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Can’t find any place to pry from to try to get it started.
Is it an automatic or a stick shift? If an automatic, is there an access port to unbolt the torque converter from the flywheel?
I'm more familiar with manual transmissions, but have had to separate a few GM and Toyota 4cyl eng+auto assemblies, and this step might help.
Next thing I would suggest is spraying the eng/trans seam with PB Blaster and letting it soak. Then, using a deadblow hammer and a block of wood to translate some vibration and movement into the seam. Also, make sure the weight of the trans is supported so that there isn't a moment or "lever action" on any dowels that is making it harder to separate them.
There are two pry spots to pry from, mod mini has a great video on it. You will see two flaps kinda opposite of one another that a pry bar will fit in-between.
sorry this was to change the lsd
if I remember my trans was pretty hard to get off also
As an aside, I’ve been enjoying driving the parts car so much I’ve decided to get one for myself. Just not red, brg or the pale blue. Or one with the god awful black n blue interior, lol.
finding a decent one at an affordable price within an days drive to fly out and drive back is a real challenge.
Funny, I did the same thing. We bought my son a R50 when he was 16. He and I did a bunch of work on it while he had it. I enjoyed driving and wrenching on it so I found an R52S for myself (and wife of course) as a summer hobby car to drive and work on when needed. We sold my son's car when he went to college and still have the convertible. I wouldn't want it as a daily driver but as an additional car to drive on nice days with the top down its been great.
I enjoyed driving and wrenching on it so I found an R52S for myself (and wife of course) as a summer hobby car
Of any cars I've driven since, my daughter's R52S reminds me the most of my old 1989 VW GTI 16V. I think I will eventually find an R53 to compliment her R52S as a toy car for me
[QUOTE=khnitz;4656569
I still miss that 16V GTI ...[/QUOTE]
VW stuff really elicits an emotional connection. Wife and I had a 71 Westfalia pop up in orange. We didn't use it enough so she sold it for a TON more than she bought it for. That was a fun vehicle to work on - super easy to take the engine out. A friend of mine had a supercharged Corrado - want to say around 1990 or so. Rode in that car a couple of times and man was I hooked. I still look every once and awhile. Although I don't know what I would do with *another* project car...
Found a bolt hidden behind the water hose that I missed earlier in the week, and finally had a few minutes to pull the trans off the back of the engine just now. Now I need to pull the PP and flywheel and see whether it is the original dual mass or someone changed it to Valeo before I order a new disc and PP so I don’t have to do this again. Very much thinking I should put an ATI on the replacement engine, since it’s prefacelift as well. And I need to order a first time oil change kit from way, since in the last year, we never even got to put enough miles on it to do the first one and don’t yet have the tool.
Where we are at. Still need to get into FES, pull front suspension with hubs for the PW, and get driveshafts out, ut almost ready for the second engine pull. 105-115 degree heat until well after the time I consider it appropriate to use air tools, as well as purchase of PW has hampered allocating time and energies to this project, but now that I’m to the point I need to get the JCW out and back together to get it re-registered, and PW in to get it fixed and O2 changed for passing inspection and initial registration.
also I’d like to get the cluster fork mess in my garage over and done with and things put away again, lol
Well a month later and between the heat and other things (Route 66) taking some precedence (had to replace rft 66 rear pads asap as they were down to metal, and replaced the upright assemblies with ones from parts car to get good wheel bearings on front of it) , not much visible accomplishment, but the donor engine is finally ready to be pulled. We did not pull it however as once I hook it up to hoist, I can’t close garage door again till it’s in Alex’s car amd he has to go home to his moms for the school week in about 10 minutes.
also other son brought hi# e46 over as it was having an issue with cabin fan, I had replaced fan amd still had the hedgehog/ FSR sitting in my parts box from when I thought it was that 7 years ago, so that went in today.
but we got the axles out of parts car and they are in good nick, and will reuse in his, so that’s a savings, I got new oil filter, etc ready, we changed the Oring on the crank sensor as it was blatantly bad, etc and we pinned the grenade and got the stock belt off to drop the compressor off the block.
once engine is out, I can install the 16% and shorter belt on it, drain the oil, install the magnetic plug with replaceable sealing washers from ECS etc, install the LUK clutch kit (which does come with alignment tool and release bearing so a good value from @ECS Tuning ), swap in the better starter, and later trans, and then load it into the chassis.
during the week I will try to spray the motor and trans brackets caliper silver just for presentation purposes once reinstalled.
At present goal will try to have it back together by end of next weekend, so we can take both minis to cars n coffee on Sunday 24th.
pic from earlier when we pressure washed the inch deep build up of oil amd dirt off front of block.
Today we finally got engine out of parts car, as well as sprayed the engine/trans mounts with caliper silver cause they looked a bit cruddy, and then did trans case as well , just to clean it up a bit appearance wise.
terrible pic, sorry. It was about 9 when we finally got it untangled and pulled out.
tomorrow we have to pressure wash back side of engine to get rid of gunk, pull supercharger pulley and install the wmw 16%, take old trans off engine, put in new release bearing, clutch and PP, put the LSD FL trans on, change filter, oil and gear oil, then lift it back into place and start hooking up coolant system and electrical. Oh and swap the fuel rail with the JCW injectors onto it, but that can be done once it’s in situ.
I also have to drill out the old studs for the JCW mid pipe to cat as I had to cut one off and the other is horribly mangled, so I need to get rid of the remnants to install the replacements. But putting it back together is gonna be a lot easier than taking apart!
For funsies at cars n coffee events when we are parked together, I also bought a couple of these ‘Cars’ style windscreen sun shades, red For Chili and the black for Rt66. Little kids (and their parents) should get a kick out of them.
Engine in and mounted and wired. Still need to swap over the injectors, put axles and front suspension back on, put front end back on, and do coolant and slave, but might be finished tomorrow, and if not by next weekend.
Getting much much closer now. Unfortunately will not be able to take it ot cars n coffee in a couple hours. Might not work on it tomorrow at all after being up past 5 am working on it all day.
Having spent the last 8 years with access to a shop (work) I had forgotten what it's like to work in a driveway in the middle of summer. After spending 5-week & 2-week stints in ELP/JRZ for work over the past 2.5 months, I remembered. 90F even in the factory. I would have also filled my all-new AC system about 6 months ago with that heat.
Awesome work. I am having flashbacks to last year and my Chili R53.
Thanks. It’s gotten better temp wise last couple of weekends. It’s only in the 90s now daytime so very livable.
But 100+ in the shade will sure take it out of you all summer long from early may thru late sept.
compressor back on, belt back on, slave back on *and* working. Getting closer.
Weird as it may sound, remove the ground from the passenger side motor mount. Clean it and re-install. I ran into the same thing a few years sago. It made absolutely no sense as everything else on the car worked, but I could not get it to turn over. (And I had not even touched it- And everything worked before). Nevertheless, I did the above as recommended by other R53 folks and it worked!!
07-17-2023 | 01:09 PM
