Hi......
I´m new to this forum,but I´ve got a quite important question for you.
I´ve got a 1998 Marea 1.6 16V 1581 cm3.Car has no engine at the moment.I´ll have to buy one,but I´m thinking of swapping the original 1581 engine for a 1596 engine from the latest Marea or from Stilo.So my question is Will a 1596 engine fit to a gearbox and mountings of a 1581 engine?Are the blocks of these two engines mechanicaly identical?Don´t worry for the engine code or the wiring,I just need to know if the blocks of these engines are the same.I mean mountings for the gearbox and main engine mountings to the chassis.I searched,but no results.
Thanks for your reply.
Sorry for mistakes if any,but I´m not British,I´m Slovak and I´ve never been to UK......

Ofcourse it will fit!

But, as you don't have engine, and as you want to make swap, why not engine 2.0 20v from marea HLX/bravo HGT or even better same engine but from coupe 2.0 20v turbo (2.0 16v turbo is better)? Those will fit the same!

I want to put in the same engine as the car had,but the newer one.I can get the engine from the 2004 stilo for the same price as from the 1997 marea.Which one would you choose,if you had these two options and you would know they will fit?I can´t put in another engine than 1.6 because the car is equiped with automatic transmission which I want to keep in it,because I found it to be the better solution for me than the classic manual transmission.You know,If you use to a higher comfort,you don´t want to go back anymore......And ECU of the gearbox is connected to the ECU of the engine,that´s why I have to put in the same engine.I would rather put in the more powerful engine,but then I must swap the gearbox too,which is the thing I don´t want to do.And thanks for the reply,mate...

I want to tell you then, that engine 1581 16v with alu intake manifold (as you had it- you said, your marea is 97 model) is better engine then 99 model (plastic intake manifold) and stilo 1596 engine. why?? Because it lasts longer and accepts torture from the driver and it has a lot of "spare" horses.
We have here those alu intake manifold engines passing 300000km (three hundred thousand) while newer engines have electrical problems.

My choice would be reconditioned alu 1581 engine.

I would be making sure the Stilo engine will fit cause it could have different engine mountings.

O.K...I´ll have a better look to the Stilo engine,if the mountings fit,but I needed to know,if it will fit to the gearbox.If yes,then I´ll look at the mountings and if it fits too,I´ll probably take the Stilo engine.Newer engines may have electric faults,but I´m going to use the old wiring and the old ECU.I just need complete engine.I mean complete block with head,camshafts,intake and exhaust manifold.I´ll use the old throttle valve from marea engine,because marea has cable controlled valve and stilo has electrically controled valve.And ignition coils and spark plugs too.Also there are just few sensors that are same on the both engines...I think they dne is on the crankshaft (RPM),one on the intake camshaft (TDC).I just hope it will fit,because I know marea engine well,but don´t know differences on the stilo engine.I repaired a lot of these old engines with alu manifold,but haven´t done Stilo engines except JTD...