99 2.4L L4 help

Hi everyone, i'm rob. i'm on the LS1tech board and the cadillac owners forum. my question is, i just bought a 1999 malibu for $150. that's right i said $150 the car has a knock and it was my sister's boyfriend car and he just wanted to get it out of his garage. the problem i'm having is everyone keeps telling me that i can't use a 2.4L quad 4 motor, i need a 99 or newer 2.4L.

Can someone tell me why i can't or if i can use the motor. i will be getting the car to my house friday after work and should have the motor torn down around tuesday night. the last question i have is, how hard is it to pull the motor out of the malibu? i know i can pull my LS1 out of my camaro in about 2 hours, but i'm new to the L4's.