Engine removal factory service supplement

[Jonny]

Or... useful things for a first-timer to know which the FSM doesn't mention.

A few days ago I removed the engine/tranny assembly for the purpose of a clutch and head gasket job. It was a very stressful few days which had me wondering which of the several removal methods to use, how high do you need the van, how heavy is the beast, where is its center of gravity, jeez there are a lot of tubes and wires and where ARE all those sensors located anyway, and generally losing sleep about the million ways I could screw up, break stuff or squash myself under the darn thing.

So, the following series of post are a record of the things I ended up answering for myself one way or another (sometimes from other posts here on TVT) and comments/photos which, when used with the FSM, give a more detailed picture of what you're meant to be doing.

The FSM uses the support from below method of removal. Samay / Previa Legend also uses this method on his Youtube videos and makes it look so easy (it isn't, of course). The FSM also disconnects the wiring harness from the components and leaves it attached to the engine. You can also disconnect the harness from the engine/components and leave it attached to the body. There appear to be pros and cons both ways, but since this is a FSM supplement I'm describing the process with the harness coming out with the engine as per the FSM.