I want to get my fully repainted, inside and out and was wondering if someone who has zero mechanic experience like me can do this on his own with plenty of time on his hands. I am a patient person and am good at following directions. Is it possible I can break something? I have zero mechanic knowledge and experience but plenty of time. What tools and liquids will I need. Is this possible or should I ask a mechanic to do it? Thanks.

thewird

 

i would give it some time before you attempt to do this on your own. maybe buy a project fc from the junkyard and practice pulling that first if anything. in my experience its never been hard taking something apart without damaging anything. taking notes on what hoses go were during the brake down has always helped me. still from reading your post i don't think you should take on such a task on your own yet. like i said practice on something else like a junked fc

 

If you have a nice garage or shop available, with some sort of engine hoist such as an A-frame or cherry picker, and have a full set of tools such as metric sockets and ratchets with up to 14" long extensions, a full set of open end wrenches, various pliers, etc and purchase or borrow Bruce Tarentino's video...you SHOULD be able to do it as long as you have at least some inkling of how things work, mechanically.
Quite frankly, pulling the engine is not all that difficult, it IS time consuming and what usually hangs one up is just a stuck fastener or something mundane like that, provided you have some common sense.
I mean, you HAVE to be able to understand logically the processes required to undo fasteners and pull wires and label EVERYTHING, taking digital pics the whole way of EACH AND EVERY step you do for reference.
Make no mistake, it is a big task and one not to be taken lightly.

 

+1

 

This is a good place to start:

http://www.rotaryaviation.com/R%20R%20Video.htm

If you have zero experience working on your car, this is probably not the best place to start, but its really not that difficult. Your not talking about overhauling the engine or replacing it, so some of the pitfalls associated with engine removal aren't there. As others have said, make sure you have the proper tools and work area. Label everything, and get lots of pics as well. They will help you with reassembly. Lastly, take your time!!


On a side note, this would be a good time to inspect/replace some of the harder to reach items on the engine. (hoses, sensors, omp lines, etc...)


Good luck

 

digital camera will make a good friend

 

How much money would I need to spend on tools?

thewird

 

you're probably going to need air tools. my car had only 30k miles on it but there were some nuts i couldn't crack by hand.

a good wrench and socket set (you'll use the 8mm, 10mm, 12mm, and 14mm the most)

you're best bet is if you have a lift. using jacks and stands would be a royal pain in the ***.

also you'll need an engine hoist. sometimes you can get them cheap throught your local autotrader. also, i think sears usually has them at decent prices.

if you don't have any experience working on your car - don't attempt it. there are a lot of things you can break if you're not careful.

my friend and i pulled my motor the other day (sending it out for a rebuild). it took us 5 and 1/2 hours start to finish (including breaking it down to the short block).

i had never pulled a rotary before. the biggest problem is disconnecting all of the hoses and harnesses.

wasn't too bad though

 

http://www.rotaryresurrection.com/3r...eng_remov.html

 

So how long do you actually need to pull it?

I helped pull a Merc one out of a 190E and that took like half a day with 3 people.

 

yep...

 

sure you might be able to pull it out.....but putting it back in currectly and in great running order is a diff thing.
-J

 

By the sounds of it, I shouldn't do it. I guess I'll fork out the extra cash to have it pulled out by someone who's done it hundreds of times.

thewird

 

I ordered the DVD just in case I change my mind.

thewird

 

Since your in Canada I would tell you there is a set I think something like 371 pieces for 250$ sometimes when it falls on 50% off special. If I was to start over my toolbox again I would buy that, an engine lift is something like 200$. I would tell you air tools but for noobs there are a mucho bad idea.

 

lol u wont need air tools... just use common sense and buy a breaker bar, or buy tools with lifetime warrenty and use a cheater bar. u will need some type of hoist and a decent set of tools.. i think i pulled my motor with the help of a friend in an hour. one person under the car... one in the bay get it done!

 

Me personal dont think the task is that hard at all, just just follow the shop manual. I think you be fine. And if you dont have tool you better get some and zip lock bag to label where all the part go. And good luck.

 

big difference: you're pulling a motor thats already stripped down and has a single turbo.

 

air tools have been mentioned:

just incase you are wondering... only use air tools to remove bolts, not to put them back in. (Its too easy to cross thread or stripp out the the threads in aluminum)

 

I don't agree that air tools are needed, I wouldn't use air tools whenever I'm removing an engine. You're way more likely to damage things using them.

Just use a good set of tools you can buy for 150$ at a Canadian Tire or Sears. It'll come with almost everything you need to unfasten everything from the car.

You will want to have some new oem hoses or silicone hoses handy too, if you have the engine out you may as well replace the hoses.

If you're having problems with a bolt, use a breaker bar. You're more likely to shear the bolt off with an air tool than anything else.

Save your air tools for something like a DA Sander (Which by the way requires a VERY expensive compressor, +1000$ for a 12+ cfm compressor needed to operate air DA sanders)

 

i just brought up air tools because they make life a hell of a lot easier.

i know a lot of you guys think it's more "hardcore" to do it all by hand, but hey, if it saves me some busted knuckles then air tools are fine by me.

i used air tools to take my motor out. didn't break anything (no snapped bolts). also, there were some nuts that we just couldn't crack by hand, no matter how hard we tried (e.g. the flywheel nut! holy ****, we never could have gotten that off by hand)

 

Is the 371 piece set that dradon03 mentioned just any kind? Could you give me a link of the set I would need and then I could go look for that.

thewird