96 355 engine removal

I am taking the engine out of my own car for a major service so I am going to take the opportunity to post some how-to for a 96 spider engine removal, step by step. I don't think there is such a thread yet.

1) Turn off the battery ground at the switch in the front trunk
2) Open the gas tank so you vent the pressure
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3) Remove the engine lid, it is a 2-person job, you just need a 10mm socket. Store the lid some place safe (no picture)

4) Jack the car up and support the car, and remove the two rear wheels.

5) Remove all wheel liners in the wheel wells, 3 pieces each side. Philips head screw driver is all it takes (no picture)

6) Remove all liners from under the car. All 4 pieces front to back. You will be staring at the bottom of the car like this.
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7. Drain engine oil at the front of the engine oil pan. You can see the drain plug with the previous picture above.
8. Drain coolant at the engine block, and at the bottom of the two radiators (expect 3 gallons and a big mess). I open the drain plug at the left hand side of the engine block, right underneath the head. An allen socket is needed.

No pictures for these two simple steps.

 

9. From under the car, remove the shift rod. The turn buckle has both left and right handed threads. Mark the positions of the turn buckle if you want.

a) remove the M6 bolt at the front of the shift rod under the shifter
b) remove the M6 bolt at the rear of the rod right before the gear box
c) Loosen both the locking nuts front and back of the turn buckle with two 19mm wreches
d) Remove the three M6 allen bolts attaching the angle adjuster to the gear box shift rod
e) Disassemble the shift rod to the extent where you can remove it entirely from the car

Once the rod is out, you should be looking at the stub at the gear box like the picture below
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10. Still under the car, disconnect the two AC hoses to the compressor. 30mm wrench is needed. You should have had the AC evacuated before this whole thing.
11. Disconnect the oil temp sensor connector, 1 pin, underneath the oil tank. Just pull straight down, no trick.
12. In the same area is a ground wire attached to the oil tank. 8mm wrench is needed.
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13. In the right hand side wheel well, disconnect the fan connector.
14. Remove the fan. 10mm socket and wrench are needed.
15. Disconnect the ABS sensor connector at the very top of the wheel well
16. Remove the oil line from the tank to the bottom of the oil radiator (34mm wrench, 10mm socket)
17. Remove the oil line from the tank to the top of the oil radiator, 34mm wrench needed.
18. Disconnect the brake line to the block at the subframe just below the oil tank. Plug up the line and the block. Remove the block from the subframe. 10mm socket, 11, 12, 13, wrenches needed.

once you are done, it should look like this in the well.
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19. In the left hand side wheel well, disconnect the ABS sensor wire
20. Disconnect the brake line at the mounting block, plug up both ends
21. Disconnect the clutch line (you have a 6 speed, right?), plug up both ends
22. Use two 13mm wrenches, undo the handbrake cable at the end. Bag all the bits
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23. From the wheel wells, disconnect the left and right turn signals for the bumper.
24. Disconnect the license plate light connector (right hand side wheel well)
25. Remove the rear bumper. Four nuts at the rear, and 4 nuts at the side of the bumper, and two small bolts at the bottom, 17mm deep sockets, 13mm deep sockets, and 10mm sockets are needed.
26. Remove the bumper heat shield
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30. While you are there, remove the thermal couples from the cat converters, label them. 14mm wrench needed.

At the top of the engine,

31. Remove air boxes (no picture) 10mm socket needed
32. Remove the intake air hoses all the way to the engine plenum.


Take precaution to disconnect the idle valve, air temp sensor, MAF connectors and label the. There are also a couple of 13mm nuts holding the air hoses to the subframe.
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33. Remove exhaust heat shield (10mm socket)
34. Remove bypass valve (13mm wrenches) and the thermal couple (label it)
35. Remove the Y pipe from the headers and push the Y pipe back to clear the subframe
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36. Disconnect the secondary air pump pipe, and associated vacuum hoses and remove it from the car. It looks like this.
36.a. Disconnect the two connectors at the TCUs under the bumper, right hand side. Label them very carefully. You won't like it when you swap the connectors.
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37. Disconnect rear O2 sensors at the engine harness, drape them over the engine. Left and right side. Remove the wiring attachments to the subframe.
38. Disconnect the bunch of connectors at the left hand side, upright subframe member near the TCU unit. It should look like this when you are done.
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38. On the right hand side, disconnect the 12V cables.
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40. Remove the four bolts hanging the muffler to the subframe. Left and right sides, 13mm wrenches
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41. Remove coolant tank cover, 10mm socket
42. Lift coolant tank up, cut all four hoses attached to the tank, remove the tank.
43. Suck out most of the steering fluid
44. Remove the steering fluid tank bracket
45. Disconnect the two hoses (expect some spill)
46. Remove the reservoir
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47. Remove the two M6 nuts at the fuel distribution block
48. Pry loose the fuel hoses from the block
49. Lift them out to the left and right (you will need the space)
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50. Climb into the engine bay. Remove the thermostat housing , 10mm socket
51. Disconnect the throttle cable from the throttle gears.
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52. Remove (cut) the left hand side right angle coolant hose
53. Remove the heater return hose
54. Cut or remove the heater S hose
55. Cut our remove the right hand side right angle coolant hose
56. At the front of the engine, left hand side, use two wrenches to undo the power steering feed hose. 22mm wrench, 17mm wrench both specially bent.
57. Disconnect the fuel vent hose running over the left hand side valve cover
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58. Remove two bolts attaching the oil tank to the car. One over the engine, one in the wheel well.
59. Disconnect the two shock control connectors
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You are almost there.

Support the engine (this step depends on what kind of lift you have)

Remove 12 bolts at the front of the subframe (19mm wrenches)
Remove the 4 bolts attaching the subframe to the frame in the wheel well (see pic), 17mm socket
Remove the 4 large bolts at the rear of the subframe (22mm socket)
Inside the car, remove the ECU cover, the ECU, disconnect all connectors,

And the engine should drop away.

Go slow, have another buddy to watch for hang-ups, and the engine should come out.
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Go slow, don't break anything, be safe.
And ... assembly is reverse of disassembly, with a few tricks.