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I was unfamiliar with the engine sealing plug, so I decided to locate it and remove it first. It is right above the driver's side engine mount. This is not something you can remove by hand. It was not a plastic plug I could pop out like I thought. It is a metal thing that is screwed in tight. I was able to unscrew it using a 6mm allen bit attached to my small 1/4" wrench. I used my hand to do the rest once it was loose enough.
Warning! Protect yourself. Put on a long sleeve shirt and thick gloves or you will leave DNA behind.
EDIT: I forgot to mention that I struggled to unscrew it. I finally sprayed some WD-40 penetrating oil and it let go.
You can also see on the mat a cheating pipe I used as an extension and a torch which you will need absolutely.
While the car was off the ground, I disconnected the driver's side engine mount plug and the A/C compressor plug. They are part of the engine wiring harness on the driver's side which I will need to pull up and put aside.
I removed jack stands and placed the car on the ground.
I popped the hood and removed front and rear engine plastic covers.
Driver's side: I unscrewed the coolant reservoir, pulled it up, disconnected the plug underneath, placed it with hoses attached at the front of the car.
Passenger's side: I removed intake ducts, air filter box and intake hose leaving the throttle body visible.
Next I disconnected some other engine plugs on the driver's side to be able to move a part of the engine harness out of the way.
I started with removing the ignition coils plugs retaining screws then the ignitions coil plugs, then the other plugs as shown in the picture below.
- A potentiometer plug in front of the upper intake manifold.
- The upper (intake) and lower (exhaust) camshaft position sensor plugs.
- The lower camshaft solenoid plug.
With the engine mount and A/C compressor plugs previously unplugged when I was under the car I was able to lift the whole set of harness and place it aside.
The next set of cables on the driver's side is attached to the breather hose with a plastic tie. I cut the tie then unplugged the two closest plugs which are the upper camshaft solenoid plug and the driver's side lower intake manifold plug. The other plugs are connected to the upper intake manifold, the throttle body and the passenger's side upper camshaft solenoid. You will see me remove them at the 8:58 time of the video below. Do not remove anything else after 10:44 time of the video at this point.
I tried to remove the engine harness on the passengers side too as much as I did on the driver's side but I gave up after breaking the red tab on the engine starter plug. Besides, I have much more space here than on the driver's side and I will be able to remove covers without having to move the whole harness away. I just disconnected the plugs in front of the upper intake manifold (video above will help), the lower camshaft position sensor and the lower camshaft solenoid to start with. This allowed me to pull the ignition coils plugs trio enough to do what I need.
Before
After. Don't mind the timing chain cover which is already open here. It's what comes next.
Warning! Protect your stuff
I have done my best to protect both ends of plugs after I disconnect them. I used paper tape to cover them or inserted a tiny piece of cloth. This prevented dirt from getting into them and causing electrical issues. Take your time and cover anything open (plugs, hoses) for your own sake.
Getting ready to remove the upper timing chain covers
Next I tried removing the rear upper timing chain covers. The first reason I did them first is that I was unfamiliar with them. I'd rather struggle with them and stop without going too far if there's an issue. The second reason is that I did not want the valve covers to be open while I'm removing the timing covers out of fear of dropping something into the engine.
Warning!At this point, you want to place something at the back of the engine to avoid dropping things and being unable to retrieve them. I placed an old bed sheet not just behind but also on close corners.
Plugs behind
There are a few plugs held by metal holders that obstruct the back of the timing chain covers. I was first unable to understand how the ones on the driver's side were installed which I will find out later. There is much more room on the passenger's side and there's only one plug and holder there.
I unplugged the connections first on both sides
3 on the driver's side (1 gray and 1 green both on top and 1 black under them which is larger). There isn't much room but do your best to cover them. It will take time. Take your time.
1 plug on the passenger's side.
Driver's side
I gently bent the plug holder on the driver's side away from the timing chain cover.
I also removed the oil filter cover and I disconnected the breather hose which was in the way. Be very gentle with the breather hose tabs and the hose itself as they may break. Take your time.
Now I can identify every single bolt behind each timing cover by hand. There are 8 bolts on each side.
I placed a mirror to have a look at the back of the engine then I removed it to have more room.
I used my touch senses here to unscrew the T-30 bolts in a circular motion. I started with the less accessible bolt at the bottom then went counter clockwise.
I used my small 1/4" wrench with a short extension. These are normally torqued to 5 Nm only so they should come off easily.
I marked the location of the plastic tie holders, one on each side.
Caution! Once the bolts seemed loose, I used the telescoping magnetic pen to make sure the bolts do not fall behind the engine. I used one hand to stick the magnetic end to the bolt while unscrewing the last threads with my other hand. Once they were off, the magnetic pen has them stuck and I just pull them out.
02-18-2020, 04:52 AM
