My First Motor Pull, Advice + Best way ?

[gsrteg]

Hey guys.
Basically my turbos are buring oil bad, and as of 2 days ago i have a coolant leak. Its one of my driver side turbo pipes and frankly i dont think i can get to it to change it, plus i will be pulling the motor anyway in about a month so i have a feeling it will be sooner than expected..

I want to do all deletes so make my car as reliable and easy to work on. coolant bypass is done, carbon canister done.
How long does a motor pull roughly take? my father and i will be heading into this, he is very mechanically inclined.
Will be doing EGR Delete.
i am going to try to change every fuel hose,vacuum hose and coolant hose that i have not already changed. i want to do alot of maintenance, Clean up, making her as healthy as possible so i dont have to do a motor pull ever again. I want to do it right the first time.

so what deletes should i do?
Any tips to look out for?
will be following a guide aswell for guidance.
is it somewhat enjoyable?

im going to be installing MSP's and JWT Sport 700's or 550's.
but like i said i really want to clean her all up.
not painting, idc about looks as much, only health
BTW Car has 66k original Miles, 2nd owner basically, and 60k is already done.

[itsa300zx]

I just started pulling my motor to do a swap. No lift and I'm on my own. Make sure you get the car at least 18" high and get about 3 feet of extention for the top two transmission bolts. Hardest part so far was dropping the transmission by myself(you have a helper so should be easy). Exhaust wasn't bad, except for the rusted bolts, an impact gun really helped there. Label ALL the connectors in the bay was a chore. Drained all the fluids. All that took me about 4 hours. Next step is to remove PS and AC stuff. Then unbolt mounts and pull her out. Prob about another 4 hours or so next weekend and engine should be out.

Replace all vac and coolant with silicone lines. Stock rubber ones are crap.

To be honest, I think the hardest part is dropping the motor in:(

[Re037]

Just finished my 2+2 tt swap. Hardest part was removing the chras off the turbos and getting the transmission back on. dropping in the engine is easy with a second hand. I used a big 3 ton floor jack to assist the transmission removal. Everything else just takes time and patience. You might consider removing the clutch damper, Z1 sells a plug. Replace knock sensor + subharness also. Check oil pan for leaks and replace rear main seal too.

[ThisIsSparTTa]

Take whatever time you're thinking it will take, and double or triple it. Things are going to be stuck on, you're going to misplace things, you're not going to be able to figure how something goes back together, you'll skip a step by accident and have to go back a few steps to correct, etc.

Here's a summary of the process I posted somewhere else: Engine removal is a fairly involved and difficult task. People like to underestimate their time, but I'd give yourself 10+ hours for the whole thing probably. You start by removing your exhaust, which hopefully wasn't welded completely together by some chimp at a muffler shop. I had extra fun because most of my bolts were stuck and required an extractor. Then you'll remove heat shields (easy). Next up comes the driveshaft, which isn't overly difficult, but a lot of people recommend having 2 people to assist. Then you'll remove the transmission, the back bolts are easy game, and you'll put your transmission jack under it. 3 connectors (4 if 95+) to remove from transmission. You'll quickly learn to cuss and wish you had smaller hands when it comes to the top 2 transmission bolts. You'll need a lot of extensions, 2 u-joints, and IMO definitely need a 2nd person. The transmission is a PITA coming off and back on IMO. I'd recommend removing pre-cats/downpipes if possible before trying to lift engine. Next you can move to up top of the engine. Remove front bumper, remove reinforcement bar. Remove radiator. Remove lots of connectors, piping and (heater core, ac, PS, etc) hoses. Get engine ready to hoist, again I'd recommend 2 people. Once hoist has some lift on engine, remove engine mount bolts. Slowly lift up, checking for engine rubbing on things, and connectors and hoses you missed. I thought I had done a good job, and still missed 1 sneaky hose and all of the electrical connectors from the alternator/transmission harness, and maybe 1 other. Eventually the engine comes out, and getting it onto the stand can be even more fun with the EGR in the way, and other stuff. The transmission bolts can be used to secure it to the stand, but I thought they were a little short, so I got slightly longer ones to use.

Oh, and no one has said it yet. Take LOTS of pictures at the different stages. It's easy to get lazy and not do this. Pictures can be a life saver. Another generic recommendation, set up a computer with internet access (and speakers ) in your garage. Having a computer handy is soooo nice for referencing the million questions that will come up.

You're going to need a 2nd set of hands for: getting transmission bolts off and transmission dropped, pulling engine out and getting it on the engine stand, putting the engine back in, getting the transmission and bolts back in, and really its useful for getting the exhaust back up too.

Also, sites like http://z32.wikispaces.com/ and TTZD will become your friend.

[IonZ32]

As mentioned above also be careful not to forget to remove the oil cooler lines
You'll also curse nissan when you try to remove the AC compressor, the two bottom bolts and front are easy, however there is one more in the rear that is near impossible to get off, I'd recommend getting the motor slightly in the air to get tot he bolt, during re installation you can just leave that bolt out.

Take your time, and be sure to note all the vacuum lines and such.

Since youre installing larger turbos you could also take this time to replace your stock intercooler piping with 2.5" piping, its pricey, but just a thought since youre going with larger turbos

[300ZXttZMAN]

I agree completely. ^

I thought I would be done with my build in 5 months, then I kept adding things and ran into issues.

1 year and 2 months after beginning the build I was done.

Remember to bag label everything. If you have any friends that would be willing to give you a hand that would help you greatly. Even if you have someone there just to hand you tools and bag bolts.

You can also take pictures to help you remember how things go ect.

Good luck!

[z32loverboy]

I've tried removing the engine with the transmission on and with unbolting it. IMHO It's easier to pull it with the transmission attached. Then you don't have to mess with the top transmission bolts. Either way works though. Everything takes longer than you think like they've said.