im wondering the level of difficulty to swap an engine. same block as stock, just new with everything for the most part already mounted. is it very complex to swap? only thing im worried about is that i will have a hard time with reconnecting the transmission... who has done it?
Although time consuming, it's really not too difficult for someone with a little mechanical inclination. The engine and trans can come out as one, and if you're using an AODE, that might be the way to go, since it'll make life a hell of a lot easier outside of the car, rather than under it. The hardest part is probably making sure everything is disconnected and clear of the engine when you pull it. I didn't do it this way, but I'd absolutely recommend labeling everything as you take it apart. You'll see that if you lay the harness over the engine, everything seems to line up fairly well, but without labeling, you might not remember whether or not that one last plug hanging there goes to anything or not. Trust me, the hour spent looking for something to attach it to isn't worth the headache.
It is very simple as far as engine swaps go. I did a nice write up on how to pull the engine a while back. You might be able to find it with the search button.
Although time consuming, it's really not too difficult for someone with a little mechanical inclination. The engine and trans can come out as one, and if you're using an AODE, that might be the way to go, since it'll make life a hell of a lot easier outside of the car, rather than under it. The hardest part is probably making sure everything is disconnected and clear of the engine when you pull it. I didn't do it this way, but I'd absolutely recommend labeling everything as you take it apart. You'll see that if you lay the harness over the engine, everything seems to line up fairly well, but without labeling, you might not remember whether or not that one last plug hanging there goes to anything or not. Trust me, the hour spent looking for something to attach it to isn't worth the headache.
And number things too. the first time I ever had to take an engine apart. It was on my '90 Isuzu 4x4 truck with the 2.6L 4 cyl. I had about 13 bolts left when I was done and i know they didnt come out of thin air. I drove it and nothing ever happened because of the missing bolts. Then i had to change the HG again and I was able to find where everything went.