Can I spin a fully assembled engine upside down? Is intake sys remove/reinstall easy?
 

Are there any issues with spinning an engine upside down to work on oil return tubes, exhaust, etc with the motor fully assembled? I have rotated mine, on the stand, about 100 degrees but not fully upside down. Can I?

Also, how difficult is it to remove the entire fuel and intake system? I want to replace the breather gasket, engine cooler seals and a few other things. Would you recommend leaving it on to do the work or taking it off? It looks like it would be much easier with the intake system off but I don't want to add difficulty when it comes time to reassemble.

Thanks.

Its not hard to remove the CIS with the engine out of the car. Theres a tech article on Rennlist that delves into this.

...& you can spin that baby any which way you like :)

Yes, you can spin it all you like. but if I were you, I'd probably just remove the CIS. Seriously, the CIS system comes off as a unit. Takes about ten minutes. Unbold the intake runners from the heads. disconnect throttle linkage and that little bracket that supports the CIS back there, and lift the whole enchalada off the motor. then take pictures. These are beautiful engines without that stuff in the way.

What Jim said.
And if you're that deep into the guts, you have excellent access to replace all the CIS seals, gaskets etc.
I was astonished to find out how deteriorated they were on my engine.
Intake air leaks are a nuisance to fix with the motor in the car.

Don't need to pull the fan/alt or any of the ignition stuff?

If it's a 10 minute project then I am all over it.

The fan stays. the CIS comes off in 1 piece, looking like a giant spider that only Bosch could love.

Thanks guys.

I had read the CIS removal article in Wayne's book and I wasn't sure if it was as easy as it sounded. I guess it is!!

With the "spin" question; I was afraid that residual crankcase oil would seep into the airbox/intake if I spun it upsidedown.

Spin it all you want. Just make sure that you clean up all the oil mess that you are going to make with the engine oil. It always wants to come out at the oddest angle.

I removed my intake assembly with no problem. I would recommend however when you sit it aside support the center of the assembly. The injectors are the low point and can be dislodged or damaged.
Kevin

Thanks. This should make getting at those seals, gaskets, and o-rings a whole bunch easier.