Tricks to dropping a motor/gearbox back in???
 

OK - I know heaps here have done motor installs - assuming (as I have to) that I'm gonna be flying solo on doing this tomorrow (Australian time) are there any tips or tricks that will make it easier???

I'm currently at the stage of the motor sitting slightly angled in the engine bay - the gearbox is in the tunnel, but not properly located or aligned yet.

The car is up on stands to allow me to get under it - the next step as I see it is to somehow edge the motor down and back bit by bit, although I'm not sure how to ensure it doesn't snag on anything as it drops in.

Any pointers would be appreciated.

I wish I could help... but when I did this solo I damaged the CAS.

My suggestion would be to pull the coils and CAS if you can to give you an extra 3" or so of clearance. The oil pan tends to hit the subframe before you are low enough to push it back to clear the firewall.... it's a PITA.

I've pulled the engine and tranny together, alone, and would not attempt to reinstall them myself as a unit.


I have found it best to reassemble the engine in the car. It is very easy to drop in the block with the transmission jacked as high as it will go with a socket turning the crank bolt. You have access to torque all the bolts nicely and assemble the motor mounts and starter in place. The top two bolts can be started and used to slide everything together(not jam, slide with a tiny ratchet and one hand)

It does, of course, add the cost of a new head gasket.

Put your location in your profile fool

I like pulling/putting in the engine and tranny together as a unit. With a load leveler on the lift it make it an easy job. All you have to do is take off the ppf before you put it back in. Takes me ~30 min to pull the motor and ~1hr to put it back in by myself.

Yeah - thanks for the helpful advice - I didn't think you'd get Australian time in the US (as I clearly stated in my original post)

Not for now, for the future. You never know when another Aussie is right around the corner willing to help. Location in the profile, mods and year in the signature, and we all get along. :dancegay:

the only problem I had dropping mine back in was the reach....I needed like 2-3inches more reach before the hoist hit the front bumper....it made it hard lining the mounts up, so i had to acutally push on the engine while slowly lowering it. Otherwise pulling/dropping was the easiest part of the job.

I've got the motor and gearbox together - and I'm using a load leveller.... it sounds like it's just a case of making it happen - no real tricks or tips.

Cheers.

Point taken Savington - we've got a pretty strong Aussie contingent of MX5ers all lurking at www.aus-cartalk.com - they all know me as Uncle Arthur there too....... You guys should drop by more often.....

Well - finally some good news (I suppose I keep discounting the good news that I got the damn thin in the car in the first place).......It's heart is back in and it lives.

Nearing completion of re-install.

http://img228.imageshack.us/img228/8...ssemblyrc5.jpg

The culprit. :shock: A piston banana.....

http://img382.imageshack.us/img382/8170/conrodru0.jpg

You can see in the pics below I now have two sensors fitted to the blanking plate in the front thermostat housing. In doing the coolant reroute I had mistakenly omitted the ECU temp sensor - that is now mounted in the rear of the blanking plate. Now that its back in she purrs like a kitten, but is idling a little fast - no surging though which it had last night.

http://i117.photobucket.com/albums/o...r/DSC00197.jpg

Attachment 216046

All that remains is to get it to idle properly, and get it down off the stands and put the bonnet back on.

That coolant reroute is great. Is it one solid bent piece of tubing or was it bends welded together and smoothed out? Looks like once piece. Whoever did that retroute should sell that pipe.

do you get an accurate CLT from that setup?

Thanks :)

It is one piece.

They do sell it - about $50 AUD :) It comes as just a plain aluminium pipe - I gave it a polish, and would be happy to share how I did the coolant re-route.

see www.mx5plus.com.au for the details of that pipe seller.....

I could perhaps organise you guys a bulk buy if you like :D

As for an accurate CLT - what the???? :confused:

Hustler - what do you mean by CLT? I'm diagnosing a couple of idling issues, so your question may be helpful to my finding the solution.....

he means your Coolant temp sensor is on a blocked off section with no flow to it.

yea i would also like a reroute

That section of cooling system still sees flow - it has to as it feeds water to my turbo..... and to the ISC - not as much flow, but still flow.