Car D.I.Y.

[gbb]

Even as a general industrial mechanic for 20 years, I'd bawlk at taking an engine out nowadays. Helped years ago but engines were so much simpler then.
Now ? The sheer amount of stuff to remove...and put back in order looks quite scary .
I've seen how easy it is for someone to strip a machine ( or once a tractor) down ..to then stumble putting it back together.
Not a job for the faint hearted

 

[briantrumpet]

When I looked on Youtube to see how to replace the coil packs on my Almera, I was extremely glad it was the earlier version I own: they sit on top of the engine, just unplug, take out one bolt, and replace. The later version requires the removal of the entire exhaust manifold. Just a pity that the coil packs are a bit pants and fail from time to time. Mind you, the car is 22 years old, and the 'lectrics blissfully simple in comparison with today's models.

 

[Jameshow]

Even as a general industrial mechanic for 20 years, I'd bawlk at taking an engine out nowadays. Helped years ago but engines were so much simpler then.
Now ? The sheer amount of stuff to remove...and put back in order looks quite scary .
I've seen how easy it is for someone to strip a machine ( or once a tractor) down ..to then stumble putting it back together.
Not a job for the faint hearted

Moggie 1000 was the limit of my capability!🤣

 

[Drago]

Even as a general industrial mechanic for 20 years, I'd bawlk at taking an engine out nowadays. Helped years ago but engines were so much simpler then.
Now ? The sheer amount of stuff to remove...and put back in order looks quite scary .
I've seen how easy it is for someone to strip a machine ( or once a tractor) down ..to then stumble putting it back together.
Not a job for the faint hearted

I just pay people now.

I'm about to put uprated rear springs on my van. A local and well regards VW speciliast will fit them for me for £120. The cheapest reputable 3 tonne trollet jack I can source locally is £160, and I doubt i'd ever have need of it again.

Minor stuff, a bit of twiddling to keep things sweet or effect a very small repair, fair enough. Anything that involves me going any lower than a crouching position can go 400 metres up the road to the man with the big 2 poster ramp.

 

[fossyant]

That's quick. 👍

New engine going in. Just had a complaint from a neighbour as son had left the Aygo outside his house for a few days. Fully agree with what he said as its hissing me off (there are six vehicles at our house currently). Son's shifted it onto our drive but neither my van or MrsF's car can be parked there. Just had a row with MrsF about it as the neighbour couldn't see the car from his lounge (he said he was fed up of looking at it) but I agree it would hiss me off just being left there. We've told my son not to annoy the neighbours.

 

[fossyant]

Even as a general industrial mechanic for 20 years, I'd bawlk at taking an engine out nowadays. Helped years ago but engines were so much simpler then.
Now ? The sheer amount of stuff to remove...and put back in order looks quite scary .
I've seen how easy it is for someone to strip a machine ( or once a tractor) down ..to then stumble putting it back together.
Not a job for the faint hearted

There is alot to come off. He's bagged and labeled all the bolts (there are loads). To get the main loom to the ECU he has had to cut an anti-tamper plate off so he could disconnect the ECU before transplanting the loom onto the replacement engine.

 

[Jameshow]

I just pay people now.

I'm about to put uprated rear springs on my van. A local and well regards VW speciliast will fit them for me for £120. The cheapest reputable 3 tonne trollet jack I can source locally is £160, and I doubt i'd ever have need of it again.

Minor stuff, a bit of twiddling to keep things sweet or effect a very small repair, fair enough. Anything that involves me going any lower than a crouching position can go 400 metres up the road to the man with the big 2 poster ramp.

You know you want it!🤣🤣🤣
https://www.sgs-engineering.com/tj3...0mlz4mrsBRCbW2yVVHcS8xP5IyBC5-oUaAow9EALw_wcB

 

[Jameshow]

There is alot to come off. He's bagged and labeled all the bolts (there are loads). To get the main loom to the ECU he has had to cut an anti-tamper plate off so he could disconnect the ECU before transplanting the loom onto the replacement engine.

Bright lad!👍

 

[Pinno718]

You know you want it!🤣🤣🤣
https://www.sgs-engineering.com/tj3...0mlz4mrsBRCbW2yVVHcS8xP5IyBC5-oUaAow9EALw_wcB

That ^ won't put it up high enough. That's just a little baby one.

Drago's van is the TURDIS. I'm beginning to be very suspicious.
He can just hover and get underneath it or hire a space mechanic.

 

[raleighnut]

I've had the engine out of many a SAAB in my time as a muckyanic, used to be easy. Drop the exhaust, disconnect a few pipes and wires then take the bottom ball joint apart to remove the drive shafts from the gearbox then 3 mountings and lift it out.
As an aside a mate had a 99 and after he'd moved back to Scotland needed a new clutch so he took it to a local place. A few months later there was a big party for a mutual friends 50th and Keith came down to it and we fell to talking and he asked me how long to do a clutch so I told him 3 hours, he looked flabbergasted and told me the local garage had taken 3 days. It seems they'd taken the engine off the gearbox inside the engine bay, how they'd got to some of the bolts holding them together beats me I'd never had attempted that feat we just lifted the 'lump' out in one.

 

[Pinno718]

I removed and rebuilt an engine for my 944. Did this during lockdown. The engine has to come out from below, not upwards. Most of the suspension had to be removed to facilitate this. Days, not hours.

I did a whole thread about this in another forum (if you are suffering insomnia). It's less than 19 pages long!

In contrast, I put an engine out and in to a w123 series Merc in about the same time as Saab bloke ^. Mini - easy: out on the subframe. Lift the body up without lifting gear. VW Polo Mk3(?), 2 hours. My mates Hillman erm... 30 minutes*.. Crazy. Now replaced with a BMW 1500 turbo charged unit. Goes like stink and actually starts in the morning. A 'Scottish Porsche' as he calls it.

 

[briantrumpet]

I removed and rebuilt an engine for my 944. Did this during lockdown. The engine has to come out from below, not upwards. Most of the suspension had to be removed to facilitate this. Days, not hours.

I did a whole thread about this in another forum (if you are suffering insomnia). It's less than 19 pages long!

In contrast, I put an engine out and in to a w123 series Merc in about the same time as Saab bloke ^. Mini - easy: out on the subframe. Lift the body up without lifting gear. VW Polo Mk3(?), 2 hours. My mates Hillman erm... 30 minutes*.. Crazy. Now replaced with a BMW 1500 turbo charged unit. Goes like stink and actually starts in the morning. A 'Scottish Porsche' as he calls it.

I had the garage replace my Chrysler Sunbeam 1300 engine (all of about 55bhp!) with a 1600 engine, which was a great improvement. Might have forgotten to tell my insurers. Oops.

Don't blame me for the choice of car... I inherited it from my gran when she stopped driving.

 

[fossyant]

When I looked on Youtube to see how to replace the coil packs on my Almera, I was extremely glad it was the earlier version I own: they sit on top of the engine, just unplug, take out one bolt, and replace. The later version requires the removal of the entire exhaust manifold. Just a pity that the coil packs are a bit pants and fail from time to time. Mind you, the car is 22 years old, and the 'lectrics blissfully simple in comparison with today's models.

Yeh, my Primera was easy to get to. MrsF's Qashqai, the spark plugs and coil packs are under the air intake manifold. It also involves removing the throttle body, that then needs re-setting. Needless to say, I've not bothered.

 

[briantrumpet]

Yeh, my Primera was easy to get to. MrsF's Qashqai, the spark plugs and coil packs are under the air intake manifold. It also involves removing the throttle body, that then needs re-setting. Needless to say, I've not bothered.

Ah, maybe it was the air intake manifold then, but whatever, I'd not have tried if mine had been like that, seeing how inaccessible bits were and how fiddly it all looked. Would have probably been way too expensive to make it an economic repair via a garage, given the car's age. Just hoping it gets through the MOT in ten day's time...

 

[fossyant]

Replacement engine is in. Had to remove the clutch and use the 'dead' engine's clutch as the splines were slightly different (same engine code, but it's come out of an Ibiza rather than a Cupra. We did have to shoot out and rescue him, as the radiator pack slipped and pinned both his arms against the engine ! He's ready to check it turns over, before assembling all the 'add ons'.