Replacing An Acura Cl Engine

By Author: Peter Jones
Total Articles: 231
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Replacing an Acura Engine can be done in an affordable and efficient way. Ideally, you should replace the engine with a new one, but if for reasons of budget constraints, you have to get a used one, make sure that the engine is in excellent condition before beginning the installation process. With a used engine, make sure, among other things, to check the belts, the alternator and the clutch.

Your main task is to choose the best engine for your high performance needs, order the engine parts, get and organize all the tools that you'll need, write down a clear plan of action, remove the previous engine and carefully label or dispose of various parts, clean and prepare the new engine for installation, label all the parts, hoist the new engine into the engine bay, hook up all the parts of the engine, and replace all the necessary fluids.

If you're ready to get your new high-performance engine in place how do you start?

The first step is to make some primary decisions. Do you want a new engine or a used one? How much performance do you need and ...
... how will you use it? And so on. By making clear decisions at the start, you will know how much money to allocate to your project, how much time it will take, and what type of help and tools you will need to get the job done. Although you may be excited and want to jump into the project right away, it's worth taking the time to make some sound decisions.

Once you've made your decisions, the next step is to prepare your garage with all the right tools. For an Acura CL Engine, it's recommended that you get an engine hoist, motor mounts, shift linkage, and a variety of wrench sizes, ranging from 12 mm to 17 mm. You will also need a tall jack, two or more jacks stands, a blow torch, and axles.

Besides making sure that you have all the tools you need for getting the job done right the first time, you will need to plan other things as well. Your plan should include how much money to spend, how much time you have available, and how much you need to research before you even get started on the work. While it is possible to do well by working things out as you go along, you will be done faster and more efficiently, and possibly at a cheaper cost, if you plan everything out ahead of time. The idea of a plan will also motivate you to both begin and complete your project. A plan will give you a direction and lay out the steps that you need to follow in the right order.

Once you're ready to begin the actual work, the first task is to disassemble your current engine. You want to save the engine parts that are still usable, label them, and sell them off as used replacement parts. You also want to get rid of corroded or damaged parts by scrapping them. Finally, you want to properly dispose of all the fluids. Make sure that you get rid of damaged pieces and fluids according to state laws for toxic disposal.

Assuming that your engine bay is now ready for the new engine, remove the new Acura CL engine from the factory casing, clean all the parts, then label them accordingly. By labelling things and setting them out neatly on your workbench, you will avoid spending half of your time looking for the parts that you need when you're ready to install them. You should follow the written directions that come with your new engine as closely as possible. When in doubt, it's advisable to get expert help instead of wasting hours trying to figure it out or skipping steps and messing up the swap. Once your new engine is installed, add new fluids, specifically transmission fluid, coolants, washer fluid, oil, and so on.

Most of the conversion procedures for all Acura engines are fairly straightforward, although at times it is difficult to remove the pin that locks the shift linkage to the transmission.

About: Once your engine is installed, run the car gently for at least 500 miles before you begin racing it. By gently breaking in the new used Acura engine, you will identify any installation mistakes you may have made and you will also increase the longevity of your new engine.