engine switch.

[mark tce]

hi guys sorry to register and post a question straight away but i need some help. gonna be replacing the engine in my 1.0 k11 (hopefully tommorrow if it arrives). my cam chains snapped and the old one is deader than a re-killed vampire.

so basically im an idiot when it comes to cars. no idea what things are or do, but i want to have. if you lot would be kind enough to post any advice, what to watch out for, what to take of first/last, where not to put my hand if i don't want to loose a finger etc, then i d really appreciate it.

 

[Optispart]

wow erm do yo have a haynes?

 

[NeX]

hi guys sorry to register and post a question straight away but i need some help. gonna be replacing the engine in my 1.0 k11 (hopefully tommorrow if it arrives). my cam chains snapped and the old one is deader than a re-killed vampire.

so basically im an idiot when it comes to cars. no idea what things are or do, but i want to have. if you lot would be kind enough to post any advice, what to watch out for, what to take of first/last, where not to put my hand if i don't want to loose a finger etc, then i d really appreciate it.

ok this is not really something you should be doing yourself if you are not confident...

but you want to open the bonnet and unplug everything that goes into the engine, take off every pipe (you will get wet) and anything else you can see like the throttle cable and clutch cable etc... then jack up the car.

take off the wheels and undo as much as you can, eg take off the wishbones etc. then you will have to undo the drive shaft nuts and pop the drive shafts off. once the drive shafts are off its time to get under the car.

take off the bolts on the bottom engine mount both front and back, but leave it attached to the engine, take off the gear linkage and stabaliser bar.

roll something like a skate board etc under the engine and lower the car until the engine is sitting on the board. undo the last two engine mounts inside the engine bay and then jack the car up again

the engine will be left sitting on the board, jack the car up high enough so you can drag the engine from under the car via the wheel arch.

take the engine off the gear box and replace the clutch (best time to do it really) and put the new engine on.

then reverse the process

took me about 2 days to do it my first time, and don't forget to service the new engine

 

[k6pfs]

when I did mine I also used gaffer tape and marked on it what each wire I disconnected was ie, taped up a wire that and wrote rad fan, next one speedo cable, takes time but worth doing.
Are you keeping the gearbox or swapping that?

 

[mark tce]

thanks guy. i m going to be doing it at work, its a garden centre but one of the polytunnels is treated like a garage. my boss is in to mr2s in a big way and regularly does conversions etc so has offered to show me what he knows and give me a lift when needed but mr2s are not the same as micras. but fortunately all the tools inc enginelifts etc are there so i m all tooled up.... just don't exactly know what tool does what and when.
any experience will be really well recieved.
i really appreciate you getting back so quickly too.

i m keeping the gearbox and all the rest of it if i can, think i ll change the clutch though and refresh the belts as i go. again not too sure how to do that either.

 

[superls]

if your keeping the g/box then you dont need to take the driveshafts and things out as the engine will come out with the gearbox still in.

 

[curtis]

if your keeping the g/box then you dont need to take the driveshafts and things out as the engine will come out with the gearbox still in.

Yeah use the engine lift and pull it outta the top, make sure you have disconnected everything before removal tho, check everything twice

 

[mark tce]

so disconnect everything from the engine then pull it out of the top? so i can leave my wheels and drive shafts in place that way?
then take the gear box n stuff off of it and connect them to the new engine...

then put the new one in and re connect every thing.... and hey presto after a service..?

 

[frank]

so disconnect everything from the engine then pull it out of the top? so i can leave my wheels and drive shafts in place that way?
then take the gear box n stuff off of it and connect them to the new engine...

then put the new one in and re connect every thing.... and hey presto after a service..?

mark, post # 46 shows my engine being lifted out, with the g/box, wheels etc in situ
http://www.micra.org.uk/showthread.php?t=22225

 

[curtis]

Just harder with the wheels etc in place when you put the new one in

Might pay you to take the wheels and struts out and pull the shafts out before hand

 

[NeX]

so disconnect everything from the engine then pull it out of the top? so i can leave my wheels and drive shafts in place that way?
then take the gear box n stuff off of it and connect them to the new engine...

then put the new one in and re connect every thing.... and hey presto after a service..?

i still think you are better off dropping it out the bottom, no offence but you sound like you really don't know what you are doing and if you bend the input shaft on the gearbox then you have had it... having said that if you let the gear box splines drop out of place you are knackered too lol,

give yourself at least 3 full days to do this, do it slowly, you will need someone who knows what they are doing with you or you won't get anywhere

 

[mark tce]

thanks guys, i think i ll take it out the top if i can, i ll let my boss look it over n see what he thinks first, but it sounds a lot simpler, the less i have to do the less that can go wrong eh?
thanks for the advice Nex on what to look out for. if i lower it in slowly i ll be able to move it off anythin it seems to be about to touch and should hopefully be able to avoid bending anything. i suppose if i cock up then i ve only got myself to blame then. think it might take me a bit longer than i was hoping mind... gonna go as slowly as i can within reason.
any more? greedy i know lol...

 

[NeX]

thanks guys, i think i ll take it out the top if i can, i ll let my boss look it over n see what he thinks first, but it sounds a lot simpler, the less i have to do the less that can go wrong eh?
thanks for the advice Nex on what to look out for. if i lower it in slowly i ll be able to move it off anythin it seems to be about to touch and should hopefully be able to avoid bending anything. i suppose if i cock up then i ve only got myself to blame then. think it might take me a bit longer than i was hoping mind... gonna go as slowly as i can within reason.
any more? greedy i know lol...

ok tips:

you can use a narrow hammer handle to aline your clutch plate instead of a clutch tool

use rolls of cardboard to stop the splines falling out of the gearbox when you take the drive shafts out.

photograph and lable everything and have a system of keeping track of the bolts.

if you can have a second micra for referance.

you may find the rust will cause the bolts to sheer off, so have a drill ready but don't push too hard or you will blunt the bit, just nice and slow with breaks,

you will find the easiest way to remove the exhaust is by taking the bolts off the first cat, all the others will probably be too rusty to come off easily.

don't start the engine until you have new water and oil in it, and if you are taking the drive shafts out, don't forget new gearbox oil as well before you drive it.

the more you can remove (wings, bumper, lights, etc) the easier it will be to work on it, don't try and cut corners or you will just waste time.

i still think personally going out the bottom is easiest, take the engine and gear box out as one, because trying to aline the gearbox in the engine bay is a pain in the ass.

don't rush anything, have gloves, expect to get lots of cuts and scratches, have a med kit, some cleaning fluid and something to eat to keep your concentration levels up.

thats about it really, oh and a haynes manual and a toqurc wrench, and someone who knows what they are doing who can also call for help if the car drops on you...

and the obvious, good tools of every kind, keep them neat, axel stands, at least two jacks, etc

 

[jowley]

[/QUOTE]use rolls of cardboard to stop the splines falling out of the gearbox when you take the drive shafts out[/QUOTE]
ive never heard of tht before or expericed it?

 

[frank]

[/QUOTE]
ive never heard of tht before or expericed it?[/QUOTE]

yeh, the planet gears slip out of the diff if you run the gearbox with the driveshafts out :doh:

 

[mark tce]

hi guys, i m almost ready to lift the endine out, cant come out the bottom as the brace bar is rusted solid...only trouble is i can't figure out how to remove the drive shafts from the gear box. how do they come out?

 

[joesouthgate]

You have to shock them out with an extension bar or the like and a hammer.

 

[curtis]

hi guys, i m almost ready to lift the endine out, cant come out the bottom as the brace bar is rusted solid...only trouble is i can't figure out how to remove the drive shafts from the gear box. how do they come out?

Have you un-done the struts and taken them out (suspension)

When the strut is out you can just give them a good pull via the hub...

 

[superls]

if your leaving the gearbox in situe why are you taking the shafts out?

 

[NeX]

you can either just pull them out, (be ready for gearbox oil) or leaver them out with a screwdriver, very easy stuff

 

[mark tce]

thanks ... a good persuading with a lever helped and i narrowly avoided the oil!!
how much oil will i need to refill the gear box?

i ve taken the engine out the top and took the gear box with it - makes it easier to reconnect the two apparently.

 

[frank]

mark

you fill it down the speedo cable hole, level with the cogs.
it sounds like your making good progress

 

[mark tce]

hahahaha - sorry. are all cars this cramped? lol
i m gettin there now though i think. engines out and all seems good so far if bloody difficult to get the nuts off. just gotta wait until monday now for a new clutch and pressure plate before i can continue. mines just about worn through by the looks of it.

thanks for the speedo cable info - thats the one with the spinning cable on isnt it?
already swapped over some of the bits that i need on the new engine too.
is there anything else i shopuld watch out for when i m puttin it back in?/ refitting the gearbox?
btw i ve taken loads of photos to upload if you guys would like that?