Cass944

i just found this in a top gear video

theedge

Doesnt have to come out (the wiring harness). Its suggested simply because its easier to unplug that one big connector and pull it through than it is to unplug everything on the engine and get it out of the way.

Dont worry about labeling all of the connectors. The old harness cant flex. I pretty much falls into place on its own once you get the engine back in

Mongo

I know there are some engine grounds and speed reference sensors, but how many wires are you talking about back there? I am able to shove my hand into tight spaces to tighten bolts up. I'm not worried about that.

xsboost90

we pulled the harness and installed it on the motor whilst it was out. Made installation way easier and i didnt have to worry about getting them all connected while it was in the car.

Mongo

I'd hate to go pushing that cable through the firewall. I don't mind having to hook everything back up in the car when the motor is installed. In the mean time, I'm going to keep searching the archives to see other successful removals and installs from the top. When the block comes back from the machine shop, I will take pictures of the assembly process too.

apierce918

i pushed my cable through the firewall, the hole is pretty decent size, biggest problem would be getting the boot back in there. and a small screwdriver will take care of that (as long as you dont slice a wire)

500

Hey Andy,

I know you are preferring the top, and having only done the bottom, I can't give a true, unbiased opinion. All I would offer though, is that pushing the DME harness out through the firewall was probably the easiest part of the job. Don't let that worry you. The only "hard" part is that the rubber grommet is tight.

Anyway, good idea to search for all the previous enging removal experiences. That's what I did too. There are a lot of little tidbits to be picked up.

Mongo

Ok guys, in January I'm going to be pulling the motor. This week I will be assembling the other block and draining the fluids out of mine, followed by intake manifold and radiator removal. Damn I hope this goes ok...

Zero10

If you are interested in my advice, pull the engine out the bottom, and the DME connector through the firewall.
The DME connector fits through with ease, and when re-installing the engine, you can seat the big rubber grommet while the engine is half-way in (while the cam tower is low enough for you to be able to get your hands in there).
I've pulled engines out the top and the bottom, out the bottom is about 3x easier.

Mongo

Next question. If I pull my engine from the top, do I have to remove the bell housing or just disconnect the torque tube and pull the bell housing with the motor from the top?

apierce918

because of the angle, im pretty sure you can keep the bell housing on. by the time the front starts to clear the nosepanel, you should be able to come back and the housing would clear as well. (i cant be for certain, i went out the bottom. seemed pretty easy, first engine i ever pulled and i didnt have any problems... getting it in though, we will see)

Mongo

BTW, I'm going to be lowering the cross member when installing the new motor to provide additional clearance for the oil pan.

I took some more pictures last night that I will put up on this thread when I get home from work.

Jfrahm

Then there is no good reason not to pull it out the bottom.

apierce918

especially if you are dropping the crossmember for clearance anyways, then you can have your engine out and have plenty of working room to get at the crank pulley with a big puller...

Mongo

you guys just really want me to pull this engine from the bottom? We should start a pool to see who thinks I'm going to have trouble pulling it from the top and who thinks it will be a breeze for me