Engine removal guide needed

[1SickSilvia]

I'm planning on taking out my k24de soon and doing a sr20det swap. To reduce labour costs I want to take the engine out myself and just tow the car to the mechanic. I searched nico but I couldn't really find a engine removal guide, can you guys help? I can borrow an engine hoist from a friend and I have a garge to do it in I just need a basic "engine removal for dummies guide"thanks

[Hijacker]

Moving this out of 240 vert.

Second, removal is easy. Just remove anything tethering the motor and trans to the car (driveshaft, wiring harnesses, coolant hoses, intake, vacuum hoses, fuel lines, etc). Then yank it out with a hoist.

[Eikon]

If you can pull out the old engine, you should be able to do most of the work to install the new one as well.. Then maybe if you get stuck you can get a mechanic finish off a few items for you (wiring especially).

Here's a simple cliffs notes for you:1.) start by removing the fan... it's got 4 tiny 8 or 10mm bolts (can't remember which). Once you have the clutch fan off, you can pull off the air intake system and air filter box. Then when those are gone, you can pull the radiator shroud and you'll have the front of the engine cleaned up. 2.) next you can work on the coolant system. Put a bucket under the lower radiator hose and disconnect it. Drain as much of the coolant as you can, then pull the upper and lower coolant hoses and remove the radiator. (you could leave the radiator and still get the engine out, but it's risky and you could smash it up pretty good). 3.) disconnect the power steering pump. loosen the tensioner on the side of the pump, then two bolts on the front (one is hidden behind the pulley) and the pump should come right off. 4.) A/C system.. if you're car has A/C, you'll want to pull the pump off the engine as well. Depending on your desire for A/C in the future, you might want to pull the condensor and all the lines as well. 5.) Other random lines and cables.. Let's see what else I can remember.. Throttle cable needs to be unattached. Fuel lines need to be removed from both sides of the fuel rail. Then brake booster vacuum line. I think there are a couple EGR tubes that go to the charcoal cannister and some other random junk like that. 6.) Exhaust.. At the bottom of the exhaust manifold you'll want to remove the three bolts that connect it to the exhaust system. 7.) Now the wiring harness.. In the passenger seat footwell.. pull out the panels and get to the ECU. Unhook the wire harness from the ECU and disconnect the dash harness that's nearby. Then start feeding the harness up through the firewall hole. Pull hard and help bend the plastic guides a bit.. it's a pain in the neck.. but it will eventually go through that hole. Once you get that out, pull the other connections to the fuse box area and headlight area, etc. Then pile the harness on top of the engine. 8.) Now your engine should be completely disconnected from the car. Time to remove the mounts and get ready to pull it. Start by removing the engine mounts. Each mount has two nuts securing it. One accessible from the top and one from the bottom. The bottom ones should be easier to get at.. but they may be rusted on tight??9.) Once the engine mounts are loose, time to get under the car and pull the driveshaft. Remove the bolts connecting the driveshaft to the rear end. Then pull the brace at the center of the driveshaft off. Then pull the driveshaft out of the end of the transmission. 10.) Start on the inside of the car removing the shifter. You'll have to remove the center console parts around it. You can pull the whole thing out with the shifter still attached, but you'll have to be more careful.. it's better to remove the shifter.. but you can do it either way. You do at least have to free the shifter from the center console assembly so that it can drop down. 10.) Now pull the transmission mount off. But be careful as the transmission is heavy and it's weight will pull downward on the engine and tilt the whole assembly a bit. You'll need that angle anyhow.. but be careful you don't have anything under the trans when the mount it removed (like your head). 11.) Now your whole motorset should be free from the car and just sitting on the mounts. Hook up your lift to a chain and hook the chain up to the engine. 12.) Start lifting it out.. pull the engine up a few inches to release it from the mounts. Then pull forward as far as you can to give it room to clear the back.. Then start pulling up again. As you pull up you'll want to start tipping the whole assembly vertically as much as possible. You need to basically keep the end of the trans as low as possible while the front of the engine goes up as high as possible. Keep pull up until the front of the engine is over the top of the front of the car.. then keep going backwards and up on the crane. Keep going until you have room for the trans to pull out of the bay and then move straight back wards.. voila! pull the engine away from the car.

Now look.. If you have the tools and the knowledge and the common sense enough to remove the old engine from the car.. you should be able to do most of the labor intensive work to put the SR back into the car.. Just repeat the steps backwards.. It's no more difficult to get the SR in the engine bay that it was to pull the KA out.

Sure you might run into a few issues on the re-install (power steering fittings might be different, wiring is a challange, exhaust won't line up, etc...) and those things you can get help here on NICO or take it to a mechanic if you need. But don't pay a mechanic for the labor to physically put the engine back in.. you can do that yourself.. if you can pull it.. you can put the new one in and do most of the work to get it reinstalled. Just go backwards until you get stuck.. then ask for help.. and then if you are still stuck.. head to the mechanic. This way you should only have a few hours of work at the shop and it will save you a lot of money.

Hope this helps.. I know I'm not remembering every single thing... but I gave you the major stuff. Common sense should help you get the rest of the stuff done. Good luck.. and keep us updated on the process.

[positron1]

Very informative, I'm looking to do this when my hoist gets here. Thanks!

[dirty240sx]

very nice write up!!!!

[480sx]

What a great response, +1 for sticky(names good for searching too.. )

[1SickSilvia]

Thanks Eikon, for taking the time to explain all that, thats huge help, Now I'm just itching to get started, the sooner the better, lol.

I vote +1 for sticky for this write up too,

I bet alot of people are wondering the same thing, the thing is when I see how something is done once, I can always do it myself after, but without seeing it first I get a little sketchy cause I don't want to mess it up, but usually you just gotta get the nerves and just do it. It always feels better anyways if you do something hard and you do it yourself

[Eikon]

It's really not a write-up or how-to.. just a basic cliffs notes..

I gave you a basic idea of what to do.. but you still have to figure out how to do it all.. Like, I tell you to remove the air intake, but you still have to figure out how to disconnect everything..

But, none of it is really that difficult to do.. just have to tear into it and figure it out as you go.

I'm probably still missing something, but that to-do list should get you pretty close and you'll be able to figure out the rest as you go.

Being a member of the NICO family means you should be able to tackle just about any job. We can provide the know-how for you when you get stuck. You just have to have the tools and courage to give it a try.

[verSat1l3]

Everyone should have at least one of these. Why not DL them all and make it viral? KNOWLEDGE IS POWER!

http://www.240edge.com/manuals/usdm-cars.html

[mowedS14]

vote +1 for sticky