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Re: Engine Swap...... Overwhelming Dilemma Posted by Justin VanAbrahams [Email] (#32) [Profile/Gallery] (more from Justin VanAbrahams) on Sat, 6 Oct 2007 13:20:33 In Reply to: Engine Swap...... Overwhelming Dilemma, JLitten007 [Profile/Gallery] , Sat, 6 Oct 2007 08:06:36 Members do not see ads below this line. - Help Keep This Site Online - Signup |
I'd agree with CBS - the '90 will be a great car to own, and as long as you're not in a hurry you can enjoy the time spent working on the car, and when it's done in a month or two you'll be happy you did it.
The first time I swapped an engine it was incredibly daunting to just unbolt the first fastener. After you've done it once, you'll see the whole task really isn't that bad - just a series of fairly simple tasks that add up to one massive project.
Keep in mind that - obviously - to do this task you're going to need an engine hoist. That poses a problem for a lot of people, but a $200 Harbor Freight hoist has done me well for about 8 years. You will also want to have a pretty good inventory of new parts around so you can "refurb" the donor engine before you reinstall it. Knowing the thing is back in the car with all the replacables replaced is a great feeling.
Invest in some plastic organizers from Home Depot, Walmart, etc. Get a Sharpee, and as you remove stuff put them small parts in the organizers and label where they came from. Keeping groups of things together helps you know where they came from - if you've got something with eight screw holes, you're looking for the compartment with eight screws. Have SEVERAL of these organizers around so you never run out of space. It's easy to lose parts, and frustrating as hell. Having two cars is a big boon - you'll have two of everything. :)
Be sure you've got a Bentley manual on hand - it will walk you *clearly* through the entire process, and help you with anything you decide to replace along the way. Be sure you have a torque wrench, a good socket set, some threadlock, some thread sealant, several drain pans to catch fluid. It's a big project to gear up for, but once you've got the gear you can do anything!
Don't worry about the EGR stuff... source a California-spec ECU and dump the EGR system - assuming your state inspection won't go looking for it. Otherwise, yeah, you're gonna be swapping manifolds and stuff. I'd strongly urge you to replace the head gasket while everything is apart, in which case you'll be taking all this stuff apart anyway. If you don't go this route, just remove both engines from their transmissions and swap - eeuroparts sells a $40 (IIRC) "bottom end gasket kit" that has everything you'll need for this task.
I'm probably rambling, but the gist is right. You *can* do it - you just need to be patient with yourself, and understand going in this isn't a one-weekend task. This is a month-long project. And, it isn't gonna be free - you're gonna be buying a few hundred dollars in tools, and a few hundred dollars in parts... And, when you're done, you'll have a rust-free SPG!
posted by 75.45.107...
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