90 Prizm Engine Removal - the wires?

[tashirosgt]

What's the best way to disconnect the wires when removing an engine in a '90 Prizm 4AFE AT? The service manual for the '90 Corolla says to remove the console around the shift and the console in front of the computer and disconnect three connectors. Then you are supposed to be able to pull the wires into the engine compartment through the firewall. I removed that stuff. In this car, the panel of the console under the heater controls has been sawed out by a previous owner so I have a good view. I see no way that the wires could be pulled into the engine compartment. They have to go through some very tight spaces where the connectors would catch. Also one bunch of wires that runs toward the rear of the car has no connector on it to unhook. Am I looking at the wrong wires? Or wouldn't it be easier to unhook the wires at their connectors on the engine?

[gekishibu86]

Originally Posted by tashirosgt

What's the best way to disconnect the wires when removing an engine in a '90 Prizm 4AFE AT? The service manual for the '90 Corolla says to remove the console around the shift and the console in front of the computer and disconnect three connectors. Then you are supposed to be able to pull the wires into the engine compartment through the firewall. I removed that stuff. In this car, the panel of the console under the heater controls has been sawed out by a previous owner so I have a good view. I see no way that the wires could be pulled into the engine compartment. They have to go through some very tight spaces where the connectors would catch. Also one bunch of wires that runs toward the rear of the car has no connector on it to unhook. Am I looking at the wrong wires? Or wouldn't it be easier to unhook the wires at their connectors on the engine?

Don't even bother messing around the wires inside. The easiest way to remove the engine is through the bottom. Just disconnect everything on the engine compartment(wires, coolant hoses, fuel lines,etc)except the right side left side and front mounts, disconnect and remove both axles and down pipe. Hook up the cherry picker, put load on it and then you can start removing the mounts and the center member and the engine/transmission can be lowered.

[okiesteve]

Agreed, you don't need to pull the wiring harness through the firewall. Just disconnect all the electrial connections on the engine.

Then proceed with removing the engine.

Good luck!

[REN69]

He wasn't really specific as to whether he's replacing the motor with the same motor OR he's replacing the motor with another motor, in which case he would need to take the harness out to be able to get the other motor's harness in. Be more specific dude, I'm assuming he's taking the harness out because he has a different motor.

[toyotaspeed90]

IMO, either way.... just pull the harness back towards the windshield and yank the motor out.... if you need to get it out from the rest of the car it's not like you didn't make life easier already....

[tashirosgt]

I haven't decided what to rplace the motor with. If the truth be known, I'm just fooling around with this car as a hobby. It would not be possible to pull the wires out through the firewall. In the first place there was a white plastic clip that held them. I wouldn't have seen this if the previous owner hadn't sawn out the panel around the radio. In the second place part of the harness wires seem to go back toward the rear of the car without any connector to break this circuit.

I decided to take the whole dash off so I can see what's going on. But I would still like to know the the procedure in the repair manual can be made to work.

[tashirosgt]

This is the story on the engine wires. After you remove the panels areound the emergency brake, shift and the lower part of the center panel of the dash, you see some connectors. There is a large bundle of wires that run up toward the dash. These are not the wires to the engine. The wires to the engine show up as 3 connectors that come from wires running under the EFI computer. You do have to disconnect some of the connectors of the wiring bundle that runs up to the dash in order to free these 3 connectors.
Then remove the small panel that is near the drivers right foot to the right of the accelerator. It is held by the typical press-in button type fasteners. You can see the big bundle of wires that comes through the firewall and runs downward. It has 1 more connector that goes into the side of the EFI computer that faces the drivers feet. When this is disconnected, pull the wires and and the 3 connectors under the EFI computer and into the area near the drivers right foot. Then pull the big bundle of wires out from the cranny it is in so it more or less rests on the rod to the accelerator pedal. In the engine compartment pry lose the big rubber grommet around the bundle of wires. It has a big lip so you will have to start it losening with screwdriver. After this you can indeed pull the wires through the firewall into the engine compartment.