Engine Removal and Swap
All of these installations are to be performed at your own risk!!!!
Alrighty then! You wanna talk about some fun sheeet. Well here it is! I was wondering if I could pull this off on jackstands and pull the motor from the top but, guess what, it is not bad at all. For my platform I chose a MTI built LS2 402. My engine specs are as follows:
This was a fun project, period! A lift would probably make it a little easier but...my garage slab won't support one so off I go. One think that made it a little easier to pull it out the top was the fact that I was also doing a clutch change at the same time so I pulled all of the driveline before I pulled the engine. THIS IS NOT NECESSARY though. It would certainly be quicker to NOT pull the driveline. But with all the power I am running I wanted to put in a Cartek clutch kit. I will give an alternative later in this how to on how to pull it without pulling the driveline. As I do with all of my installs, I packaged all the bolts and labeled them. I bought a bunch of small Tupperware containers from Wally World for this project. When I pulled the bolts from one part I bagged and tagged. I also put them in the corner of the garage and kept them in order of take off. That way when I reassembled I would just go backwards.
This is a pretty big project so I may not have written every single thing down to do this how to for ya'll. If I omitted something please forgive me. My tool list is probably incomplete as well but I will put everything down that I have written or that I remember. Please remember, use your head when doing a project of this magnitude. There are many many things that must be disconnected so before yanking anything make sure you pay attention to what's around it. Also, look at everything before you pull it. Don't just pull it because I said so, look at it and learn about it. Look how it is routed so you know how everything goes when you put the new engine in.
Tips: If you will be doing any major installs after your break in or during the same time as the engine swap, think ahead and adjust accordingly. For example, I knew I would be installing forced induction so I ran all I could while the driveline was out such as oil lines, wiring harnesses, etc. I was able to zip tie stuff like this to the fuel and brake lines in the tunnel area for a VERY clean install.
Dial up users, go drink some beer. I wanted these pics to be in a decent resolution so I only scaled them down to 900 pixels. Good Luck!!!!
Tools you will need:
Optional stuff:
Step 1 (Optional Hood Removal and Protecting the car):
Jack your car up and open the hood. Disconnect your battery and unplug the hood light plug. I heard you don't have to remove the hood for this project but it is simple enough. Lining it up later can take a few tries but it is not hard and this project is MUCH easier without it, at least I think it would be. You'll notice that I marked where the hinges go in the picture but that was a waste of time. Just pull it off. To pull the hood off you must pull out the retaining clips at the top of the hood struts. Next, remove the 4 13mm nuts that hold the bracket to the chassis. Pop off the struts and remove the hood. I just set my hood on top of a cardboard box to protect the edge and leaned it against the wall.
Now that your hood is off go ahead and protect the fenders and the nose of the car because you will be working around it a lot. I picked up a service bra to take care of this. It is a very nice tool to have.
Step 2 (Drain the coolants):
Grab a suitable container and place it under the radiator pet cock. It is located on the passenger side of the radiator. Using a 5mm hex key turn the drain counter clockwise about a half a turn and the coolant will start flowing. If you pull it all the way by accident (my hex key got stuck), don't worry, it will go back in. Now drain the oil. If you don't know how to do this go ahead and stop this project and well, do something else like weed the garden, there's too many weeds in there anyway. While the fluids are draining we can't start the disassembly.
Step 3 (Ripping up the engine, getting that intake off):
Remove your fuel rail covers. If you do not know how to do this, you DEFINITELY need to go get in that yard and start pullin' them weeds or something. Remove your airbridge. This should be self explanatory. If it is not, go to my tech page and look at the VaraRam install. Now remove your spark plug wires. Next I would suggest to remove your alternator. You can get more details and pics from my Line Lock install on the tech page but if I remember right you just need a 15mm socket to loosen the tensioner and remove the belt. Then the two bolts holding the radiator on. Now, let's remove the intake manifold.
Start by removing the two coolant lines at the bottom of the throttle body. Use some plies on the clamps and slide them down the hose. Remove the two hoses from the throttle body. Place a rag in the throttle body so no debris enters.
To get the hoses off you may need to pry a little with a screwdriver. Be careful not to slice the hoses. Next, disconnect the three (3) plugs, two to the throttle body and one (1) to the MAF. Disconnect the eight (8) plugs that go to the injectors from the main harness. These have little metal clips. If you push in on the metal clip (towards the injector) and pull up on the plug at the same time, it will come right off. When pulling the plugs make sure you don't loose any of the gaskets that keep the dirt out. Unplug the big white plugs that go to the coil packs as well.
Remove the brake booster vacuum hose by unclamping it by the booster. and then remove the hose in front that goes from the throttle body to the passenger side valve cover. Remove the hose on the passenger side of the throttle body.
