First time removing a car engine and im doing it in my carport with a hoist. i'm doing it myself because i've paid too many "professional" mechanics too much to screw me over and screw up my car(including both nissan and infiniti, plus 3 other locally well known shops). my car hasn't ran right for the past year. i wasted 3k$ to get it diagnosed just to have 4 of those mechanics i just mentioned tell me they don't know whats wrong. after driving mechanic to mechanic its now on the verge of seizing, so i figured it was time to venture from motorcycles and start learning how to wrench on cars...im taking a bunch of pictures so i can throw up a detailed DIY since there aren't very many. i did a bunch of prior research but still overlooked 1 thing: the ac system -_-(yes i have fsm) The entire front end is already apart

had alot of trouble finding a mechanic that would come over and discharge it. one heavy accented mechanic told me to just throw on a towel and slowly unscrew one of the hoses on the compressor. slightly illegal and not particularly safe.

my question is has anyone hoisted out the engine without discharging the AC system? seems like itd be a very tight squeeze. all i need to do is figure this AC issue out so i can proceed

i seriously appreciate helpful responses. in return for the help i've gotten here, ill post the removal DIY and hopefully eventually install DIY.. if the trolls don't waste too much of my time.

 

When I removed the engine I purged the system using a rag and plastic cup, still made a mess but it worked. I just repeatedly opened the low and high valves until there was no more pressure. Don't know what you plan on doing with the engine but the AC lines are only so long.

 

sending the engine to a rebuilder to tell me if its rebuildable so its coming all the way out. i think i may just end up purging it. first time dealing with ac system so im trying to be very cautious. i've called 15 mechanics and only found one that said he might have time to do it next week but its pricey

some engine removal thread i read said the engine can be pulled out without discharging the system, but now that i think of it i think that person was probbaly using a lift and pulled the engine out from the bottom. when i started i was in one of those "hell with it i'll deal with it when i get there" moods. nothing like learning the hard way.... oh well, thanks!

 

That was the first for me too and its not that bad. After 10 months of sitting in pieces I reinstalled the AC system and had it professionally refilled last week, so far it is working fine.

 

good to hear. that helps alot.. ill be tieing everything off to avoid moisture exposure as much as i can in the ac system


presses button "well that was easy"

 

That's pretty cool. Did you just bent the a/c lines while pulling the condenser over? You can just jack the car so you can slide the engine underneath. Use cinder blocks with plywood on top to get more lift if needed. Lower the engine on to some wood using the hoist and slide it out from underneath.