically suffer.

Facts, thoughts, and hair-brained irrelevant opinions are welcome.

Oldblue

DI or not the intake manifold are plastic. So that eliminates that idea of a problem.
I have swapped engines similar to this, plug and play, everything worked. I used the sensors and wire harness from the car with the engine problem, an LE9 then installed LE5 used engine. I didn’t have to relearn the Crankshaft position sensor. Don’t see why the 2.2 LAP won’t work scroll to learn more about the engine
https://www.yourcobalt.com/threads/e...engines.32866/

Nipmuck

The question whether a Cobalt engine (option NU1) will work in an HHR LS (option NU5) can now with certainty be answered in the affirmative.
I have driven about 6,000 miles since I finished the engine swap and the engine performs better than the one I had before! That was not the case from the beginning. It seems to me that the computer made adjustments, or learned, by itself and the gas-mileage improved too. On my recent trip from MA to Chicago, the car used a gallon every 29 miles on average. I was going between 75 and 85 miles an hour.
The harness was a perfect match and did not require any changes. As pointed out by different members here, the fuel-rail and injectors are different and must be swapped from the HHR enine to the Cobalt engine before the swap. The flex-fuel Injectors seem to be more substantial.
The Service book for the HHR 2006-11 from Chilton instructs the engine to be dropped with the sub-frame which is very involved to do as a DIY- "hobby mechanic". It is much easier to lift it out of the engine bay.
I learned by watching a you-tube video that lifting it out is only possible if you remove the engine/transmission mount in the center front at the bottom. This will give you the additional inch or less to clear the body of the HHR. Other advice I can give is, take pictures and make sure that you put the different strings of the wire-harness back where they belong or you will end up unplugging connectors several times and rout the harness different ways till you figured out where it needs to go. This took me hours to do as I failed to take pictures. Also,, removing the shroud or cover between the windshield and engine bay, including the windshield-wipers helped. The air-conditioner compressor or pump can be removed without releasing the pressure. The pump just needs to be pulled out of the way and tight to the body of the car somehow. And also important; used engines are delivered without oil, don't forget to put oil in.
Thanks to all for your expertise and help.

Oldblue

It’s alive!!! Awesome

PulpFriction

Thanks for the follow-up! Good to hear it worked out. Especially glad you heeded the part about the injectors etc. Pretty sure not swapping them would have been a disaster.

Happy motoring!