Kia Soul Engine Swap

Kia Soul Engine Swap: Which Engines Are Easily Swappable?

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Which Kia Soul’s engines are interchangeable? 1st gen Kia Soul’s engines are swappable, but it’s time-consuming and will test your patience.

Various riders have stated that Kia Soul cars have the most intricate wiring harness that requires riders to spend hours figuring out the correct setup while performing the Kia Soul engine swap.

Apart from that, these riders faced many other issues covered in this blog post. Hence, let’s read on.

Kia Soul Engine Interchangeability: Can You Interchange All The Engines?

So, your favorite Kia Soul car has covered enough miles and provided you with unforgettable riding experiences. After serving you for years, it started encountering problems with its engine, and so, right now, you may be considering an engine replacement that may save your day.

Or else, you just want to push it further to accelerate your driving performance by installing a powerful engine from another Kia Soul model. Hence, the point here is swapping the engine is your ultimate goal irrespective of reasons, and you aren’t alone. Various Kia Soul riders want to accomplish this enchanting job.

But the problem arises when they inspect Kia Soul engine options and brainstorm the process of engine interchange. They face difficulties while performing the Kia Soul turbo engine swap or any other engine interchange.

Because they don’t find reliable sources that can guide them to accomplish the Kia Soul engine interchange successfully, and for your information, we have also suffered the same yet managed to gather Soul engine swapping information you can rely on. So, let’s begin.

You can swap all gen 1 Kia Soul engines with little or no modification under the supervision of a skilled mechanic. Kia hasn’t modified these engines significantly; the company just doubled the engine block thickness on later models.

So, before swapping, you need to examine the timing belt, chain, and MLA valve fitting. If you can correctly install the wiring harness, ECU, intercooler, and supporting parts, you will have no trouble with your newly installed engine.

However, you may face some challenges while switching from a 1.6 to a 2.0 engine. Let’s discuss what troubles you may encounter.

Can You Swap Your Kia Soul 1.6 Engine With 2.0?

Speaking of the Kia Soul 1.6 to 2.0 engine swap, according to experts, newbies should avoid completing this kind of chore as it is quite a challenging job.

For instance, they need to match the new ECM and consider the engine type, such as a GDI or MPI engine. Besides that, they need to work with the transmission, and above all, wiring can become a daunting task. A little mistake can blow out the entire engine or car.

That’s why we recommend not performing such a Kia Soul engine swap. But you can swap gen 2 engines featuring the exact specifications and support the same transmission.

To specify, you need to swap the same engine that your car already has to avoid severe car-damaging issues. And indeed, ensure to follow the guidance of a professional in this field.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

What Engines Will Fit In A Kia Soul?

Various engines will fit in a Kia Soul based on its model and generation. You can install a 1.6 L Gamma MPI I4 and set up a 2.0 L NU GDI I4 petrol engine if it suits your car’s transmission and other necessary parts.

What Is The Best Engine In The Kia Soul?

All Kia Soul engines deliver excellent performance that can fulfill your riding needs. But if acceleration is what you are up to, according to avid riders, you should adhere to a 201 hp 1.6 turbocharged 4-cylinder engine.

Can You Put A Turbo In A Kia Soul?

Indeed, you can put a turbo in a Kia Soul if the blockhead matches and if it supports your car’s transmission. Also, you need to inspect whether the ECM, wiring harness, cooling systems, driveshafts, and other essential parts are compatible or not.

Conclusion

The Kia Soul engine swap falls into the most challenging engine swapping category since Kia motors company has entirely changed engine bases, transmission, and other components after manufacturing 1st gen Kia Soul cars.

That means 2nd, and 3rd gen cars come with intricate mechanical equipment that only skilled mechanics can dare to interchange. Thus, we recommend ignoring completing the engine swapping job solely; instead, you must accomplish this task under a professional’s supervision. That’s all for this content; we will catch you with the next one.

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