Hi Paul.
Hope you and the family had a nice Christmas, seems we can not stop ourselves working on these FL2 i changed my rear discs and pads over on boxing day, hopefully this time round everything will be oil and water tight, you have done an amazing job on the engine swap considering you had never done it before, I'm you will be asked about any pit falls if myself or any other owner should ever need to tackle the same job, fingers crossed for a successful day today for you.
Thank you my friend, we had a great Christmas, I hope you did too. Good to hear that you managed to get some FL2 work done - ! wish you a merry Disc-mas
. I almost spent Christmas Day afternoon helping my brother-in-law remove the gearbox from his mk2 Golf GTi but we thought better of it in the end, we'll do it another day.
I am absolutely bricking it about starting the engine this time around. If it leaks again I'll be distraught! I do feel more confident that the seal has gone in properly this time but I guess I'll only find out for sure once she fires up.
I really hope that this thread can help others in the future and I'll be more than happy to help anyone who wants my advice and insights when attempting a similar job. I was a complete novice when I set out on this journey, I feel marginally less of a novice now.
What I would say to anyone who is doing work to their FL2 and wants to remove their engine is this; if you have a garage or covered place to work which has a reasonably level floor and you have a smattering of reasonable tools it is quite achievable.
Here's what I consider to be essential tools for doing the job:
- ¼", ⅜", ½" socket sets (I've used 8mm, 10mm, 11mm, 13mm, 15mm, 16mm, 17mm, 18mm, 21mm, 22mm sockets)
- socket extension bars and wobble bit
- breaker bar
- spanners
- trolley jack
- axle stands
- torx and hex bits
- oil pan
- inspection lamp
- torque wrench
- pliers, screwdrivers etc
- gloves (I use strong nitrile ones and wear work gloves over the top if I'm doing anything heavy duty)
- something warm to lay on when working under the car, a camping mat is ideal, a piece of plywood will do. It's no fun laying on the concrete!
- funnels
- telescopic magnetic pick-up tool (for recovering dropped nuts and bolts etc!)
and while not essential the addition of 8mm, 10mm and 13mm ratchet spanners made the job much more bearable.
I'd say buy rather than hire an engine crane, mine was less than £150. It takes the pressure off if you don't have to worry about returning it on a certain day and you can always sell it again for good money if you think you won't need it again.
The task seems daunting if, like me, you've never undertaken something like this before but it really is just a sequence of steps, none of which are hugely difficult by themselves. Take your time and go steady. I wouldn't start it on Friday evening hoping to have it ready to go again by Monday morning. I liver rurally so having another car has been imperative for me and has reduced the stress massively. If you have a second pair of hands available to help at times that is useful but not essential.