First timer engine removal notes and things not to do
 

This board gave me the info & confidence for an engine drop...so thanks to all. Hopefully this post will help out other first timers.

Jacking up the car -
went to home depot to buy wood blocks for placement under jack stands. (1) do not go the cheap-o route and buy the stuff pilled off to the side. it's warped and causes the car to rock while the tranny is inches over the forehead. very scary (2) spring for 2 quality jacks with the removable plates. get a couple of extra cheap-o jacks to wedge under the car for extra stability. (2.25) do yourself a favor and buy the engine removal attachemnt for you jack. the 'wood block under engine' balancing act is no circus show worth paying for.

Shift coupler well -
the screws for the plate are too close to a couple of fuel lines in the well. a screw penetrated a fuel line and caused sprinkler system like action throughout the cabin. not cool when the assistent is smokin a cig looking at the leak to see where it's comming from. (2.5) stocking the garage with cheap beer will attract cheap help. (3) fuel leaks are no cause for panic - pep boys sells the 11.5m rubber fuel hose real cheap.

Under the car -
the metal throttle relay to the throttle cable to the pedal and engine that attaches near the tranny fill should not pop-off when prying the ball off. it does not make a good handle to pick up the tranny. mine broke off too easily. (4) many studs will break off and many many threads will strip. it's not you...it's the car.
if someone else put the helper spring on backwards use it as an opportunity to get out the BIG hammer. (5) vent when using a hammer
the rear sway bar will not line up and go back on while the car is jacked and the wheel is hanging - took me about 25min to figure this one out.


Engine area -
if the fuel lines are swisting when using the 'scissor action'...they will break (6) use $3.00 pressure fitting for broken fuel lines.
(7) use electrical tape of various colors to mark ALL connections.
the engine mount bar broke when removing the drivers side engine mounting bolt. unbelievable. $25 for a 15min job at a local welding shop.
CIS removal - if you do not remove all 12 washers from the manifolds the may fall in. two washer fell in ---the hole. (8) buy lots of shop towels to plug & cover everything up

Seperating the tranny from the engine -

EEk, I though you were supposed to be encouraging others to DIY.:D

I'd like to know how much fun you had getting the hard oil line apart. I'm watching that special tool on eBay for this job. Whatever it costs, it's a tiny fraction of the cost of replacing that line.

the drop was frustrating at times, but very rewarding in the end.

i bought a pair of cresent wrenches to remove the hard oil line and they worked just fine. it's cheaper to have bad lines and hoses reconditioned rather than replacing them.

And do not forget the package of six disposable cameras. Make the photo once each with two seperate cameras. Mark the cameras as A group and B group. Take A group to store A and B group to store B. If one store exposes your film, hopefully the other won't. Bad experiences passed on. Whatever you do, take photos for the re-build.

David