dbssr1212

Anyone have any detailed step by step instructions on taking out a 12a
its out of an 84 and well
i've never taken an engine out
so the haynes manual isn't very helpful for me haha
especially since the manual seems to be based off of an older model

Rx-7Doctor

iTrader: (13)

You are not going to find a step by step thread as it involves too much work to do so.

Here is a thread I found here-

https://www.rx7club.com/showthread.p...engine+removal

Other than that the engine removal is no big deal and the Haynes manual tells you the basics. Also you can download a copy of your year FSM by copying and pasting the link in my signature.

dbssr1212

yea
the books just showing a different model 12a so i was like wtf?

on the one i have i can't find the clutch release cylinder
or
the oil sensor

lol basic things like that are just my problems lol

Rx-7Doctor

iTrader: (13)

In chapter 13 of the Haynes manual it deals with the 81-85 models.

That is why I informed you to download a copy of "Your" year FSM as it is year specific.

rxtasy3

iTrader: (2)

derik, i've told u if u ever need help with something, let me know. when u plan on pulling it? aint nuttin' to it.

Sgt.Stinkfist

iTrader: (6)

no detailed instructions neccesary, if something is connected between the body and the motor/tranny disconnect it. there isnt much to it really

FunK73

iTrader: (6)

I just did an engine pull on my 84. Heres my basic write up

-Get a bunch of hand cleaner, plastic bags to label and put nuts and bolts into, and pictures of where vacuum lines and electrical lines go to

Drain coolant and oil (and transmission fluid if necessary)

Remove the fan and radiator from the engine bay

Remove all belts and components like alternator, A/C, air pump, etc

Remove the distributor

Remove the carburetor taking special note of where the choke, hot start assist, and throttle cables go.

Put the car up on jack stands

Remove the exhaust leaving the thermal reactor in place

If pulling transmission and engine: Remove the drive shaft from the car
If pulling just engine (Manual Transmission): Remove the bolts connecting bell housing to the motor
If pulling just engine (Automatic Transmission): Remove the bolts connecting bell housing to the motor and the bolts connecting the torque converter to the drive plate MAKE SURE YOU HAVE SUPPORT UNDER YOUR TRANSMISSON WHEN JUST PULLING THE MOTOR

Get out from under the car

Remove the electrical harness by unplugging the big yellow clip under the windshield washer fluid container

You can either remove all the connections from the engine (This is what I did, make sure you have LOTS of pictures) and pull the whole harness out at this point or leave it connected till you actually pull the motor

Make one last check to make sure that everything is disconnected between the motor and the engine bay (Coolant lines to the beehive especially)

Heres where it gets tricky, id recommend having 2 or 3 friends around
If pulling the motor with the transmission, you need to hook up your hoist to the two engine mounted hooks. You have to unbolt the front engine mounts and the transmission mounts in order to tilt the front up the engine upward to the point where you can pull it out.
If just pulling the engine, drop the car back onto its wheels, keeping support on the transmission, hook up the engine hoist, unbolt the two front engine mounts, and lift the motor ever so slightly in order to clear the two bolts from the engine mounts. Then slide the motor forward gently so the driveplate/clutch clears the bell housing

Your engine should now be out and you will have great access at pulling the rest of the parts (Intake, thermal reactor, omp, rats nest, bee hive, etc)

If you got any other questions feel free to ask me

Rx-7Doctor

iTrader: (13)

Funk,

Thank you for taking the time to write this up.

Some things That I would do differently.

There is really no need to remove the carburetor or Distributor at this time.


If you take a cap from a can of degreaser or PB blaster you can put it at the end of the tail shaft housing with a rubber band and that is good enough to keep the transmission fluid from coming out when you pull the transmission with the engine. :-)

Also need to remove the clutch slave cylinder and unbolt the shifter before removal also.

Also there is no need to remove the alternator, air pump or belts at this time. If you have A/C then you can remove the compressor from the bracket and if you are careful you will not have to remove the hoses and just set the compressor off to the side.

I have never needed assistance when I have pulled or put back a engine with the transmission. It is all in how you position the chain on the front and rear engine hooks. :-)

I use the disposable gloves so I don't have to use hand cleaner. :-)

dbssr1212

alright i got most of the wires and tubing off of the firewall so when i get back out there i'll go by your write up
thanks
i appreciate it alot man

FunK73

iTrader: (6)

Yeah the carb removal makes it a LOT easier if you aren't pulling the transmission out with the engine. Theres a bolt and nut behind it that are next to impossible without taking it off. Mine was an automatic pull so i forgot about you manual transmission guys and your hydrolics =P

That was just a brief write up of how i did it. Hope it helps! If you want a full write up for the archives or something I can do that too. I got a lot of free time lol. Let me know if you got any questions.

I should also mention that if you arent pulling the transimssion out, you will need to relocate the rear engine hoist hook because it is located on a bolt that holds the engine and transmission together. There is a hole to the left (looking at the engine from the front) that works great if you find a shorter bolt of correct size and pitch (1.25 i believe) to throw in it.

TheRX7Project

iTrader: (3)

The 12a isn't bad to remove at all. This was my first time changing an engine and I did it mostly by myself, just got some help wrestling it apart from the trans.

AcidAngel7477

iTrader: (16)

i love 12A so easy..

:AA:

FunK73

iTrader: (6)

Here is my full(er) write up

Doing a 12a rebuild is easier than you might think. Using the Atkins Master Rebuild Kit for the 12A, I rebuilt my block in just two and a half hours.

Get a bunch of hand cleaner, plastic bags to label and put nuts and bolts into, pictures of where vacuum lines and electrical lines go to, and a scratch pad to write down any parts you need to pick up since you will probably break some bolts or cut some hoses

Drain the coolant by removing the lower radiator hose (The big one) and oil by using the oil drain plug on the passenger side of the pan. (and transmission fluid if necessary, you can cap the back of the transmission after removing the drive shaft instead of draining it)

Remove the fan from the water pump pulley by loosening the four bolts attaching it. Leave the fan in the radiator shroud being careful not to damage the radiator itself. Then remove the four bolts securing the radiator and pull it up and out of the engine bay.

If you are planning on pulling the motor with the transmission still attached, you should remove the A/C condenser to get more room for the forward shift when pulling the motor. If you are going to leave the transmission in the car, you can get by without removing it.

Remove all the belts taking note of which grooves they sit in. Remove the pulley components such as the Alternator, A/C Compressor (if you want to, you can get by leaving it behind and just removing the bracket the compressor sits in from the block as well as to avoiding decompressing your A/C System), and Air Pump and set them aside.

Remove the distributor by disconnecting the two leads from the coils in the drivers side fender wall, disconnecting the four leads to the four spark plugs, and removing the single bolt securing it to the engine block. Lift the distributor and shaft out of the engine and set it carefully aside, leaving all the wires attached to their proper locations.

If you have a manual transmission, remove the clutch slave cylinder and set it aside.

Remove the carburetor taking special note of where the choke, hot start assist, and throttle cables go. This is not necessary if you are pulling the engine and transmission. I highly suggest it if you are not pulling both because one of the bolts holding the transmission to the engine block is down behind the carburetor and nearly impossible to access with the carburetor in place.

Remove any hoses or vacuum lines you see running between the engine and the car. On the automatic transmission models, there is a hard vacuum line that runs down along the transmission back into the transmission that needs to be disconnected. There is also a coolant line running from the firewall down to the bottom of the oil cooler that should be removed.

Put the car up on jack stands. You can get by only putting the front end on stands if you want to.

Remove the exhaust from the thermal reactor back however far you like. Also remove the starter from the bell housing and set it aside taking note of which wires go where.

If pulling transmission and engine: Remove the drive shaft from the car and loosen the transmission mounts a little but not too much. You will also need to take out the shifter, which can be a bit of a pain. Some interior dismantling may be in order.

If pulling just engine (Manual Transmission): Remove the bolts connecting bell housing to the motor that you can get to from under the car. There should be one in the two bottom corners and one up on the drives side of the block right under where the beehive oil cooler is. Make sure you have proper support under both the front of the transmission and the rear of the motor when doing this. I recommend using a floor jack and a block of wood. Get out from under the car remove the last two of the transmission bolts. One of these has one of the engine hangers on it. The hanger is best moved to the transmission bolt just to the left (to the passenger side of the car.) Take one of the transmission bolts to your local bolt store and find a comparable bolt in a short enough length that it will not thread into the transmission in the new bolt hole. Hook up your hoist to the motor just as a back up to hold some weight

If pulling just engine (Automatic Transmission): Removal is pretty much the same as the manual transmission models, only difference is you have to remove the 4 bolts connecting the torque converter to the drive plate. These are accessible by removing the small plate on the bottom on the bell housing. To remove these bolts, you will need a flat wrench, ratcheting is best, and a buddy to hold the main pulley from rotating as you loosen the 4 bolts on the torque converter.

Remove the electrical harness by unplugging the big yellow clip under the windshield washer fluid container. You can either remove all the connections from the engine (This is what I did, make sure you have LOTS of pictures) and pull the whole harness out at this point or leave it connected until you actually pull the motor out of the car

Make one last check to make sure that everything is disconnected between the motor and the engine bay and that everything is cleared out of the way for pulling the engine

Here is where it gets tricky, id recommend having 2 or 3 friends around just for an extra set of eyes

If pulling the motor with the transmission, you need to hook up your hoist to the two engine mounted hooks. You have to unbolt the front engine mounts and the transmission mounts in order to tilt the front up the engine upward to the point where you can pull it out.

If just pulling the engine, drop the car back onto its wheels, keeping support on the transmission, hook up the engine hoist, unbolt the two front engine mounts, and lift the motor ever so slightly in order to clear the two bolts from the engine mounts. Then slide the motor forward gently so the drive plate/clutch clears the bell housing and input shaft. Be VERY careful to limit stress on the input shaft while doing this.

Your engine should now be out and you will have great access at pulling the rest of the parts (Intake, thermal reactor, OMP, rats nest, bee hive, etc).

This is just a rough write up of how I pulled my engine. Things such as the alternator, air pump, carburetor, distributor, and the like don't necessarily have to be removed before the engine is pulled. Just do what you are comfortable with and don't hesitate to ask question if you get stuck.

dbssr1212

question what the hell is the behive oil cooler
? any pics?

dbssr1212

*beehive have grease on my hands sorry

dbssr1212

nvm
found it
sorry

FunK73

iTrader: (6)

Depends on your year of RX7. Its the thing right under your oil filter on the later models. The earlier models had their oil cooler under the radiator. The one on the later models is known as the beehive. Glad you found it!

Funny thing is after i posted this i pulled my engine again too haha. Took 4 hours =)

dbssr1212

pulled the one at the shop took me 3 hours =] first engine swap too =]

pulled the one outta the new body today

beejerx7

I have a 1980 12a and I plan on taking the entire front end off, then rolling the engine and trans out together. Has anyone ever removed their engine this way?

beej

cshaw07

iTrader: (14)

No need to take the front end off at all. Un bolt everything and pull it out from the top with an engine hoist. Much much easier to do it this way

DivinDriver

iTrader: (15)

Yep. Removing the rad first buys you more clearance, too. Obviously, taking the hood off is important too.

Ken7102

I started with the radiator, lets a small person like me get in there to get a better angle on stuff.

cshaw07

iTrader: (14)

I pulled the engine out oft parts car before I scrapped it. Took me an hour with cleaning my tools. Helps a lot when you can just cut everything with a grinder and sawmill though

beejerx7

I forgot to mention, the engine and trans are coming out of a donor, and won't be going back in the same car. This is why I believe it’s easier for me to roll them straight out as package, since there’s no need to reassemble the front end of the donor. It's debatable though.

Thank you,

beej

cshaw07

iTrader: (14)

I'm pulling one today from a donor car. Last one took me an hour ( I just cut everything) it's still easier to keep the front end on and use a picker I'm getting changed and doing it right now. I'll let you know how long it takes