2002 chevy cavalier engine

my little sister has a 02 chevy cav z24 and she blew the motor. my p-units are searching for a rebuilt engine and they said you cant save money and put a 2.2L in its place bc of the computer systems... is this true and if it is is there a way to change the computer system to accomadate the smaller engine??
thanks
B

Yes, you could change the computer system, but it's definitely a lot more work than swapping the right engine.

that sucks. any good places to get a 2.4L cavalier engine???

check out www.car-part.com

Buy the whole cavalier, it's sometimes cheaper. Try the local body shops - people have paid for cars with no insurance towed in to learn they're unrepairable or just really, really expensive to hammer straight. They then let them sit in limbo because they don't want to accept the junkyard's pathetic $100 offer. (never mind the fact that the same junkyard would then turn around and sell the engine to your parents for $1500)

You might hit the jackpot and get one for $500, making one totaled out cavalier owner happy, and one body shop VERY happy to be rid of it. To those body shops that charge a "per-day storage" fee, you might even walk away with a $200-$300 car just by paying off the debt the broke owner can't afford.

At this point you have another engine, as well as a spare transmission. maybe some salvaged axles, an extra alternator, handful of fuses, maybe some light bulbs, power window motors....

If she's anything like my buddy's sister was in her teenage years, you mom and dad are gonna need a lot of spare parts....