i'm down to the point of disconnecting my ac and my power steering. any ideas for that? should i just leave it all disconnected and just shove it aside or would it hurt to actually disconnect any of the hoses?

 

Well unless you have an AC recovery machine, which I'm sure you don't, you have to leave the AC lines intact. Just take the belt off and unbolt the compressor and let it hang in the engine bay. Zipties and bungee cords are good for this!

You can undo the power steering lines if you want, that's how I did it.

 

i'm very near pulling the engine out. i have one question before i proceed any farther.

i also want to apologize for the fact that i do not know all the terms used, so i will do my best to describe what i mean.

i removed the inspection plate and noticed 6 bolts with a star pattern on them. i have read in the forums that these bolts are 14mm. i am using a 14mm 12pt socket but it rolls around and will not grip the bolt. a 13 is too small. i have tried 1/2", too small. 9/16 is too big. all the sockets i am using are 12pt. am i correct on the size of the bolt or is there some special socket i would need? thanks.

 

Well legally yes you do. But nothing would happen if you just vented it out.

Or if you can before hand, take it to a shop and have them empty out the freon.

 

They sound like a torx bit.
You would need a specific tool to get those out.

 

Take pictures of everything if you can.
Post them and that would be a great way to track you progress.

 

i spoke to the mitsu dealership earlier today and they told me that since my car is a 5sp that i need not worry about removing those bolts. he said since there was no torque converter that i wouldn't need to remove anything from the flywheel. does this sound right? my father swears up and down that they need to be removed before i can lift the engine up and out.

oh, and a reply to your statement coal, no they're not torx. the bolt has 10 points. the torx sockets only have 8...or at least the ones i saw. i believe a 7/16 12pt might would fit it, but only 1/2" and above are 12 point on my socket set. anything below 1/2 is 8pt.

 

Ok, so you vent it out. It's not legal and you're destroying the environment, not to mention risking a HUGE fine if caught. But even if you don't care about any of that, whithout a recovery machine, how will you put it under vacuum to recharge it?

Just leave the AC intact!

Don't take those bolts out!!! Once the bellhousing bolts are off, the engine just pulls right out of the trans. Same with every manual transmission vehicle EVER.

You'll have to get the flywheel and clutch assembly (that's bolted to the end of the engine) to clear the bellhousing, so the engine will first have to move all the way towards the passenger side of the engine bay. It will be a tight fit but it does come out.

 

i wasn't gonna take the AC off. i dropped it below the engine and i lifted my power steering pump up above the engine.

i left those bolts alone and finally got the engine on my "lift" which is just a 1 1/2 ton chainfall and a beam overhead. you were right about the tight squeeze. i have it moved as far towards the passenger side as possible, but i still need about another 1/2inch for the clutch assembly to clear the belhousing. and that's AFTER taking the tensioner off. is there a way to possibly push the transmission towards the driver's side? i took coal's advice and took some pictures. i will post them in my next post. they include the last pics i took tonight before i gave up.

 

here are a few photos. upon finally finding my camera, i had already disconnected my wiring harness, disconnected all hoses from the motor, removed the starter, and removed the radiator. so just imagine those steps.


being the rather big guy i am, this makes life easier by not having to lie on my back and turn wrenches and ratchets.


almost ready to begin the lift


took this out so as not to damage it.


the only motor mount which actually attaches to the motor?


the new engine.

 

these pics are from my attempt at lifting the motor yesterday.





this is where i moved my power steering pump for the removal


ditto for the ac compressor


as i said, we in the country so we'll MAKE it work. :-D


this is attempting the lift. this is the motor mount, right below it the crank pulley, etc. NO space whatsoever and i still need another 1/2" or more to clear the bellhousing.

 

this is the view of the flywheel/bellhousing from the same moment as the last picture in the previous post. see, no clearance.


as you can see, the tensioner is hitting (among other things)


i took off the tensioner AND the housing to which it was attatched. still no clearance.


ditto to above picture's caption.



any suggestions? will i have to remove my crank pully/alternator? what about putting a jack beneath my transmission, undoing the mounts on the tranny, and cocking the bellhousing up a little. would that work?

 

ok, so i PLANNED on leaving the ac lines intact. that all went out the window when my engine rolled and punctured one of the lines going into the cabin. so much for not venting! sorry environment!!

i also found out that i need WAY more than a 1/2 inch of clearance.. that's just what i saw. i need more like 2+ more inches. i have no freakin clue how i'm gonna get that!

 

If you need more room you could undo the two trans mounts and try to angle it a little. It should clear without removing the trans. You will need to angle the engine so the belt end goes up first.

As for the AC, you will now have to take it to a shop to have the system put under vacuum and recharged after you replace the refrigerant line.

 

so i've unbolted the two mounts on the tranny closest to the engine and all the tranny wants to do is roll towards the rear of the car. i'm about ready to set the ****ing thing on fire. my original offer at the beginning of the thread still stands to anyone who wants to finish the job... $4 and a small order of chicken nuggets from any fast food joint.