Then I drained the engine oil from the bottom front of the sump pan. I used a 12mm allen wrench to get the drain plug out. Image Unavailable, Please Login
Now for disconnecting the brake line. The junction is located in between the mounting points, on the left hand side of the subframe, near the alternator. Remove the retaining clips holding the union to the subframe. Doing this will give you some wiggle room to get the wrenches on the union. That thing is in a pain in the ass area to get to. Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login
With the clips removed now I could get my wrenches on the brake line union the get it to crack loose. Be careful with the little screw on the brake line because it is pretty soft and can strip easily. Now be sure to put something under the line because it will bleed like CRAZY! I haven't figured out how to get the bloody thing to stop bleeding, so I just let it bleed into a pan until it stops on it's own. I'm sure I should drain all the fluid out of the line first, but I'm a Stooge, and too lazy to do that. Image Unavailable, Please Login
Next the clutch line gets disconnected from the joint on the left hand shock tower. Again, this thing is gonna bleed like a stuck pig. So be sure to have a drain pan under it. Image Unavailable, Please Login
Ooops, forgot to mention disconnecting the ground cable running from the gearbox to the frame. Image Unavailable, Please Login
While the brake/clutch lines were bleeding out I went back to the front of the engine to disconnect some more stuff. Here I loosen the clamps for the water pump hoses attached to the radiator feed tubes. I didn't remove the hoses, as it is easier to let them slide of on their own when you are dropping the engine. At least that's how I do it. Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login
Ernie, is it necessary to remove the airbox when dropping the engine? I understand that the hoses need to be disconnected, but the airbox does not appear to be restricting the motor from being removed.
I also need to mention I remove the overflow hose. It's on the neck of the expansion tank where the cap goes. Image Unavailable, Please Login
Then get back under the wheel well and disconnect the brake sensor cables. They are clipped right up under the rear fenders on both sides. Image Unavailable, Please Login
Looking around I noticed that the vapor recovery tubes attached to the oil tank need to be removed. So I removed the both of them. Image Unavailable, Please Login
You guy will notice I haven't mentioned anything about the air conditioning yet. Well that is because I have no air conditioning pump. I have had it removed from my car for years. So unfortunately I don't have any pics for disconnecting it. Having said that, those of you running a/c will need to go get the a/c evacuated BEFORE you start tearing into the engine.
On that note, I will refer you to this link http://www.ferrarichat.com/forum/technical-q/351819-348-ecu-removal-chip-removal.html for disconnecting and removing the ecu's behind the seats.
After you have the ecu's removed there is still a few other things your are going to need to disconnect. These connectors that run to the dash. Image Unavailable, Please Login
These connectors to the button for pulling the check engine codes (on US model cars). Image Unavailable, Please Login
Now that everything is disconnect I pushed the wiring loom grommets throughout the fire wall. Image Unavailable, Please Login
Almost ready to drop this thing. But first I have to remove the bumper. Remove the four nuts in the fenders, two on either side of the bumper, holding it in place. Image Unavailable, Please Login
Then I removed the four nuts on the back of the bumper holding it to the frame. With a helper remove the bumper. You can actually do this by yourself, but why chance scratching up the paint. Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login
For removing the dual can muffler I give you this link http://www.ferrarichat.com/forum/technical-q/296274-348-clutch-removal.html The muffler removal starts at post #13 of the link. You also see how to remove the bumper again. The reason I don't show how to remove the muffler, is because the exhaust system on my car is completely custom, so it wouldn't apply to the vast majority of the 348's out there. That and I have some show and tell for another thread. So here is a pic of it already removed. Image Unavailable, Please Login
Next I sat the front of the car back on the ground, and put wheel chalks behind the tires to help prevent it from rolling. Image Unavailable, Please Login
I left this bit for last. I disconnected the lines from the fuel pressure regulators, and then fuel lines from the fuel filters. Place a bucket under the lines to catch any gas that leaks out, and have PLENTY of rags to catch fuel coming from the FPR's. I did this last because I don't like the smell of gas in my garage, and to reduce the risk of an accidental fire. Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login