I have been told I can access the main bearings and lower half of the 2.0L engine without transmission and flywheel removal by drilling to gain access to the two inaccessible bolts in the secondary pan (??? official name). I looked and looked and could not find any pictures or special instruction.

Can anyone give some additional info and confirm if this is possible? I am looking to replace one set of stock main bearings on a low mileage motor and this would save me a bunch of time.

 

BUMP-anyone?

 

dont drill holes in your block for any reason, u must remove the pan but the trans does not need to come off

 

actionpaintball. Were you able to replace the main bearings without removing the transmission?

Does anyone else know if it is possible to replace the main bearings on a 2.2L without removing the transmission?