2.4 Engine Conversion (2007)

19th March (1 Hour)

• Removed electric connections to radiator temperature sensor. Will need new ones as old ones have melted.
• Removed undertray. Will need new bolts for rear of undertray and plug in wishbones.
• Loosened bolts holding each half of the CV joints together.
• Removed battery and battery tray.

22nd March (2 Hours)

• Tried to remove wishbones but the subframe needs lowering first.
• Removed chargecooler.
• Removed radiator support bracket, radiator and coolant hoses.
• Removed air intake from turbo.

25th March (1.5 Hours)

• Started to remove downpipe.
• Removed camshaft cover, coil packs and fuel injector leads.
• Removed coolant overflow tank.
• Removed hoses between turbo and intercooler.
• Fitted bags over CV joints to protect them from dust.

26th March (0.5 Hours)

• Removed wide and narrow band lamda probes.
• Finished removing downpipe.

27th March (1.5 Hours)

• Removed oil cooler hoses.
• Removed alternator.
• Removed exhaust manifold.
• Removed turbo.
• Removed metal water duct from behind exhaust manifold.

28th March (1 Hour)

• Removed power steering hoses.

31st March (2 Hours)

• Removed strut brace.
• Removed fuel lines from fuel rail.
• Removed all electrical connections to rear of engine.
• Removed all air pressure hoses from plenum chamber.
• Started to remove gear linkages.
• Removed water hoses from thermostat.

1st April (3.5 Hours)

• Removed remaining hoses from rear of engine block.
• Finished removing gear cable linkage clips.
• Removed front bumper, front mount intercooler and side lights.
• Raised car so front is 90cm above the ground.
• Removed thermostat.
• Fitted sling around engine and connected to crane.
• Loosened front, gearbox and rear engine mounts.
• Loosened front anti-roll bar, powersteering rack, wishbones and lowered front subframe.
• Lowered engine to floor using a crane.

2nd April (2 Hours)

• Removed driveshaft between differential and right hand bracket.
• Removed bolts holding gearbox to block but it wouldn't come off.

3rd April (1 Hour)

• Removed clutch slave cylinder and gearbox pulled off easily.
• Removed clutch cover plate.
• Removed clutch.
• Removed flywheel.
• Removed metal sheet between gearbox and engine block.

26th April (1.5 Hours)

• Removed all connections to the air intake and removed it.
• Removed camshaft cover.

28th April (2.5 Hours)

• Removed plastic ends off head which are part of the cambelt cover.
• Removed head bolts in diagonally opposite order from outside to inside.
• Removed sump plug and drained oil.
• Turned engine upside down and removed oil breather pipe off sump.
• Removed bracket holding driveshaft to block.
• Removed dipstick.

29th April (2.5 Hours)

• Removed Exhaust shield mounting bolt from head.
• Removed water temperature thermostat from head.
• Made wooden box to ship head to Barbz.

30th April (0.5 Hours)

• Removed camshafts from head.

1st May (3 Hours)

• Removed water and oil hoses of Turbo.
• Packed Turbo, exhaust manifold and head in boxes ready for posting.

2nd May

• Posted Turbo, exhaust manifold and head to Barbz.

3rd May (1 Hour)

• Removed driveshaft support from rear of engine block.
• Managed to lever off the oil sump.
• Removed oil pickup.
• Removed 6 bolts holding on the crank pully. Must remember to line up the white dot on the pully with that on the shaft.
• Removed 3 bolts holding on the oil breather. Discovered that the rubber O ring was ineffective causing oil to leak down the block.
• Removed knock sensors.
• Removed crank position sensor and the metal bracket carrying their wires to the plugs.
• Removed hose joining thermostat with rear of block.
• Removed oil temp and pressure sensor that fit onto the block using a Y connector. Needs a new washer as old one was oval. Use thread lock gel when refitting.
• Removed metal 90 degree water tube connection to rear of block. Needs a new washer.

5th May (3.5 Hours)

• Removed power steering pulley and pump.
• Removed power steering reservoir to give access to paint body.
• Removed front engine mount.
• Removed slam panel.
• Undid plastic cable shield.
• Removed towing eye.
• Removed bumper mounting points.
• Removed clutch pipe bracket.

6th May (5.5 Hours)

• Removed all rust from engine bay and bolt on parts.
• Removed wheel arch liners.
• Masked engine bay ready for painting.

7th May (1 Hour)

• Painting.

8th May (1.5 Hours)

• Dismantled power steering reservoir bracket ready for painting.
• Painting.

9th May (2.5 Hours)

• Cleaned front engine mount.
• Drilled out sheared bolt from battery tray.
• Removed wire clip off battery tray.
• Dismantled fan housing.
• Painting.

10th May (2 Hours)

• Prepared engine mount for painting.
• Dismantled bonnet catch ready for painting.
• Completely dismantled throttle body, injectors ready for cleaning and polishing.
• Had difficulty removing rubber grommets from inlet manifold.
• Painting.

22nd May (3 Hours)

• Started to tidy up wiring loom down LHS and RHS of engine bay.
• Cleaned fan and fitted back onto housing.

28th May (3 Hours)

• Refitted slam panel.
• Cleaned coolant water tank.
• Cleaned and painted horns.
• Rewired and cleaned wiring on left hand side of engine bay.

29th May (2 Hours)

• Cleaned rear of engine bay.
• Cleaned washer fluid water tank.
• Cleaned charge cooler reservoir.
• Cleaned brake fluid holder.
• Cleaned powersteering rack and bellows.
• Tried to remove wishbones.

30th May (1.5 Hours)

• Worked out how to remove wishbones.
• Started to clean subframe.
• Fitted powersteering bracket.

4th June (6 Hours)

• Finished cleaning subframe.
• Rerouted windscreen washer pump wires.
• Fitted new radiator fan connectors and resister to radiator fan housing.
• Cleaned threads on suspension.

5th June (3 Hours)

• Removed centre section of exhaust.
• Cleaned half of the threads of all the removed nuts and bolts.
• Painted gearbox engine mount black.
• Painted engine mount black.
• Took manifold back to polishers.

6th June (2 Hours)

• Fitted gearbox engine mount.
• Finished cleaning all threads.

11th June (3 Hours)

• Finished renewing wiring loom.
• Cleaned thottle body.

12th June (2 Hours)

• Dismantled centre console and made mould for the radio surround.

13th June (2.5 Hours)

• Cleaned gearbox.
• Added fibreglass filler to radio surround mould.

14th June (2 Hours)

• Finished cleaning gearbox and driveshafts.
• Added another layer of filler to the radio surround.

18th June (1 Hour)

• Removed radio surround mould from centre console, trimmed and filled again.

19th June (0.5 Hours)

• Filled radio surround and filled again.

22nd June

• Engine rebuilders asked for old pistons and rod so they can work out correct orientation of new ones.

25th June

• Picked up Chrome exhaust heatshield and lamda probe rail.
• Took old pistons to engine rebuilders.
• Engine rebuilders phoned to say there was a major problem with the new rods.

5th July (2 Hours)

• Masked front engine mount. Sprayed it aluminium using high temperature paint.
• Decided to also spray the gearbox aluminium so started to strip all attachments to it.
• Sprayed radio surround with rubber paint but it showed that the filler was not smooth enough. Removed rubber coating and added more filler.

8th July (4 Hours)

• Cleaned new air intake manifold, masked and painted aluminium.
• Fitted new front engine mount.
• Cleaned and painted black old gearbox mount.
• Cleaned and painted aluminium the drive shaft bracket.
• Tried to dismantle injector rubber boots but couldn't work out how they came apart.
• Fitted most of centre console back into place.
• Painted radio surround but scratched it when fitting.

9th July (2 Hours)

• Sanded and painted with filler the radio surround.
• Cleaned throttle and fitted to Plenum chamber.
• Fitted fuel pressure regulator to fuel rail.
• CLeaned and painted slave clutch cylinder bracket.

15th July (5 Hours)

• Fitted front engine mount to engine.
• Tried to fit reconditioned injectors but noticed that one has a new spray nozzle clip which didn't fit properly or match the others.
• Cleaned, masked and painted aluminium the upper engine mount.
• Fitted driveshaft support.
• Fitted new idler and tensioner pulleys.
• Fitted oil pressure sender.
• Removed old exhaust timing wheel off old camshaft.
• Cleaned powersteering pump and refitted.

17th July (1 Hour)

• Fitted headgasket and head onto engine block. However I don't know the tightening order.
• Determined TDC of #1 piston using dial gauge.

18th July (2 Hours)

• Tried to replace the rubber boots on the ends of the injector wires but couldn't dismantle the plugs.
• Fitted radio into it's new surround and finished fitting the centre console.
• Fitted new chip to the diagnostic widget and refitted widget back into dashboard.

20th July (3 Hours)

• Readjusted timing belt tension.
• Fitted camshaft cover.
• Fitted cambelt cover.
• Fitted injectors to inlet manifold and manifold to engine.

21st July (6 Hours)

• Fitted spark plugs.
• Tightened powersteering belt.
• Fitted water pipe to front of engine.
• Fitted exhaust manifold.
• Fitted thermostat.
• Fitted Lamda probe rail.

22nd July (6.5 Hours)

• Lifted engine off engine stand and onto ground.
• Fitted flywheel.
• Fitted clutch.
• Fitted gearbox.
• Fitted rear engine mount to gearbox.
• Fitted gear selector bracket.
• Fitted starter motor.

24th July (3 Hours)

• Tried to fit new wishbones but threads are stripping so fitted old wishbones.
• Fitted anti-rollbar.
• Fitted driveshafts but not torqued up.

25th July (2 Hours)

• Fitted subframe.
• Fitted powersteering rack to subframe.
• Bolted rear engine mount to subframe.
• Removed crane supporting engine.

26th July (2 Hours)

• Started to fit wiring loom to engine sensors.
• Started to fit cooland hoses to engine.
• Fitted coolant expansion tank.
• Removed charge cooler reservoir.

28th July (5 Hours)

• First attempt at fitting the new turbo but every orientation seemed to give problems with either the actuator, the actuator bracket or the oil and water feeds.
• Made brackets for remote oil filter and horns.
• Discovered the starter motor is missing a lead.

31st July (6 Hours)

• Another attempt at making a new horn bracket.
• Trimmed plastic cowel around remote oil filter.
• Fitted offside wheel arch trim.
• Fitted coolant and washer water bottles.
• Found missing starter motor lead and fitted it.
• Tidied up the wiring loom for the front lights.
• Second attempt at fitting the new turbo.

1st August (3.5 Hours)

• Fitted strut brace.
• Fitted radiator, cooling fans and remaining coolant hoses.
• Fitted air intake.
• Plumbed in wastegate actuator.
• Fitted intercooler.
• Fitted wheels.
• Discovered that the turbo outlet is at the wrong angle to attach to the intercooler.

2nd August (6 Hours)

• Third and final attempt at fitting the new turbo.
• Fitted downpipe and exhaust.
• Removed axle stands from under car and lowered to the ground.
• Wrapped new oil filter pipes in heat wrap.
• Filled engine and gearbox with oil.

3rd August (0.5 Hours)

• Fitted battery tray and battery.
• Filled with coolant.
• Turned key and engine started.

Total Time: 134 Hours

Interesting information:

• 105 Zip bags used to store removed parts and nuts and bolts.
• Compression test results (Cylinders 1,2,3,4,5)
• 160
• 160
• 155
• 160
• 160
• Crankshaft weight: 49.6 lbs (22.5 Kg).