Guys,

Please be easy on me, new here to Aussie Magna.

I will be completing an engine exchange on my V6 TS wagon AUTO in the coming weekends and was after some advice on any tips or tricks to make the process easier and speedier.

I wouldnt mind any tips on what also should be replaced whilst the engine is out of the car, ie timing belt, etc etc.

Cheers guys and gals.

It might seem like a bit of a daunting task at first, but it's not really that difficult.

Will you be working in a proper workshop or in your shed, ie. will you be using a hoist, or just a chainblock?

If you're working at home, personally I think it's much easier to remove the entire drivetrain as one - engine and transaxle together.

Firstly, drain all the fluids - engine oil, coolant, and ATF if you're removing the trans as well. Remove the top and bottom radiator hoses, the radiator, the battery and battery tray.

Remove the CVs, the exhaust forwards of the cat convertor (including the manifolds), and the bonnet. If it's got aircon, unbolt the compressor from the engine block and hang with some wire off the front rail - that way you won't have to fork out to get it regassed if you left it on the engine and disconnected the refrigerant lines.

From there you'd be right to go. If you lift the engine and trans out together, you'll need to put it on a serious angle to clear the chassis properly.

What sort of shape is the replacement engine in?

While it's out, you can do anything you need to with it, so replace the stuff that's likely to be worn out, like the valve stem seals, timing belt, ancilliary drive belts, welch plugs, give it a GOOD clean and look for any oil leaks, replace the water pump, service the injectors and give the intake plenum and manifold a cleanout.

I wouldn't undertake this sort of this without at least one good helper; I had 2, and it took me about 12 hours to take it out and put it back in again.

Welcome to the club too :D

Basically, do anything that would be hard or impossible to do with the engine in the car... simple.

everything veradabeast & x_FiReStOrM_x_said

plus

fit new engine mounts if needed
before you start dropping the engine gearbox unit in

check all the exhaust manifold bolts are intact and not broken
wd 40 all threads and nuts ...helps to put them on later

replace the front and rear engine seals and sump gasket
change the spark plugs

make sure automatic going in is worthy of the effort

charge the battery and make sure the starter motor works

Deanimus did an engine swap when he did his gearbox swap. Check out the FAQ thread for pics.

Many thanks for the replies guys, much appreciated.