donny

I am going to paint my engine bay pretty soon, but, I am debating whether to pull the engine or just remove everything on it.
The only part of removing the engine that bothers me is getting it seperated from the tranny. It looks pretty straight forward according to the manual.
Anyone done this??Was it a pain in the butt??

WVRx7

getting the engine out is an absolute snap. The problem with the tranny is getting it back together on the way back in.

All you have to do to get it out is use a LONG screwdriver and go through the access panel on the bottom of the tranny and slide the throw out bearing back (separating it from the clutch) and you are done.

Bellhousing bolts are much easier with the UIM removed, the two motor mount bolts are an absolute snap.

Take the downpipe or precat off at the turbos for a much easier extrication. If you have a downpipe you can pull it out with the engine but you will need a person underneath with that long screwdriver to "steer" it a bit.

Easiest to remove the hood and if you take the radiator out you have a bit more wiggle room and won't have to worry about hurting it.

Fuel lines are a snap once the UIM is off.
Throttle cable comes off with the UIM

Pulling the harness from the cabin is the absolute hardest part, but it is possible and you don't have to move the ABS equipment. That long screwdriver comes in handy here too.

I have done it twice in the last 6 months. The 2nd time (3 weeks ago) it only took me 2 hours and 33 minutes from the time I jacked the car up to when the engine was on the driveway.

Good Luck with it and don't let it intimidate you.

donny

do you really have to pull the harness through the firewall? Cant you just un-plug everything from the motor side?

JonesersRX7

I can't refer back to the exact post but I remember reading that you can actually pull the whole thing together as long as you have the front of the car on jack stands and a leveler for the hoist.

I am going to search and see if I can find the post. Don't flame if I read it wrong.

Jonesie -

WVRx7

no

Well, you could, but it would be really a bad idea. That would be twice as hard. Pulling the harness through and allowing yourself to work with the delicate and brittle plugs on the engine while it is sitting outside the car is much smarter.

Pulling the harness through the firewall isn't that hard. The problem is that it LOOKS like it should take about 30 seconds to do. It ends up taking about 5 minutes and it is very frustrating. Getting it back in there is also a trick.

I have been a part of at least 10 engine pulls and I know of hundreds and I have never heard of anyone leaving the harness in the car.

WVRx7

You can pull the tranny too, but unless it needs servicing too, there is no point. It is lots of extra work (shifter, PPF, etc.)

oakridgerx7

it is much easier to pull the tranny with the engine, also easier to mate up the tranny outside of the car.

JonesersRX7

That's what I was thinking...

I couldn't find that thread either....

Jonesie -

edit: I don't think the PPF is a hassle... why not just get a nice shiny red one from Mazda Speed!

3isacharm

Its easy as hell. I just pulled mine for the first time about 2 weeks ago. I have never done any other kind of work to my car and I just took my time and it came out. I say go ahead and give it a shot you will end up saving a lot of money that you will be able to apend on other goodies!!!

dhahlen

iTrader: (5)

LOL! I had Tom93R1 and Tripple7's give me a hand on mine, I had no experience, but they sure did. It's actually just really time consuming... LABEL ALL OF YOUR BOLTS!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Ziploc's and Sharpies are a plus! =) Good luck!

RotorMotor

iTrader: (5)

so you are recomending pulling the tranny or not? how high should the front of the car be jacked up? and is there any advantage to jacking the rear?

Rated R1

I agree. I wish I was able to do that when I put my new engine in. Unfortunately my ceiling in my garage is way too low.

DamonB

I had had the tranny out before to replace the clutch and so when it was time to swap motors I pulled the tranny with the motor. It's only about another 30 mins of work at the most but it really pays off by saving your patience when it's time to drop everything back in.

As for releasing the clutch, my favorite tool is an old tire iron. It's nice and long with a flat tip; works beautifully.

Popping the ecu harness grommet out of the firewall isn't hard if you use a big screwdriver, but getting it back in there takes some patience.

There's no need to remove the hood, UIM or downpipe. I pulled it all easily enough with a standard hoist and NO load leveler, though that would be handy. Without a leveler it definitely takes two people to guide the whole thing out and back in.

Tim McCreary

I removed my engine without the tranny (automatic) because of the A/T cooler lines. It was difficult because of getting to the bolts on the top back of the tranny/engine. 5 speed will have more room from underneath, but I still do not recommend it.

I installed the engine and 5 speed transmission at the same time. DEFINITELY MUCH EASIER THAN IT LOOKED!

The key to getting the harness back in easily is to take an old nylon stocking and tie it to the end of the harness. This way, you can start feeing it through the hole without any snagging or hanging up. The next key to an easy installation is to spray silicone spray all over the rubber harness grommet. I tried putting it back in without and could not get it to seat. Pulled it back out, sprayed with silicone spray, and it popped right in and seated in 10 second. No effort involved at all.

If you are doing it by yourself, it is best to remove and install using a load leveller along with the engine hoist. I jacked the car up on 2-6x6 blocks of wood initially and I think I lowered the front end down by 1 block to tilt the front end down. Makes it easier to install.

Also, install engine mounts after lowering the engine into place most of the way. It helps with maneuvering it in.

Tim
mccreary@cove.net

Tim McCreary

I used one of the label makers and marked hoses and parts. Sharpie can wipe off when you get grease, oil on it. Labels are thermal permanent (I think it cost less than $20 for the label maker).

pomanferrari

iTrader: (1)

It's easier to pull with engine connected. You don't know how hard it is to align the pilot shaft with the engine on your chest and slipping the tranny in with the engine. First time I replaced the clutch, it took me 6 hours to get the tranny to go in.

Hi-res digital camera and labels from Radio Shack is a definite must. Take as many pictures as you can and store it on a CD-ROM for use with a lap top in the garage. Double check everything, torque everything, loctite on vibration prone nuts and bolts.

A new wiring harness is a must at $600.00 from Malloy. Imagine this, you spent 40 hours (at my salary that's more than $2K) and the car runs like **** or won't run because of the wiring harness. Now you've to spend at least 10 hours pulling the harness out and also getting a new harness (equivalent to 13 hours). So now you've wasted 23 hours in addition to the 40 hours you spent doing the R&R. (Now you're thinking WTF is this guy wasting $2K of worth of his time when he could have gotten somebody to do it for $1K? I want it done, like Frank Sinatra said, MY WAY!!! In fact, I spent over 60 hours spread out over 3.5 months as I was doing the suspension also.)

I got pictures of how thing goes together if you really really need it then may be I'll burn a CD for you.

DamonB

I went to an electrical supply place and bought "flag" zip ties that come with a special marking pen. You can write right on the zip tie and then label every connector, vac line etc. The ink is permanent and yet the zip tie easy to remove. These things were great; one of the best ideas I've ever had

DamonB

No sh*t. I had replaced my clutch shortly after buying my car and putting the tranny back in was a major pain. granted I had no tranny jack so it was two people using the "strain until your eyeballs pop out and the cussing starts" method. Of course we eventually got it back in put when it came time for motor pull I knew I didn't want to go through that mess again.

oakridgerx7

the secret to mating the engine to the tranny is to barely screw the pressure plate bolts in(loose enough to let the clutch plate move around) once you get the input shaft into the clutch plate and eccentric shaft, tighten down the pressure plate through the bottom access window.
much simpler than using the stupid clutch alignment tool!!

WVRx7

Man, that is just scary. I have never heard of anyone doing that, on any engine.

How could laying on your back tightening bolts through an access port in the tranny possibly be easier than doing it correctly in the first place.

Guys, I agree that pulling the tranny is a sensible option, particularly if you want to do any maintenance to the tranny, driveshaft, or if you are cleaning or painting the car (without the engine)

BUT, if you apply the same skills used when pulling engines from every other car on the planet then it is quite easy to separate the engine from the tranny and pull it from the car.

Mating the engine to the tranny (in the car) can be a bit of a pain, but it is easy compared to some other cars.

The motor mounts already on the engine make it tough, but if you have the tranny jacked up enough and you get the positioning correct, it will mate right up. Another option is to jack the tranny, install the engine without the motor mounts and then attach them after the engine and tranny are together.

Until I read this forum I NEVER heard of anyone using the access panel on the tranny for anything other than to separate the throwout bearing. The thought of doing bolts through that hole is simply laughable.

I have seen several people completely unbolt the clutch and leave it on the input shaft when removing the engine. That one had me confused for a long time.

Oh well, diferent strokes for different folks.

In the end, it is a relatively easy engine to pull regardless how you do it. It's just that some of the methods described add lots of additional labor.

GoRacer

iTrader: (2)

$600 for a new wiring harness!

James Paventi's engine pull link

r0gu3

I pulled my engine without wiring harness just fine.

c00lduke

I stripped my wiring harness down for my single turbo set up so this last pull i did just unplugged it all from the motor. But the 1st time i did just unplugg from the ECU

jspecracer7

different strokes for different folks. I pull the UIM off and pull the wiring harness. Then I pull the engine without the tranny. I can normally do it all solo.

turbojeff

iTrader: (30)

To put that engine harness plug back in use a little Armor All and a couple big flat screwdrivers, takes about 20 sec.

Pull the engine with the trans, it is easier to reinstall and is easy to pull in the first place.

Painting the engine compartment requires much more than just pulling the motor.

Here are some pics, there is a lot of stuff in there to pull...

http://community.webshots.com/album/69912816VsRYvb