Loose Accessories
Most engine accessories will transfer from the old engine to the replacement engine. It’s not particularly cost-effective to buy new accessories when the old ones work perfectly fine (and you won’t find new engines with those accessories anyway, so you’ll have to source them separately). However, it’s important that you install those accessories correctly in order during engine installation to avoid damaging the new engine.
Inspect First
The first thing you do should be to inspect all of the accessories that will transfer to the new engine. This should actually be done before ordering the new engine so that if you need a new part that won’t be included with the replacement engine, you can have everything shipped and on hand at the same time when you’re ready to replace the engine. When looking at engines for sale, shop around and survey your mechanics to see if they have any connections.
Fully inspect all components that will transfer over.
These accessories include, but are not limited to:
Power steering pump
Alternator
AC compressor and other system components
Radiator and all other cooling system components
Installation of Accessories
Most major accessories rely on the vehicle’s drive belt for power. That includes the AC compressor, the alternator and the power steering pump, certainly. It’s vital that you get each of these accessories into the correct alignment and tightened properly.
One of the most common errors in engine installation is not tightening an accessory correctly. If you’re not careful, you’ll learn about this the hard way – the part will knock or jump when you crank the engine, potentially causing very serious damage to the new engine and/or other components and accessories.
It only takes a little bit of time to ensure that the accessories that transfer over to the new engine are securely tightened and in the proper alignment. If necessary, turn the engine over by hand while keeping an eye on the components and look for any that are loose or knocking. Turning the engine by hand lets you double-check your work without the danger posed by actually operating the engine with a loose accessory. You’ll probably need another set of eyes or hands here – one person can turn the engine over while the other inspects the accessories for play/knocking. Torque the accessory bolts to the proper setting by the automaker’s recommendation.
Once all of the accessories have been installed and tightened, DOUBLE CHECK all of them with the torque wrench and you will avoid this engine installation error.
