Quote Originally Posted by Dash01
My garage workspace is limited.

I'm hoping to simply unbolt the engine from the tranny, exhaust pipes, and motor mounts, then scoot it forward and hoist it up and out of the car. This would presumably entail first removing the hood and radiator and disconnecting and setting aside the wiring harness. Replacement engine installed in reverse order.

But, there are a dozen or so bolts that attach the engine to the automatic tranny, plus proper alignment of torque converter, etc.. So, installing the new engine is surely more tricky than pulling the old one out.

Any further suggestions or insights from people who've actually done this would be much appreciated. I'm still in the imagineering mode, but suspect that Bentley is not necessarily always the most efficient way to go.
Engine removal is not quite as simple as you envision. Simple, but not quite that simple

A few things you haven't accounted for are:

-Fluids. May seem a no-brainer, but do take some time and make things messy.

-Tehre are a few different sizes of torx to remove the tranny, if you have them, buy a good set as Whit said.

-Setting aside the wiring harness may involve removal of fuel injector clips (not suere on the M30). Also required will be 'pulling a few more hoses, throttle cables etc.

-Are you swapping intakes?

-Exhaust will hopefully go smoothly, but some clamps may provide resistance to your efforts. Same with exhaust manifold studs.

-If you don't have a lift, get some serious help for installing the tranny. I did it alone once and had soem sore abs from using my gut to push it into place while attempting to line up bolts.

-Of course, consider replacing exhaust pieces, guibo, center bearing, steering box (if sloppy) etc. while you're at it.

I don't mean to discourage, it is a fairly straightforward and rewarding job, but there amy be a few little things that catch you along the way.

Dave