Nobody told me about the rat's nest...
 

So i pulled my motor last week... it took me and my friend like 2 whole days to get that thing out of there... i never imagined there being any kind of puzzle like that vaccum piping under the intake/tb. it's so rediculous that you have to figure out the exact order to take everything apart! i still dont even understand how i got some of it. my biggest question, however, is this: to simply pull the engine, why do you have to take the tb off, all that stuff as well(just to get the wiring harness free), then have to put the tb back on so you have something to chain it to? is there any particular place you can just chain it up on just the engine itself so you dont have to put it back together?

Oh yeah and i think i'll need some help on how to clean it up a little once i put a new motor in. i'm dropping emissions and probably getting an s5 turbo.

You didn't have to do it that way; you could have unplugged the harness from the ECU, etc. on the inside of the car, and pulled the plugs through the firewall.

Kevin Landers has a nice engine removal write-up on his web site at www.rotaryresurrection.com.

Get a copy of the Factory Service Manual (FAQ) or Haynes manual. Both have vacuum diagrams that are very helpful...Also you could have just labelled before you removed. :)

Yeah, lots and lots of labels: makes putting everything back in (almost) a snap. :bigthumb:

uh labels? DOH! its gonna take me forever once i get my engine back :\

Seriously though EVERYTHING you need to know and where to hook it up is in the manuals...all wiring vacuum diagrams etc.

It is not always 100% clear but if you study the FSM from beginning to end it becomes very clear.

And in the FAQ's of this site and by using the search almost EVERY question has been answered hundreds of times on this forum. There are lots of color coded pics here etc. too.

This site is a gold mine of info and links.

when you guys do the rate's nest removal.... what do you do with the breather on the oil filler neck? cap it? what size is it? or put a breather on it? i left the bottom one connected. i could be wrong but doesnt it go to the catch can along with fuel?? god its been so long since i did this i cant remember.

theres a right up in the first gen section that is in PDF and is very thoughrow and descriptive with lots of pictures and rerouting of hoses. i wish i could find one like that for my 88 turbo....
but no luck so far.

Take pictures!

Congress needs to issue more Green Cards.

ha ha yeah... i labeled pretty well. i took a ton of pictures of almost everything i did cuz even with all the labels, i decided i would still struggle figuring some of it out when i put it back together. oh yeah and those vacuum hoses are all basically hard plastic now so theyre definitely being replaced. i'd show you the pictures but the rust is embarassing in the engine compartment...

That's ok, I like embarassing poses...