Originally Posted by nicoclub.com

It's actually a very very easy job, once you look at the situation.

You WILL need to lower the center cross member. Now, don't let that scare you .... it's actually kinda easy.


1. Jack the car up in the air to the point that you can essentially slide under the tires without a creeper (a comfortable part). Put it on jackstands then. Remove tires. Locate the 2 subframe bolts on each side (17mm irrc) and spray them with PB blaster or WD40 whatever

2. Drain oil

3. From underneath, remove motor mount bolt on each side.

4.Disconnect both left and right side tension arms. If yours are gooey, replace them with bushings, or SPL Tension Arms. No cheapy crap. Repsray the 4 subframe bolts with WD40

5. Disconnect left and right lower control arm from crossmember/subframe. They will now dangle all over, as will the hub/coilover/brake assembly.

6. Disconnect the 4 bolts holding the steering rack onto the crossmember. You don't need to disconnect any lines, just the rack from the cross member. Respray the 4subframe bolts again with WD40.

7. On the cross member, you'll need to take off the two bracket securing the powersteering loop (10mm bolts)

8. Now, with everythign pretty much out of the way aside from the crossmember, you can now locate those 4 subframe bolts. DO NOT REMOVE THEM YET. They should be pretty well soaked in WD40. Using a breaker bar, (1/2 drive obviously) or an impact gun, JUST BREAK THEM LOOSE/LOOSEN THEM. You just want to get them initial 'unfroze' of rust and corrosion. Spray them again with WD40.

9. Take your jack, and put it under the car (handle sticking out under front bumper. Jack up against that center crossmember till it touches. Now slowly jack it up SLIGHTLY. Just enough so you ntoice the engine move slight up away from the mounts.

10. Now, get a third jackstand, and place it under the Bellhousing of the transmission. Make sure you've got enough room to take out the lower oil pan bolts that go through the tranny. There is like a center rip on the bellhousing that you should alingn with the jackstand. This will be used to supoprt the engine once the crossmember is lowered.

11. Once the jackstand is under the tranny, and the jack is still tight on the crossmember under the engine, you'll want to remove those 4 (2 L and 2 R) subframe/crossmember bolts. Once removed, you'll now lowere the front jack so that the assmebly rests on that third jackstand you placed. Once the bellhousing is on the jackstand, you acn carefully lower the pump jack. If you're lucky, that subframe will follow the jack down, but more than likely you'll probably hafta jigglejaggle it out, but it will come out. It's not heavy, but not light...be aware of your noggin when it comes crashing down.


12. Now you've got MORE than plenty of access to tear apart the engine. Remove the lower pan. Remove the pickup and be sure to catch that gasket.

13. Take off Valvecover, and CAS

14. Using a 10mm with a universal, remove the two front cover bolts that stick up into that area under the cams. You can get them out/loosend, but the drivers side one won't be able to be removed. Thats ok though.

15. Remove all of the bolts in the front cover.

16. Remove the two bolts from underneath that go into the front cover from inside the oil pan

17. Remove the upper oil pan inspection cover

18. Remove those two little nuts in there that connect to the rear main seal housing.

19. Remove the bolts around the upper oil pan, and pry it off.

20. Now pry off the front cover.

21. Remove all silicone from the surfaces, inspect everything while it's all off, and then put it all back on. Remember to use PERMETEX ULTRA Gray. Also remember to apply it on the headgasket where it contacts the front cover/oil pump.


....I think that covers it all....basic 'how to'. You should be able to get that all done in an hour or so if you know what you're doing and know the car well. Maybe 3-4 if you're new at it?

have fun!