Wow .. a bit major on a Mk2... Factory way is to remove the transmission yes ..

I did not...

1/ remove the coil pack or whatever sticks out of the back of the cylinder head by the bulkhead .. the Mk1 has pickups here that are left but you need to take the coil pack off for definite (I removed it with them in place and found out on the way back in...)

2/ need long extension in 1/2" to get to the bellhousing bolts .. the torque bar will be at the back of the gearbox when you retorque things ..

3/ Drop front anti roll bar

4/ hang the a/c pump up in place (if you have one) so no breakage in the lines

5/ my turbo/manifold was off already

6/ mark which petrol hose goes where .. they are very similar

7/ Rad out

8/ bonnet stayed on .. saves those tell tell paint marks on the bolts..

9/ axlestand under gearbox to support it .. use trolley jack to manoeuvre by jacking it right up against the tunnel to get the layshaft in.

10/ Those water hoses by the ex manifold from the back of the head are a pig .. I had to separate one after the engine was in the hoist.

11/ The engine did not sit down as far on the engine mounts on reasssembly .. one side is slotted so you put the plain side in first .. then the slotted side.

Hope this helps.. (3/00)

For engine removal, follow everything said above, but the following info should also help a bit.

Don't know if you already have the engine hoist but if you're renting, make sure the reach on the hoist is long enough. Didn't check this when I did the engine swap and ended up having to have the engine hoist coming in from the side. Didn't exactly make life easier ;-(

When removing the parts and hoses etc, start from front of the engine bay and work your way back. This will help you see what is still left to remove, obviously doesn't apply if you've got someone giving you a hand. Don't know if it applies to the MkII but I found it a lot easier to separate the manifold/downpipe from the cat. You'll be able to turn the manifold/downpipe away from the engine to leave you loads of clearance.

I don't agree with the above about not removing the bonnet. No worries about the marks on the nuts. It's always better to remove anything that might get in the way. The water hoses near the bulkhead, a lot easier to get to when the bonnet has been removed. Same goes with the ignition pack, manifold etc.

BTW Try to remove the water hoses engine side, the other end of the rubber hose join to copper pipes (heater matrix). These pipes are really soft and have some sort of sealing compound or it could be just copper corroding. Whatever it is on the pipes, the hoses are like stuck on the pipes meaning that you could easily damage the copper pipes when trying to remove the rubber hoses.

Oh yeah before I forget.... what to use between the hoist and the engine hooks. I prefer to use strengthened rope rather chain. Your local DIY place should have them with the maximum load capacities labelled on them. I chose a rope that could take upto 270kg, more than enough for the job. You can easily change the distance between the hoist to engine and also the angle of engine when you lift just by moving the knot at which the hoist hooks onto the rope. I think that I had about 6"-8" vertical height between the engine hoist hook and the engine, you may find it easier at a different length but remember the following.... too much distance and you could have an engine spinning the moment it's free, not enough distance and you'll find it hard to "jiggle" the engine to help it free itself from the gearbox.

Going on a bit here but just in case you don't know already. When removing a number of bolts/nuts to separate a part, always do the harder to reach or tight space bolts/nuts first. If you leave them last, the item that you are trying to separate might move to a point that it might end up making the removal of the bolt/nut a lot harder.

When lifting, always check around the engine bay everytime the engine has cleared a bit more. This way, you'll see anything that you have missed before you put any stress on it.

Safety first. Try to make sure that you remove everything that might connect the engine to the chassis or gearbox before you start lifting the engine. I'd goes as far as saying to triple check. I wouldn't recommend trying to undo things whilst the engine is midair so try to avoid it if possible. Don't ever fully trust things like hoists/hooks,ropes etc as it may be your bad luck that you've picked up a dud. Take precautions to cut the odds of you injuring yourself. If you have forgot to remove something, lower the engine slightly so whatever's snagging has a bit of slack in it. You might know these things already but have fun anyway ;-) You'll smile when you do get the engine out and be well chuffed when you've put it back in ;-)

Oh yeah, get yourself a set of 10", 12", 14", 17", 19" rachet spanners. Not really necessities but makes the job easier. (3/00)

No worries about the marks on the nuts.

but these marks tell .. a future buyer to stay away or investigate very thoroughly..

Whatever it is on the pipes, the hoses are like stuck on the pipes meaning that you could easily damage the copper pipes when trying to remove the rubber hoses.

these hoses are bad .. by you can wait until the engine is 3" out to get more room to work on them.

I prefer to use strengthened rope rather chain.

rope .. but this time the seat belt that came with the engine! (3/00)