Day 7 ~ Engine Removal [part 1]

Hoses, belt, connectors, etc. My goodness there's a bunch to disconnect to be able to pull the engine w/o damage. I "only" got the ignition wiring, serpentine belt, belt tensioner assembly, radiator(s), condenser coil (had the r134 recovered already), power steering pump, air conditioning compressor, alternator, water hoses, fuel & evap lines, vacuum hoses, battery & tray, air box, intake manifold, and electrical wiring harness disconnected and out of the way. Other than that, I removed a few brackets and do dads here and there.
   Labeling is key! I used masking tape and a marker to label most of my wiring connectors and hoses (I say most, but recommend all especially if you're unfamiliar yet as to what does what in the engine compartment). I didn't personally choose to label everything because I've removed a handful of engines now and have a basic system that works for me. Oh, if you don't know what every little component is and what it goes to that's fine! Sometimes the thing that works is using numbers to label both sides of a connection. If you start from say a large portion of the harness near the battery, you just label the first connector "1" with a piece of tape around the wire (again, on both sides of the connection). Follow the strand as it gets smaller out to the ends, then come back to where it really branched off and continue down each branch progressively increasing your numbers. This helped me dramatically the first couple times I pulled an engine. No looking around wondering if you got them all...just keep counting up when you put them together. For the odd exception, it's helpful to have a sheet of lined paper handy to jot the numbers down so you can check them off if you feel the need to put them back together out of order. You don't want to turn the key and have some stuff disconnected. It's much more difficult to figure out what's wrong once everything's back together than it would be to follow a sequence. Also the lined paper is helpful to educate yourself as you figure out the names of the components. Just jot it down beside the number and you'll be sharp as a tack in no time.
   Most people are recommending the "Bentley" manual to follow for a good disassembly order. I would agree. I got the Haynes, and compared to the Bentley, it's a different world. Informative, clarity, comprehensive...these are all words which don't apply to the likes of Chilton and Haynes but do fit the Bentley. It cost me about $80 to get a new hardback 2-volume set, but it's worth it. Even so, there are a couple errors (to be expected with almost any technical manuscript I've seen), but even when it wasn't clear, it still proved a good guide anyway. Besides, if something's in your way and hard to get to, just remove it. We're gutting the thing and moving it all back to the rear anyway, so no need for acrobatics and special tooling. Just keep track of where you are in the process so you can refer back to it when you're done with your rabbit trail.
  Well, there's still the 6 exhaust manifold bolts, 3 engine mounts, and half-shafts to remove, plus the one or two wires I inevitably missed on the first pass. Then we'll be in business pulling the engine/tranny combo. I'll be separating the tranny to swap engines with another VR6 Jetta's I just picked up a couple days ago and pulled. The separation and mating of the motor and tranny will not be counted in the build time unless it becomes apparent that it needs to be done for the average builder. In my particular case, I have a bad motor that needs serious work, which I'll swap with one that will hopefully only need a little tlc.
  No pics today...too tired and there's nothing much exciting about engine removal prep.

Goals:
  Thursday ~ Finish engine removal and gut the remaining things that need removal along the wheel wells and firewall/dash area.
  Friday ~ Get a better understanding from Mark about the final rear-cut lines (I marked them up, but something doesn't look the same as his pictures, so I'd better check first) by Friday so I can finish the remaining cuts
  Saturday ~ Rust-prevention-paint-spray all the cut areas, & start putting kit parts on the Jetta!

We'll see if I'm overzealous or not. I'm getting pretty tired out with late nights and long, hard, hot days at work. The body's really starting to complain. I'm hoping to work through it and just get used to it after a while like I've done before. If not, I'll have to just rest a couple days. I really want to get all the kit parts I have installed. Then if more haven't arrived by then, I can take a break, work on the motor, or gut and scrap the wrecked VR6 frame I just got the other day for the motor. I'll be scavenging anything useful. Then it's off to the metal recycling yard for some cash. = )