Dropping engine Tips
Disclaimer this I how I dropped the engine twice. My car was a 03, some details about number of connectors/bolts and sizing might be a little off. I might forget a wire/step or two just a heads up. No I'm not a tech, no I don't have ASE certs. I've just dropped motors out of mr2's gen 1-3 about 15 times. Hope this helps and good luck. I had too much redbull today and can't sleep so I'll write a novel. This method you drop the engine /trans/drive train/harness as one giant unit.
You only need one SST for the axle nuts, an engine hoist, motor cycle lift (optional makes life easy). The rest can be done with a set of basic hand tools. 10mm, 12mm, 14mm, 17mm most common sizes are all you need for the most part. Having a friend or two to help makes things easier but can be done alone you will just be more angry.
Step 1. Remove all wiring plugs in the interior from the ecu, body harness. You will need to remove the driver's side storage bin door, plactic on top of the fuel tank. All 10mm screws, or use a philips bit driver. There are about 3-4 plugs on the ecu if I remember right the ecu should be on the firewall. Now look at the harness and how it goes to the right. There are more plugs to remove from the body think about three also. At this point you should be able to push the entire harness through the firewall.
Step 2. Axle nuts, big tip here. Before you jack up your car and fiddle with removing brakes and stuff break loose the axle nuts. If you have stock wheels or aftermarket with center caps take those off. Look through the opening and you should see the axle nuts. They are "pinched" in position vs using a cotter pin like on the other mr2's. You will have to stuff a flat head in there and bend the "pinch" on the nut out. Be very careful you don't screw up the threads here bending things. Sorry don't know how to describe this better. The nut itself should be a 12point 30mm nut. Now I hope you got a big breaker bar these nuts should be very tight. I used a 1/2inch breaker bar and a lead pipe from homedepot. I placed said tool onto the nut, then directly under the 6inch extension that I used places a jack to support things and get better leverage. After that is just a bunch of grunting cursing at the car. YOU SHOULD GET NEW AXLE NUTS it's 30 dollars for the pair btw.
Step 3. Removing the rear bumper this is optional but just makes life easier. Obviously unplug all your tail lights, reverse lights, remove license plate. Jack up the rear end of the car up into the air to a manageable height not super high yet. Remove wheels, there are two 10mm screws in the leading edge of the rear bumper behind the wheel on each side about 6 on the bottom edge of the bumper. Up top on the bumper there are maybe 4 plastic body plugs that you just pop out using a flat head. There are 2 screws holding in the tail lights on each side. Be careful pulling these out, (driver's side example) there is also a plastic peg on these lights at the bottom left corner. It should be able to wiggle out but do this gently cause you don't want to buy new tail lights cause you broke a stupid plastic bit. After the tail lights are out you will see the last 4 10mm bolts that hold the bumper to the body. Once those are removed you should be able to just pull off the rear bumper skin.
Step 4. Make some room and remove a bunch of stuff topside. 4 10mm bolts on the engine lid, remove get it out of the way. Remove all ground wires up on the body all 10mm bolts also. These ground wires are all over the place so make sure you check all over. Remove the battery, (tip don't put the battery directly on the ground put some cardboard under it so it doesn't lose charge). Follow the negative battery terminal wire and remove it from the fuze box. After you removed all these wires from the body, your engine harness should be free. Place it on top of the engine safely out of the way.
Step 5. Remove exhaust. You could take the entire thing out or just unbolt the mid pipe from the header and muffler. Nuts are 12mm on the header these are one time use parts so good idea to replace them. I took the remove the entire exhaust route. You should be able to figure this out easily, remove o2 sensors heat shields etc..... Note sliding the muffler off of the rubber hangers suck!!! Use some lube it helps but still sucks.
Step 6. Brakes. Ok this is the part I'm a little fuzzy about. There are ABS sensors in the hubs don't try to pull these out. Instead follow the wire and look where it unplugs from the body. I forgot where exactly it's located on the body but be very very careful about this part. Remove ebrake lines, there's just a cotter ping and a bolt for these super easy. Pull the pins keep them in a safe place and ebrake lines should be free. Remove brake lines from the caliper and from the strut body. Good idea to plug these up so you don't have fluid all over the place.
Step 7. Transmission bits. Before you crawl under the car remove the shifter cables from the trans. Held in place similar to the ebrake lines. Don't lose those stupid pins. Move cables out the way don't bend them just take them off the linkage. Time to now crawl under the car and deal with the clutch hardline. I hate this part, Remove the clutch hardline at the clutch slave end first 10mm or 8mm. Right next to your front motor mount. Take caution you don't break this part it's a pain in the ass if this part breaks!!!! Let the clutch fluid bleed out.
Step 8. AC. The AC compressor is held in by what feels to be the world's longest bolts 12mm size there should be either 3 or 4 of these evil things. Remove this part from the engine. Don't disconnect the lines from the compressor or you will have to recharge and you kinda broke the law if you do this on your own. Hang the compressor and prop it up under the car so the lines are slack just make sure it's out of the way.
Step 9. Coolant lines. Get a big bucket ready this is messy. There are two big coolant lines the fire wall just take these hoses off and get out the way. Coolant fill tank, follow the line out the bottom of the tank to the engine. Unplug and get out the way. You should be able to keep the tank inside the car now.