can anyone do a step by step engine replacement?... any tips I get my engine tomorrow and I have never done an engine swap and I don't want to do anything wrong and mess something up.. Do you have to remove the tranny? any help would be great..

seriously? i wouldn't attempt it if you don't know what you're doing.

Um, yeah. If you don't know how, dude, don't do it.

A Step-By-Step motor replacement? There is A LOT involved in pulling a motor.

I believe there's a thread that has pictures of an rengine R&R. Don't remember whose thread it was, but it was one where Charles Hill flew in to do the work in the guy's garage. Maybe someone remembers more than I do?

I assume you've got the shop manual. If not, let us know and a bunch of us will give links to our favorite on-line sources.

Ken

can anyone do a step by step engine replacement?... any tips I get my engine tomorrow and I have never done an engine swap and I don't want to do anything wrong and mess something up.. Do you have to remove the tranny? any help would be great..

Here's a good start:
http://www.myrotarycar.com/portal/forum/uploads/RX8TX/Manuals/CD05-xx-03le/index.html

Look in the "Engine" section, "Mechanical" sub-section.

I believe that was Mysql's car that they did when he had his fron rotor crack and leaking...however i may be mistaking...

like otther said if u dont knowabout it i wold not suggest it! good possibilithy someting will go wrong

It's easy, just make sure you know where all the connections, sensors, and hoses go and you're all set.

... like otther said if u dont knowabout it i wold not suggest it! good possibilithy someting will go wrong

But it can be a good adventure/learning experience. And he's got a new engine coming, so he's committed.

Hesselrode - make sure you label everything that you take off or disconnect. Lay in a supply of plastic bags and small boxes to hold parts. Make sketches. Take photos...if you don't have digital cameral buy an inexpensive one.

Ken

Hesselrode - make sure you label everything that you take off or disconnect. Lay in a supply of plastic bags and small boxes to hold parts. Make sketches. Take photos...if you don't have digital cameral buy an inexpensive one.

Best advise ever. I have done plenty of motor swaps and each one carries its own set of difficulties. First decide if your removing it from the top or the bottom. Also, there are some threads where people have taken pictures when they had their engines replaced at the dealer and you can get an idea how they do it.

what is easiest top or bottom.. if i can convert an automatic to a manual and it work then surely i can replace one engine with another... I have alot of mechanical experience, and i have a hobby shop with every tool.. the engine i bought is complete with everything for the most part so i don't have to take everything off of one and put on the other only altenator and ac compressor.. also there are experts at the hobby shop that are able to help a little and give advice but i just needed to know the things that wouldn't go for normal engines.. i think it has all the sensors and things so should just drop in and be good...

This is just book learning on my part, but according to the shop manual the engine, transmission and cross member are removed as a unit from underneath.

Here's a link to the shop manual where I read that:

http://www.hi-impact.org/ryang/modify/rx8_manuals/rx8_manuals.html

I've found that edition to be more complete than the one EZRIDE pointed you to. Read both. :)

You need Volume 03, about 8 MB, of that manual.

Hope this helps...let us know how it goes.

Ken

also am pretty sure it's a one piece enginetranny removal!

Out the top: remove the tranny from the motor.
Out the bottom: it all comes out in one piece.

If you don't know what I'm talking about, don't do it.

EDIT -

I'm building a motor tomorrow and will probably drop it in over the weekend. It'll all be on video stream, so you can watch it there.

if you're mechanically inclined, then i don't see a problem then. pretty straight foward job...took me about 8 hours to do.

i would definately take it out from the top, i've done it both ways and found it easier to take it out from the top.

8 hours is great.
These days, I'm much too creaky and lazy to go through it that fast.
I usually take 2 easy days.

^where is the video stream?

^where is the video stream?

I'll post it up in one of my threads tomorrow when I'm working on it.
I'll probably use my DimDim account so I can have multiple streams and chat.
Otherwise, it'll be on the BHR Stickam channel.

it would've been faster. but i accidently had the APV gear link kinked. so the motor wasn't able to turn the auxilary ports. pulled the intake manifold back far enough to get my fingers in to loosen up the linkage and get it to turn...what a pain that turned out to be.

Yeah, that is seriously fast.
Are you using a lift?

^I'll watch for your thread wouldn't mind watchin!

Saw A motor being replaced at the dealer. The motor comes out the bottom along with the whole front wheels and all.

Yeah, that is seriously fast.
Are you using a lift?

of course!

Saw A motor being replaced at the dealer. The motor comes out the bottom along with the whole front wheels and all.

i did that the first time, but it involves a LOT more. especially if you don't have an engine table. those oil cooler lines can be a bitch to get off. then you gotta disconnect the steering column from the rack, so there's always the chance of your steering wheel being off. disconnect wires for speed sensors, etc around the suspension area is a bit of a pain. then the biggest pain is to line the subframe back up to the car.

much rather do it from the top...10x easier.

How much more difficult is it to remove the engine with the tranny still attached (from the top)?
I'm taking notes since I'll be removing an engine this winter ;)

the motor sits behind the front axles, so it's pretty deep within the engine bay. but at the right angle, it might just slip right out. but i wouldn't chance it.

i'm gonna write up how exactly i did it:

disconnected battery and removed
drained all fluid from engine (oil and coolant)
disconnected wire harness going to ECU and fuse box
removed air box, strut bar, air injection pump
disconnected coolant hoses, oil cooler lines, vacuum lines, fuels lines, and grounds
removed all under braces, exhaust, and plastic panels
remove torsion bar between diff and tranny (support rear diff with a wooden block)
disconnect drive shaft from diff and chasis
remove trans with drive shaft still attach (so no fluid spills out, but a plug works as well)
remove motor mounts and pull that sucker out!

ok, so that was really vague, but it's really not that bad!!

Cool deal Im_DANomite, thanks for the outline!

Keeping the drive shaft attached to the tranny is a good idea.
My dumb-ass tried to keep the tranny angled so the fluid wouldn't come out.
Worked fine until I started to lower it with a trans-jack and the oil started coming out.
Needless to say, I just drained the fluid out completely.
Oh well... live and learn :)

A DIY would be good with some specifics. More than likely I will be doing this next year so the more info the better so i dont have to wing it :-)

^^just hit me up when you do...i'll guide you through it

If you guys had to buy a rebuild where would you buy it?

either Mazmart or the dealer.

I was just wondering if there was a rebuild shop that did any extra things for longevity.

mazmart

How much more difficult is it to remove the engine with the tranny still attached (from the top)?


I tried that the last time - its a HUGE PITA.

of course!

Ahh, that explains it.
I'm doing it on my back, on the floor.

Ahh, that explains it.
I'm doing it on my back, on the floor.

screw that, call me spoiled, but i won't work on a car without a lift. i've been on the ground plenty of times, it's just frustrating.

screw that, call me spoiled, but i won't work on a car without a lift. i've been on the ground plenty of times, it's just frustrating.

Well, then many - if not MOST - of us would never work on our cars.
Even if I had the resources for installing a lift, I don't have the headroom!

^^haha, true true. it's so bad that i won't do an oil change without a lift.

it was a bitch to get out now lets see how hard it is to get back in....

alright guys i don't know how it happened but i am missing the radiator hose that goes from the engine to the radiator line that goes across the firewall... cal someone take a pic asap so i can see what it looks like so i know what i am looking for.... it is on the driver side and goes from the engine to.. well i already said that.. other than that i have it all back together and am just missing this one hose... please help any advise would help... also i did it without taking out the tranny and i think that made it alot quicker no problem getting it out or putting it in...

That hose can barely be seen, let along photographed. But I gave it a shot. Three, taken standing on the driver side of the car. Not the whole thing...just what the camera and flash could see.

In 1656, is it the hose just above the brake reservoir and the hose from the brake booster? And below the AC line, which is the fatter metal tube/hose at the top?

In 1660 it angles forward and turns down. It's in the center of the picture, passing behind the blue thing. You can see a bit of the dipstick (yellow) and at the top a little of the oil filter is visible.

1661 is a little wider shot. You can see three bends: first one down, then one angling forward, then one turning down.

From there it goes down and the next bend is to the rear. It does another zig into a fitting maybe 6 inches below the oil filter fixture.

Hope this helps you identify it, and maybe find it in the pile of extra parts. Or figure a replacement with generic heater hose.

Ken

okay i got everything together and it won't start.... i pulled the plugs and cranked on it and gas ans oil came out.. i put 2 stroke in it to make sure it didn't dry start... and cleaned the plugs and put back and then tried again and it didn't work and took out the plugs and cleaned them and still nothing... it doesn't sound like it is having combustion. it turns and goes ruh ruh ruh ruh ruh but combustion isn't happening at all.. sounds like only the starter is turning the rotars... any ideas.. the coils spark and the spark plugs spark.. but nothing....

Hmmmmmm. Reset ecu?

i did the pump brake 20 times in 8 seconds and the oil meter sweeped or whatever it is...