'91 300zx Twin Turbo Engine Swap.. by henry

 

Main

Sales

Directions

Video/Pictures

Parts

Tech

Contact

 

This is an in-depth step-by-step tutorial for an engine drop on a twin turbo for a '91 z32.  Originally followed the tech tutorial for the bottom end on twinturbo.net alongside this thread that goes over the top end of the engine, and added a few more details as far as pictures are concerned & additional comments on issues i ran into while doing it.

Note:

This project was done over a period of a few weeks due to other projects being attended to.  Little-by-little goes along way after a while. 

 

 

 

 

more resources:

Delete’s

here for egr/aiv/prvr

here for --> faq --> auto-faq for pcv re-route

here for throttle body water bypass  

or can just follow my lead and how i went about doing them which was a straight shot of one right after another with the engine already out.

Click here to reference the Online Z32 manual

 

 

 

Tools 

(am not going to list all the tools that are obvious, just the tools that are specific for this procedure)

Cherry Picker, swivel joint/crow's foot, extensions for each type of socket wrench, creeper (helps alot w/o lift), rags, funnel/bucket, storage bin, plastic bags, engine stand, tie-wraps, masking tape w/pen

 

 

Index Quick Link Engine w/ Components:

Alternator Removal

A/C Compressor Removal 

Balance Tube Removal  

Coolant Hoses  

Coil Packs & Injector Plugs 

Clutch & Flywheel  

Drive Shaft Removal

Driver's Side Engine Accessory Disconnect

Engine Pull

EFI Harness

Engine mount

Exhaust Removal

Fan/Fan Clutch

Fuel Line

Head cams

Heat shield

Idler Pulley

Power Steering Pump

Precat Removal

Starter

Temperature Sensor

Throttle Cable

Timing Belt (120kit)

Transmission

    - master slave cylinder

 

Deletes & Bypass:

EGR Removal/Delete

Carbon Canister Delete

PRVR Delete

AIV Delete

Throttle Body Water Bypass

Label the passenger or driver's side hoses with masking tape.  The other two are not necessary since there are only four total.

Click on any of the images to Enlarge!

 

Step 1.

Label Coolant Hoses and anything else that may be a pain to remember when reversing the steps.

Note: make a habit of labeling with tape to make install easy.

 

 

Coolant Hoses

Step 2.

Unscrew rings on Coolant hoses using phillips screwdriver

 

 

Wire Connectors

Step 3.

Start disconnecting electrical accessory wires that are in the way and make sure your careful in unclipping the dam plastic which is fragile(still waiting till they start making them metal)

 

 
 

Step 3b.

more unclipping of plastic connectors.

 
 

Step 4.

placing plastic bags over the openings using tie-wrap or rings are good if the project is going to sit outside in the elements for a good time.

 

Step 4b.

if it rains, you will not have to worry about condensation and other dirt or dust making its way inside.

 

Step 5.

unscrew the radiator clips. there's one on each side.

 

 

 
 

Step 6.

try to remember which way the wiring was situated.

 

 
 

Step 7.

more memorabilia

 
 

Step 8.

Double identical clips or the PTU, it may not matter but if your as meticulous as i am then had better label both of them w/masking tape so you know exactly how they went on.

 
 

Step 9.

Unplug wiring sensors on front of the engine. becareful cause their brittle plastic.

 

 

 

Temperature Sensor

Step 10.

This is the temp sensor that most people advise replacing if your swapping out or rebuilding the engine.

 

 
 

Step 11.

Final two Hoses thats now easy to get to with all the other junk out of the way. 

 

 
 

Underside View

Step 12.

place a funnel in a bucket or container and have it ready then creep under the radiator and unscrew the clamp on the driver's side where the radiator hose exits.  As you disconnect it, excess coolant will drain out so pull the ready bucket funnel into place.

 

 
 

Underside View

Step 12b..

loosen or unscrew the retianing clip then push toward the front so that when you pull the radiator out from the top, it wont snag/catch on anything.

 
 

Underside View

Step 13.

Unclip the center of the shroud fan cover (bottom) first

 

 

Underside View

Step 13b.

Unclip the right & left side by prying a small/thin flat-head into the crevices then pulling out slowly so you dont crack/break more brittle plastic

 

 

Step 14.

Disconnect the clip for the coolant overdrainage hose.  Be sure to not let this drop level otherwise it will spill out the reservoir container coolant.

 

 
 

Quick look at the front.  the more space we make way for, the better it is when picking the cherry with the lift.  

 

 

 

Step 15.

Unscrew the final radiator hose with a phillips.  This is the opposite end of the radiator exit hose you just did underneathe.

 

Fan/Fan Clutch

Step 15b.

use socket wrench w/small extension (10mm) to unscrew 4-bolts. Then slide off the fan and store.

 
  Step 15c.

use an open 10mm wrench to remove the 4 nuts.  then slide off the fan clutch.

 

Power Steering Pump

Step 16.

loosen the retaining nut on the power steering pump adjusting clamp (12mm).

 
  Underside View

Step 16b.

loosen the adjust bolt from the underside(12mm).

 
  Underside View

Step 16c.

Put car into Neutral then use a 17mm socket and rotate the pulley either left or right so that the opening aligns with the power steering pump bolt on the mount.

 

 
  Underside View

Step 16d.

now use a 12mm socket w/extension to loosen mount bolt.

 

Alternator

Underside View

Step 17a.

Loosen the adjusting bolt below the alternator.

 
  Underside View

Step 17b.

Now loosen the Main mount bolt for the alternator at the top. Use 14mm socket

 
  Underside View

Step 17c.

Loosen the adjusting nut on the backend of the alternator adjusting bracket.  May have to use an open wrench (12mm).

 

Idler Pulley

Underside View

Step 18.

Loosen idler pulley adjusting nut (12mm socket)

 
  Underside View

Step 18b.

Use a 14mm socket and loosen the idler pulley locking nut.  It will eventually loosen up enough.  If it doesnt you may have to pry it loose with a long driver or with a rubber mallet.  Then remove all belts.

 
  Underside View

Step 19.

remove bracket using 12mm socket.

 

Alternator Removal

Underside View

Step 20a.

remove alternator mounting bolt.  spray some wd40 and shake at it until it slides off.  the alternator may appear stuck if it doesnt drop. break out the rubber mallet and go away at it.  

 
  Step 20b.

Dont forget the electrical wires are still connected so dont pull or drop it completely but let it rest on the pipe/hose underneathe until you disconnect them.

 
Alternator Wiring Disconnect Step 20c.

Should be able to turn the backend around to make it easier to work with.  The brittle connector should be the first disconnection using a small flathead and another to slowly pry at it which will eventually slide out.  then unscrew the ground wire at the far right with an open 8mm wrench.  Use 10mm socket for the final nut.

 

A/C Compressor Removal

Underside View

Step 21.

Remove two bolts at bottom of A/C compressor (14mm) and two at the top.

 
       
       
Power Steering Pump Removal Step 22.

Loosen the two bolts (12mm) on the adjusting tensioner bracket so we can remove it completely.

 
  Step 22b.

Loosen the adjusting bolt tensioner all the way out to remove it.

 
  Step 22c.

now that the belts are all off, we can now remove the pump from the engine.  Use a 14mm and completely remove the bolt we loosened earlier.

 

 
  Step 22d.

may have to pry with a crow bar to get it out of the grooves. Then use a coat hanger and wire it to the passenger side of the engine bay.

 
  Engine Front

Step 23a.

Start disconnecting the plastic fasteners around the electrical wires surrounding the engine block.

 

 
  Engine Passenger Side

Step 23b.

From the Passenger Side, remove the two bolts holding the brackets for the wiring.

 
  Engine Driver Side

Step 23c.

Do the same on the Driver's side and disconnect any plastic connectors also.

 
Balance Tube Removal Engine Top Backend Driver Side

Step 24a.

Start removing all the bolts pictured, but are main focus is the balance tube for now.

 
  Engine Top Backend Driver Side

Step 24b.

Remove the 2 bolts & 1 nut(10mm) from the Driver's side of the balance tube.

 
  Step 24c.

Start removing all the bolts pictured.  The 2 bolts on the remaining end of the balance tube. 

 
  Step 24d.

Then you can now pull up and push back toward the windshield.  Plug the holes of the plenum with either plastic bags or rags.

 
Coil Packs & Injector Plugs Disconnection Step 24e.

Start removing all the Coil packs (6) & connectors (12).  Most of the plastic is brittle so count on them either cracking or breaking .

 
  Step 24f.

remove 4 star bolts pictured. then take off the plenum cover and store away.

 
Throttle Cable Step 24g.

remove the 2 bolts (10mm) holding the throttle cable bracket in the middle.

 
  Step 24h.

unhook both throttle cable ends.

 
  Step 24i.

follow the throttle cable back until you see more brackets holding the cable in place. now disconnect the bolts w/brackets.(10mm)

 
  Step 24j.

disconnect the fuel lines fastened to the engine and their connections. be sure to cover any openings with either plastic bags if their fuel openings or masking tape.

 
Fuel Line Step 24i.

Top view of fuel line/filters.

 
  Step 24j.

unscrew the rings holding the fuel line to the filter.

 
  Step 24k.

remove remaining bracket holding fuel line/filter on driver's side.

 
    Step 25l.

disconnect fuel in-line/return line before the filter. then remove the assy. completely and place in plastic bag.  be sure to wrap the end openings with plastic.

 
  Engine Back end Top

Step 26a.

use pliers to disconnect the coolant hose from the center of the balance tube.  then remove balance tube or set aside if there is room.

 
EFI Harness Engine Back End Top

Step 26b.

disconnect remaining connectors on EFI harness.  Objective is to clear way and make as much room as possible behind the engine.  Start removing accessory wirings.

 
  Engine Back End Top

Step 26c.

remove small grounding bolt underneathe connectors/wiring.  This is to be able to pull EFI wire harness further out.

 
  Engine Driver's Side Top

Step 26d.

remove hose clamp at corner of plenum.

 
  Engine Driver's Side Back End

Step 26e.

remove additional clamp w/hose behind the engine on driver's side. to access EFI wire harness underneath. 

 
  Passenger Side

Step 27a.

follow the harness and disconnect any and all connectors, clips, brackets that hold it to the engine.

 
  Step 27b.

Passenger side bracket w/connectors

 
  Step 27c.

 

 
  Step 27d.

pay close attention to the hose connections and color codes

 
  Step 27e.

label numbered them with masking tape just in case

 
Driver's Side Engine Accessory Disconnect Step 28a.

follow the EFI around the engine, and remove what ever is in the way.

 
  Step 28b.

more disconnects & hose clamp removal

 

Full Exhaust Removal

Step29a.

the exhaust system is probably the easiest to remove.. three nuts on each pre-cat which makes 6 total (14mm), and 2 clamp hoses unscrewed w/flathead

 
  Step29b

follow the piping back until you see the rubber hangar and up to the bracket w/two bolts for each side.  so there are 8 total in the back end.

 
Heatshield Step30a.

now with the exhaust out of the way, we can remove the heat shield.  6 total nuts (10mm)

 
Drive Shaft Removal Step31a.

this is the Drive shaft starting with the front end.

 
  Step31b.

middle of drive shaft is where the disassemble takes place. (14mm) may have to use the breaker bar.  disconnect the two bottom bolts first then release the emergency brake and turn the shaft so the top two bolts are now accessible. then put the emergency brake back on. remove the next two bolts then finally the two on the bracket.

 
  Step31c.

the shaft will come down but not pull apart. so use a flathead to wedge between them and pry at it to break loose.  once loose the back end can be pushed back a few inches & then removed.

 
  Step31d.

make sure to mark one side of the front drive shaft and the same side it connects to on the rear shaft.  balancing & shaking could result.  the 1st pic is the front, 2nd pic is the rear.  the black marking on each is where they should connect.

 
Electrical Connectors

Transmission

Step32.

disconnect the plugs for the neutral light, reverse light, and brake light connectors on passenger side transmission.

 
Starter Step33.

disconnect the starter, start with the rear nut.  then the screws on the right side of the shield.  then 2 nuts (14mm) nut at the bottom holding bracket and the other at the top (difficult to get to, stubby).

 

 
  Step34a.

Disconnect the transmission bracket, 4 bolts/2 on each side.

then 1 nut & 1 bolt on opposite ends

 
master slave cylinder Step34b.

locate the master slave cylinder, should be two bolts (14mm). remove and wrap out of the way.

 

 
Precat Removal 1st pic is from the battery area view of the top of the precats their are two bolts hard to get to but are doable..

2nd pic is bottom view, two bolts

 
  bell housing bolts/transmission bolts.. try to remove whatever you can get to from the bottom looking up  
Transmission removal this is the set-up, basically a creeper with a jack at the balancing point of the transmission..  
  left-side of transmission bracket with bolts removed & the right-side loosened, then use jack to bring transmission down some  
  now you can access the driver's side bolt with the 3' extension at 14mm on a swivel socket 1/2"  
  center bolt with ground cable connected removed at the top center of transmission  
 

more bolts & brackets around the transmission to engine  
Clutch & Flywheel

clutch is now accessible w/transmission removed..

remove the 9 bolts on the pressure plate.. use two 12mm wrenches to remove all of them so the clutch doesnt turn..

then remove the 8 bolts 14mm from the rear of engine or crank shaft where the rear main seal is located..

 
  the clutch disc removed..  
  transmission assembly/clutch  
Engine Pull checks. remove nuts securing the engine mounts.  

things overlooked when doing this, the oil dipstick got bent out of shape so remove it before u pull,

 

also the electrical wiring connection to the oil sending unit next to the filter..

Engine Pull

 

 lift the engine up and out about a foot..  
  with the engine up some ways, now the ac compressor hoses can be disconnected with ease..  
 

up out & away she goes.. now walk around the engine and look for any hoses or disconnections that should be easily seen that need to be disconnected.  
 

   
engine mount used the wrong size bolts which were 100mm, lol can see the bend. but they were fine. going from the hoist to the stand is chaotic at first then simple after figuring the idiocracy out..  
 

now with the engine easily accessible, you can now do whatever mods, deletes, R&R's there needs.. the turbos were removed first to check the condition.. then the deletes such as the EGR, AIV, PRVR, Throttle Bypass to name a few came later..  
EGR Removal/Delete PhotobucketPhotobucket

 Photobucket Photobucket

 

 

 Photobucket Photobucket

 

EGR Removal requires 6 bolts total on right left and rear sides then of course the plumbing pipe to the driver's side exhuast which an adjustable wrench can suffice.. then plug it with a suitable size drain plug.. if you cant get a hold of one, ive got a few xtra and can ship them anywhere in the U.S. for $10.

made the plates out of sheet metal then chopped off the piping and used the plenum end of it and used gasket sealant to dress them then bolted them on both sides of the plenum.

now start with the throttle body water bypass since we have the plenum flipped over.  remove all the hard lines and hoses connected to them.  see the before and after picture. so clean and better off. will customize the hood with a scoop to get airflow going through, eventhough it probably wouldnt make much of a difference since very little water actually runs through the plenum as a cooling feature. 

 
Carbon Canister Delete

with the engine out, can now proceed with the deletes & bypass's, started with the Carbon Canister.  the gurggling noise can be officially silenced.

1st remove the front fascia the intercooler on driver's side

2nd remove all attachments to the Canister

 

 
  now remove the canister bracket.

then look in the engine bay where two hoses connected to the nipples appear and remove both of them.  then take the smaller diameter hose back underneath where the canister was removed and make the connections from the fuel line down to the connection at the bottom. (vapor release). also plug the air line with a bolt/screw. will do the engine connections after dropping it.

 
PRVR Delete

moving along to the Pressure Regulator Vacuum Relief delete/bypass.  now remove the two bolts on the bracket for the PRVR solenoid. and pull it up and observe the connections. disconnect the wiring harness.  now trace the two hoses from the PRVR into the fender well and disconnect. 

again, am not worrying about the engine connections cause they will be done after dropping the good engine in. taking care of all this now will be alot easier later.

 
AIV Delete

 

moving along to the Passenger-Side to do the Air Induction Valve delete.  the solenoid is identical and their are two of them. so disconnect the bracket and remove the left most one next to the battery. disconnect all the hoses. pay close attention to the one hose going from underneath the AIV solenoid.   
 

remove this hose and keep it, then remove the other two hoses & toss them out.

now connect the hose kept to the bottom end of egr solenoid on the right-side of the bracket.  then bolt the bracket back into place and keep the AIV solenoid in storage in case needed. 

 
  the two AIV hoses going into both sides of the fender well at opposite ends with the other ends normally connected to the AIV solenoid removed.  just for shiets & giggles, will use one of the connectors two connect the two hoses in case their used later

again, am not worrying about the engine connections cause they will be done later.

losing 5 or so lbs. means a lot. some serious gas saving, but in all seriousness the potentials of what could go bad makes these deletes that much more better other than..

 
Engine Anatomy  Photobucket now the engine is out & on the stand, can now proceed with whatever upgrades or r&r it needs.. the plenum is pretty straightforward, just walk around and disconnect all hoses and tubes that may hold the plenum to the heads. then remove all bolts but make sure you have some schematic to know where the bolts go back on since they vary.  
   Photobucket then remove the fuel rail/injectors from the intake cylinders then the intake itself. now can take a peak at the lifters to see what they look like.  
Timing Belt there are different ways to go about doing this, this is the most basic of ways in doing this

put a 27 mm socket on the crankshaft pulley and rotate it either direction until you line up the marks at top of the camshafts.  basically, getting pistons 1&4 at Top Dead Center (TDC).

 
  make sure you have the flywheel on if its on a stand to immobilize the crankshaft when removing it unless you have a compressor gun. then place a bolt somewhere on the flywheel that will catch as you rotate it.  
 

now break out the breaker bar, and lube if need be, and then loosen the crankshaft bolt. lifting it almost caused the engine stand to fall over, and putting my weight on it didnt help. shouldve used a pipe but didnt think about it so ended up stomping on the breaker bar to break it loose.  
 

 

 Photobucket Photobucket Photobucket

 Photobucket Photobucket Photobucket

 

now recheck the marks if its at TDC, if not then can always rotate it later after pulling the heads and visually watching the pistons at TDC by rotating it. try to leave the marks off center a little to the left since the crankshaft pulley needs to be tightened unless using the flywheel bolt stopper method.

this is where the actual timing belt kit is done. start by loosening the idler pulleys on both sides. then remove the covers on the camshaft pulleys and loosen the bolt on the driver's side then use the belt method below for the passenger side.

now stick a screw in the tensioner if planning on using it again or just remove it otherwise. then remove the timing belt.

(other directions may say to remove the tensioner first, only have to do the "hold belt in place" routine on the left for the passenger side camshaft pulley. guessing it was assumed the belt is being done with the engine still in the car.

can pretty much remove & replace anything at this point since piston 1 is at TDC.

 
removing the heads pics of camshaft to fill this space. is that warping?

PhotobucketPhotobucketPhotobucket

Photobucket

remove the back covers of the front engine if you plan on removing the heads and doing the cam seals etc.

remove two bolts on the passenger rear of the block & front driver's side of the block.  then remove 8 hex bolts for each head.  keep in mind the torque and order for which they should be removed.  will have to search the fsm/forums/net for that information since warping is a high potential in which im seriously not willing to risk anyone following my lead on this part. cause it may be one of those things where a person got lucky in the outcome opposed to others.

 

Headcams

 Photobucket PhotobucketPhotobucket

Photobucket Photobucket Photobucket

 Photobucket Photobucket Photobucket

 Photobucket Photobucket Photobucket

 Photobucket Photobucket Photobucket

 Photobucket Photobucket

removing the heads can get really ambiguous. just make sure you follow the FSM in torque specs. as well as order of the those big @ss hex bolts. 

all that had been done with these was removing them from the block and scuffed all the carbon deposits out of them. you can notice a huge difference. didnt do any measurements other than take a few peaks around to look for any damage.  while taking off the passenger-side head, lost my leverage and the freakin edge of the head slid down the surface head of piston 1.. leaving a trail of indentations.. probably wont effect any performance since the cylinder edge looked fine..

also, the freakin gasket kit ordered came damaged in the mail. the box arrived creased in half and when looking over the head gasket, it was bent a few spots that had to be bent back into shape. can see in the pics. didnt feel like exchanging and waiting another week so ended up just going with it.

 

Throttle Body Water Bypass

 Photobucket Photobucket

 Photobucket Photobucket

 buy about 5' feet of hosing eventhough you wont need that much, but its always good to have extra on hand.  i followed this tutorial from 300zxclub. dont forget to do the plenum first cause that was skipped the first time around and ended up having to take the plenum off again to knock out all the excess hoses that wont be used anymore after this delete. 

basically connect the driver & passenger side turbo's to where you see the connections in the picture which should both be going to the driver's side water pipe.

 
the Engine Drop  Photobucket Photobucket Photobucket

 Photobucket Photobucket

   
VG30DETT Heads/Leakdown

Lifters/Valve Stem Seals

 

 PhotobucketPhotobucket

PhotobucketPhotobucket

 

- drain the radiator
- take the radiator tubes off
-
remove the fan and fanclutch
-
remove the driverside timing belt cover
-
remove the radiator pipes so you can remove the passenger-side timing belt cover
-
remove all drive-belts, so you can remove the crank pulley, so you can remove the bottom timing belt cover
- take the bolts off of the camshaft sprockets

- now remove the timing belt autotensioner so you can remove the timing belt
-
remove the cam sprockets
- take the intake tubes off
- disconnect all sparkplug harness         - connectors, all injector connectors, and fuel pressure sensor
- remove the plenum balance tube
- remove the sparkplug coil packs
- Disconnect fuel lines
- remove the pcv valve tubes on both sides
- disconnect the EGR pipes going into the plenum bottom on both sides
- undo the throttle and cruise-control line
- take the plenum off
- remove the valve covers
- remove the camshaft brackets
- remove the camshafts

 

TDC

 Photobucket - use a long rod and tape off the end w/electrical or duct tape so it wont scratch the pistons then stick it down a cylinder which u know for sure it is at TDC.  Then scorch the very top end of it at level.  This way you can now check for TDC on all cylinders.

- Technically, they are paired up at TDC by the following:  1&4, 2&5, 3&6

 
Leak Down Test  Photobucket

 Photobucket

- screw in the fitting to the 1st cylinder to be tested at TDC, then apply 100psi from the compressor and read the % leakage gauge.

1. Listen at the Oil Dipstick Tube for leaking Cylinder Rings

2. Radiator Fill Cap for Cylinder Wall Cracks

3. Two Combustion Chambers with similar #'s in compression and leakdown indicates head gasket

4. Tail pipe for exhaust valve leaks

5. Fuel Injector for Intake Valve Leakage

 

Lifters

 Photobucket - carefully lift out the lifters with pliers, and know order they were removed  
Valve Stem Seals Photobucket 

Photobucket

 Photobucket

Photobucket

 

 

 Photobucket

 

 PhotobucketPhotobucket

 

Photobucket

 

 

- IMPORTANT: if doing the valve stems and lifters while the heads are still on the engine, then apply the compressor at continual 100 psi to the spark-plug hole w/a fitting.. or else the lifters will fall into the chamber which means the heads will have to come-off

- Now with the compressor on which ever cylinder, use the valve spring removal tool

 

- removing the spring and retainers can be either hard or easy, all pending on the tools used.. (email for a great tool for this, takes less than 2 minutes)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

- now the retainers & spring are removed, use pliers to twist and pull the old valve stem seal off the valve (clean any residue or debris out of the area

 

 

- Install good Valve stem seals by hand placement onto the valve stem (dip in oil optional) then place angled prongs on top of seal (NOT on SIDES) and push straight down until seated snug

 

- Install spring in valve, place two retainers correctly in washer then seat atop spring (make sure valve top is centered between retainers, use special tool and align in center of retainers, compress tool down then carefully hammer top (repeat until all is correctly seated

- rebuild lifters optional for ticking

 
       
       
       
       
       
       
       
       
       
       
       
       
       
       
       
       

 

 

 

 

 

 

Main

Sales

Directions

Video/Pictures

Parts

Tech

Contact