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The car is on my EZlift and I plan on assembling as much as possible off the car, even mounting the trans and then lowering the car down to meet the engine and trans mounts. Then lift it back up and bolt / assemble the rest. I may need to pop the subframe out to provide enough clearance. It's not that much more work!
Motor is pretty though!
Sarom058 - Bummer on the mini and the new car (used) car. Hopefully you get the car on the road soon.
Wow, you are not kidding. Very pretty. You almost feel obligated to keep that sucker clean going forward. haha Any plans on getting the tranny to match?
Yes, I do feel obligated now to clean everything up. I am cleaning the engine bay up as I go. I will scrub the trans to clean it up before it get's mated back to the car, maybe paint it to match. I need to go to the store and buy some more degreaser. I don't plan on rushing it, the car has been sitting since Thanksgiving, but I would like to get her back on the road within the next couple of weeks if possible. I plan on being in the garage this weekend, will post more as I continue on.
Painted the Transmission, and that came out pretty nice. Thanks for planting the seed! Ended up leaving it silver and the motor is black. Also got my header today and tested the fit, modified the heat shield to fit. Also bolted the pressure plate on.
Not sure how far I will go for the rest of the weekend. I have a throwout guide tube seal coming in on Tuesday. I changed the clutch last year, and didn't change the guide tube. Don't want to chance it again... I got the new guide tube but they didn't have the seal. Not sure if they go bad? But, might be worth waiting to have them. I may get the S/C mounted, although I cannot get the intake on... Need the intake studs and bolts, those are coming Tuesday too from the dealer. They were on the head when I shipped it to Way! Oops!
And, by the way. Kurt's video's are awesome. I have watched a bunch of them when I was doing work last year. It is pretty cool how many resources we have available to us. When I was a kid learning to work on cars, we had Chilton manual's and just knowing that if it came apart it can go back together.
I don't have an engine hoist, but have a car lift that I will use to get the motor back in. I will lower the car down to be able to pick up the motor and trans mounts, and then raise it back up. If I leave the subframe in, I just have to play around with it. It might be worth dropping the subframe to have all the clearance and then bolt it back in. Whichever way I go, I will let you know!
Yes, it is pretty neat to see all the resources we have now a days. Back in 2005-06-07-08, there wasnt much...
Are your P/S lines leaking? When is the last time you replaced them? Might be something to consider if funds allow it. Repair kits are around the $130-140 mark I believe. But if you have the access/space now... NOT a terrible job if you bypass for a later time but consider.
Well, it was a productive day. Got the engine and trans back in the car today. Still have a bit of work tomorrow, but it's coming along very nicely.
I took the subframe out of the car first, which made it easier to get everything in the car and give me room to work on the back of the motor. Probably would have been easier with an engine hoist, but decided to try it without and use my nice lift...
So far it's going well. Tomorrow I plan on getting all of the drive shafts back in, the suspension back on, brakes back together, and plan on getting all of the work under the car done. Once I am done there, I will then start bolting everything on the front of the car, intake, S/C, intake, etc.... I should have her ready to crank over by end of day tomorrow or Monday.
Question for you guys. Brand new motor....
I am planning on leaving the fuse out of the fuel pump, disconnecting the ignition back and cranking it for a little bit so the oil pump has a chance to lubricate the motor. Then, plug everything back in and start it up and let it run. I am going to start out with 5-30 Synthetic and run it for maybe 1000 miles and change it.
Thoughts?
And, here are the pictures.
This is a close up of the subframe before it came out
This is with the subframe out. Very easy to slide out without the engine there. I took the reservoir off the power steering hoses to make it easier to get it back in with the new exhaust. Looked a bit tight. BTW - I changed the hoses last year when I did my control arm bushings and I had the subframe out. It was one of those, while you are in there you might as well do this...
This is a close up after the subframe came out. Nothing in there.....
This is the engine ready to go in... I bolted the exhaust on. Had it tight, but then ended up loosening it back up so the header can hang lower and since the motor sits in at an angle. Since I decided to lower the car down with my lift to pick up the engine by the motor mount, the exhaust kind of got in the way. But, loosening the bolts worked out just fine.
This is the engine and trans almost in. This was pretty close to where it needed to be. I needed to angle the motor back a bit to let me get the motor mount on and get the trans mount lined up. Took a little bit of time, but overall it was pretty easy.
This is the engine and trans back in supported by the car. This is with the engine being supported by both the upper motor mount and the trans mounts. The subframe was still out of the car at this point.
This is the end of the day. Okay, called it a night.
Personally I like to pull the rocker cover and add the oil by pouring it over the cam with a fresh assembly.
Plus, don't be surprised if you don't see oil pressure while cranking, it's definitely a good I idea to crank to get circulation, but with these motors it takes more RPM to build pressure than the starter gives.
While everyone has there own preference on break in procedure, I've had good luck with 2750-3000 rpm for 15 min. for immediate break-in, and break it in like your going to drive it for the first 1000 miles for the on road break in. And while there's also debate on using "break-in" oil or just regular, the break-in oil isn't that much more and the extra zinc can only help. (I used the break-in oil for the first 250 and the everyday oil for the next 1250, then went to my standard 5000 mile changes.)
Personally I wouldn't go 1000 miles on the initial break-in oil, I don't like leaving mine in for more than 250-300 miles, you're going to get metal from break-in no matter what, and I just don't like circulating that through the motor any longer than needed.
Well, She is purring again... No issues when I started it up. I cranked it without the fuel pump fuse in and the ignition disconnected for a few times to get some of the oil in there. I also pulled the valve cover and poured it on the cam. I ended up going the route of using break in oil, and going to leave it in there for 250 miles. Well, when I start driving it.
I got the car back together, and since I added the header, it changes the angles for the "cat" back. So, the exhaust is not sitting right and it's rattling a little bit. I tried to mess with it, but decided to bolt it up, where I thought it was good, and then continue starting the car to get it running. I was going to drop the car and take it for a ride, but then it got late and the exhaust issue would only annoy the hell out of me. I have had nothing but issues with the Alta CAT back exhaust system. It rubs and just never sits in there right. I have to mess with it every time I do major work to make it stop rubbing.
The car runs great, all fluids are in there and everything was circulating fine. No leaks, that I could see yet... I do notice a little hesitation when I step on the gas pedal. Not sure what that is about. I will drive it and see if it's the same when I am driving it. Other than the exhaust I am happy. It took a little longer than I wanted it to this weekend, but I was taking my time to make sure I didnt miss anything.
I ended up getting a few codes thrown out, but I cleared them and will see if they come back. I don't know if I will get to it the exhaust this week, I am hoping! Just need to enlist someone's help because I need an extra set of hands to help with the exhaust. I will let you guys know when I take it for a spin.
Some more pics.
Here's where I left it last night.
Ready to move it back into the garage.. The bags of parts were dwindling down.
Wheels on, sitting waiting to mess with the exhaust
I was happy to read that you go it back together and running. The throttle dead spot off idle is a common issue with the S models. The real fix seems to be a Sprint booster, or other.
Keep us posted, as we are interested with your progress!
I got the new guide tube but they didn't have the seal. Not sure if they go bad? But, might be worth waiting to have them. I may get the S/C mounted, although I cannot get the intake on... Need the intake studs and bolts, those are coming Tuesday too from the dealer. They were on the head when I shipped it to Way! 
