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Engine Removal Opinion

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Old Aug 2, 2011 | 06:15 PM
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Engine Removal Opinion

Just wondering after going through some pictures of engine pulls, is it better to take the intake, etc., off in the car down to basic block prior to pulling the engine? From pictures it looks easier, or at least cleaner operation? Opinions?
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Old Aug 2, 2011 | 06:26 PM
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Well you kind of have to considering the intake is bolted to the chassis... But yes, try to remove as much as you can prior to pulling the engine, makes things a lot easier and simpler.
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Old Aug 2, 2011 | 06:42 PM
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If you pull the engine and trans,it comes out pretty easy.
disonnect the driveshaft and exhaust,undo the trans cross member,speedo cable,and connectors and engine mounts from under the car.(starter wires too,etc)
The engine can be pulled "2" ways: with the harness or strip it down and "hope for the best when you rewire it again.
I pull the engine WITH the Harness,I undo the connectors at the ECU and passenger side kick panel,Push the Wiring through the Firewall into the Engine bay and undo the AFM,sensor,and wipers,AWS,etc on the passenger side.
This allows the whole engine and wiring to come out as ONE and you can see where and What the other connectors go to,so you don't have to second guess when installing.
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Old Aug 2, 2011 | 06:56 PM
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My original plan was to disconnect the ECU and just pull it with the trans, but removing all the stuff first looked tempting.
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Old Aug 2, 2011 | 09:55 PM
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Well,I tell ya,if you start removing stuff,start MARKING connectors!..Then you have to remember where the bolts are,what they went to,how many..etc,..
it can get real Frustrating later on,especially if you said "screw it,I'll remember" and put them in a big box and that box disappears into the Garage!
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Old Aug 3, 2011 | 04:03 AM
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If it's an S4 NA pull it all off [the hoist loop is at the back of the engine] for an S5 you might as well leave it all connected [the loop is on the back of the intake]

Either way, when removing the intake, I'd recommend stuffing towels down any holes leading to the engine and threading all of the nuts and bolts back where they belong so you don't loose anything. Keep the vacuum and electronic parts of the rat's nest together and it should all basically fall back into place.
^_^
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Old Aug 4, 2011 | 10:58 PM
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hey when re installing the intake box where did the two hoses connect to?? i know one goes to the BAC but where does the other one go to???
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Old Aug 5, 2011 | 12:56 AM
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Originally Posted by o5rx8mazda
hey when re installing the intake box where did the two hoses connect to?? i know one goes to the BAC but where does the other one go to???
the other one goes to the acv valve.


I pulled everything off my s4 TII to the housings then pulled it... left the tranny in the car.

it was a bitch putting it back in (lining up the input shaft to pilot bearing.
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Old Aug 5, 2011 | 08:51 PM
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I always pull just the engine. The trick to getting it aligned properly is to keep the front of the motor higher than the rear.
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Old Aug 6, 2011 | 11:45 AM
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I'd like to just pull the engine and leave the tranny in because of garage space, but I've read its a huge PITA aligning the spline for re-install.
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Old Oct 21, 2011 | 09:25 AM
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I have a quick question. I dont want to make a new thread for it, well here it goes:

I am about to pull the engine of my S4 NA. Everything fine so far the driver side harness
is completly disconnected. The primary fuel injectors which are sitting unter the intake.
They are connected to the passenger side wiring harness.

Is that the harness that goes to the ECU and can be unplugged from the inside ?
I dont want to remove intake just to disconnect a few wires.

I am working on the car for a few days now with pause for sleep and eating


Many thanks
Steven
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Old Oct 21, 2011 | 10:49 AM
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I just went through all of this... twice.

First time I removed the UIM and disconnected all the wires, then slapped it back on to give strength to the loops that the hoist attaches to. I then unbolted the trans an yanked out the engine.

That was decent... but it's a pain in the *** to reconnect things with the engine in the car, and getting the motor back on the trans sucked.

Second time I took the trans with, and shoved the wires from the ECU through the firewall and took those too. I even took the down pipe.

I thought this was MUCH EASIER. it takes a little more time to remove this way, but I think it's worth it because you get to re-assemble everything off of the car. Putting on the turbo, LIM, UIM is so damn easy off the car, it took half the time. not to mention you get easy access to the wiring and hoses under the UIM so you know they're routed properly and not smashed. ANOTHER benefit is the trans. I mounted my trans to my engine off the car by myself in 10 minutes. not something possible if you leave it in.

So I recommend pulling the full longblock with the trans from personal experience.

@StevenL5975
The ECU is under the passenger kick panel. all the wires that go through the passenger side firewall are for the ECU. This includes the injectors
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Old Oct 21, 2011 | 11:50 AM
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For those of you that removed the engine with the ECU harness, was it difficult pushing the fat wire loom through the dash all the way over to the driver's side?

And on a side note, I find these to be an invaluable tool when doing engine pulls. Slap a # sticker on the sensor, and the corresponding number on the connector. And you can remove them later, or leave them on for future use.
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Old Oct 21, 2011 | 12:05 PM
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Angry

Originally Posted by Bamato
For those of you that removed the engine with the ECU harness, was it difficult pushing the fat wire loom through the dash all the way over to the driver's side?
Que? There are two harnesses, one for the driver side and one for the passenger side. The only pushing required is pushing each one through the fire wall.
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Old Oct 21, 2011 | 12:06 PM
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Don't know why I'm angry.... sorry about that
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Old Oct 21, 2011 | 12:26 PM
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Originally Posted by Bamato
For those of you that removed the engine with the ECU harness, was it difficult pushing the fat wire loom through the dash all the way over to the driver's side?

And on a side note, I find these to be an invaluable tool when doing engine pulls. Slap a # sticker on the sensor, and the corresponding number on the connector. And you can remove them later, or leave them on for future use.
You only have to remove the passenger side (ECU) harness. The one on the driver's side can be unplugged and can stay in the car when you remove the engine
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Old Oct 21, 2011 | 12:56 PM
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Hello,

thanks for the answers. I got it now. The driver side harness can be unplugged from the engine (few connectors) and left in place.

Passenger side must be pushed through the firewall. I never knew that the ECU was UNDER the carpet UNDER that plate lol ...
So the wires went out quick once I figured out how to, only 40 cm wires that needs to be pulled out of the firewall. 5 Connectors in total if I remember correctly. That was an easy job once I knew how to do.

Engine is not out yet. Still messing with the trans and exhaust manifold (downpipe unbolted).I dont get the proper alignment for the engine to be physically pulled out.
Lucky that I have 2 engine pull hooks mounted on the motor (One on the trans side and one near water pump)
That makes it easyer, but It still wont separate, I used a prybar but as said I dont get the proper alignment. Is there a trick ??

Steven
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Old Oct 21, 2011 | 01:14 PM
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Why are you unbolting the exhaust manifold if the down pipe is already off? Just leave it on and pull it out along with the motor.

Also, if you're planning on disassembling the motor, I found out the hard way that it's a lot easier to break the front hub bolt loose with the trans connected.

anyway, just make sure the trans is fully unbolted from the engine, then just try to hoist the motor out by disconnecting the mounts and pulling it forward. If you disconnected everything right, a gap will form between the trans and the motor pretty easily. You can eitheruse a pry bar to get it off the rest of the way or just manhandle the sucker. Just be careful not to smash the front of your motor into your radiator in the process!
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Old Oct 21, 2011 | 01:23 PM
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Thanks Osirus9,

the engine wont be disassembled, I am taking it out for the car to be repainted (Outside & engine bay) there is small rust pits everywhere.
It gets a new exhaust etc ... New engine mounts new lines etc ... Radiator is already out btw
I should have left the trans bolted on and pulled them together ... meh

well here are a few pics on how it looks like.


Engine and trans disconnected.


closeup of the mess

Everything is disconnected but as far as I can lift the engine it wont come out.
I guess the exhaust manifold to downpipe bolts might stick due to the engine being lifted.

I dont want to use too much force I fear that the transmission axle (the one that is splined and goes into the clutch) might bent.
Dont know if that can ever happen but I fear for it.

Any Ideas ?

Many thanks
Steven

Last edited by StevenL5975; Oct 21, 2011 at 01:26 PM. Reason: add info
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Old Oct 21, 2011 | 01:55 PM
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if the trans is already pulled away from the engine, you did it right. it just takes A LOT of force to get that bitch off. That's why I recommended removing the radiator, just hop in the engine bay and molest that sucker out. That trans spline is a lot stronger than it looks, so I wouldn't worry about bending it. Just get the chains tight on the hoist and yank that engine free.

Then again, if you're taking the trans off anyway, why not just bolt it back on (2 or 3 bolts will be enough) and pull it with the engine?
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Old Oct 21, 2011 | 02:09 PM
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Originally Posted by texFCturboII
Que? There are two harnesses, one for the driver side and one for the passenger side. The only pushing required is pushing each one through the fire wall.
Brainfart.
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Old Oct 21, 2011 | 02:15 PM
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My suggestion, since the engine isn't out yet, is to bolt the engine and trans back together, and pull them in one piece. I replaced the clutch on my S5 recently and getting the trans back in took 2 of us, a tranny jack, and about an hour *WITH A VEHICLE LIFT*. Doing it on your back isn't going to be an enjoyable experience.
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Old Oct 21, 2011 | 02:38 PM
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Originally Posted by Bamato
My suggestion, since the engine isn't out yet, is to bolt the engine and trans back together, and pull them in one piece. I replaced the clutch on my S5 recently and getting the trans back in took 2 of us, a tranny jack, and about an hour *WITH A VEHICLE LIFT*. Doing it on your back isn't going to be an enjoyable experience.
I always take the engine out.. and leave the tran in.. but thats me.. Always pulled and replaced engines on my own. Never had an issue getting the engine and tran back together. i am one person.. Why pull all that extra weight out.. and then have a huge heavy tran laying around taking up even more space... then ya got more of a mess.
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Old Oct 21, 2011 | 03:13 PM
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meh, You can lift the trans yourself out of the car. I doubt it weighs more than 150lbs. Plus who cares how much the whole assembly weighs? The engine hoist is the one lifting it.

if you're concerned about space, just shove the trans under the car or something.
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Old Oct 21, 2011 | 04:21 PM
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Thanks again for your help

The engine is out (Took 1,5m long prybar and some forced arguments for it go get loose)
When mounting back all the stuff I will bolt the trans to the engine and install everything together. That will be much easier.

I did not want to bolt the transmission back to the engine because then I would have to remove the driveshaft, slave cylinder, and exhaust stuff. (Atleast FSM says to remove driveshaft exhaust must be removed) And that honored exhaust cannot be removed so easy because its rusted in place. Need to buy a grinder to remove the bolts. Thats a long story cut short.


Upon removing, one clutch fork and the slave cylinder thing/mont that goes to the shaft was bent. Take a look at the pictures:


Bent slave cylinder, needs to be replaced ??


Bent clutch fork (Lower fork). Knowing the previous owner, I dont think that the clutch has ever been replaced ...

What do you think?

Regards
Steven

Last edited by StevenL5975; Oct 21, 2011 at 04:24 PM. Reason: typo
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