EriktheAwful wrote:Judge Phil wrote:The first-gen Excel had a not-too-terrible (compared to the rest of the car) Mitsubishi 4G15 engine, same as the one in the Colt around the same time. That means powertrain parts would be easy to find in junkyards.
One of my original teammates knew this and kept us on the lookout for a reasonable Excel because he had a trashed Eclipse Turbo with a good engine. We found one with body damage on every panel and previously lived in, but the owner wouldn't come down from $2000.
See, I was thinking the same thing (Colt and Excel used same Mitsubishi engine) because while looking on RockAuto for parts I found that the Colt used the same rebuild kit as the Excel. But the motors apparently aren't EXACTLY the same. One is a G4AJ and the other is a 4G15. At least that's what I can find online.
It does look like people commonly pull out the Excel engines and put in some 4g61T (whatever that is).
The reason I was obsessing over trying to find out compatibility is because the Excel seller ALSO has a 86 or 87 Plymouth Colt which I was thinking to pick up for a spare motor. However, it's condition is the same as the Excel's: Sitting since the 1990's and engine is stuck.
Fortunately, the Excel's engine broke loose with a couple of us vigorously rocking it in gear. I'll tinker with it today some and see if I can figure out why it was parked.