pulling the engine out

jonathanD · Poncho Master!

pulling the engine out

grande jim · Guru

Firstly ....I would find someone who has pulled a motor before, that could give you a hand. Not that I don't think you should tackle this on your own...It's just nice to have some experience standing beside you,and if anything goes wrong....experience say's it's always nice to have somene that can dial 911 standing beside you!

jonathanD · Poncho Master!

i don't know anyone that has done this before personally

grande jim · Guru

Next best thing would be to find a book on how too pull an engine, and do it with someone..not alone!! Maybe an old service manual would help.

66 Beau · Poncho Master!

Are you pulling the engine & tranny at the same time? I've usually done it that way. much easier to mate the tranny to the engine outside the car.

Take the hood off and set it aside - carefully if it's painted. Drain the rad, remove all coolant lines including heater lines & pull the radiator out of the car. You might get away without pulling the rad, but I usually end up damaging the rad if I don't remove it. Pull the fan off - you can usualy leave the water pump on. Disconnect all electrical lines - don't forget any grounding straps - and remove the alternator. You can leave the starter on the engine or pull it off - your call. Disconnect the wires though. I like to pull the distributor and carb - stuff clean rags or towels into the holes immediately so you don't drop nuts, bolts, clips or dirt into them. Get any tranny linkages and throttle linkages out of the way. If you have an auto tranny, disconnect the cooling lines from the tranny & rad - I usually leave the lines in the car.

Disconnect power steering pump and hang it off to the side out of the way.

Disconnect the exhaust at the manifolds (or if you've got headers, unbolt the headers from the heads).

I like to put all the bolts back into their holes and mark ALL electrical/vacuum lines with masking tape and a description so you can remember how they go back together. Today, with digital cameras, taking lots of pictures of how things were connected would be helpful.

I like to use a chain bolted to the intake manifold bolts - front bolt on one side, rear bolt on the other. Make sure the engine hoist will go high enough - as the engine comes out, the car will rise as the weight comes off the springs and you have to get the oil pan over the rad support.

Undo the engine/tranny mounts and go over everything looking for anything you forgot to disonnect. As you start to lift it, keep checking for anything you forgot - there's always something (for me anyway).

If you're pulling engine & tranny, you have to let the front of the engine come up first so the nose clears the rad support. It helps to have two people so you can raise the engine & tranny while someone watches to make sure you're not scratching the firewall with the back of the tranny.

I've never used a manifold plate - never really trusted them but that's just me.

GO SLOWLY, USE YOUR HEAD and take the time to look all around the engine/tranny. So what if it takes you all day - better safe than sorry. NEVER put you hands or body under the load you're lifting and watch out for pinch points. As the engine/tranny is being lifted, you should be able to rotate it slightly at all times. It should be hanging freely from the hoist. If it gets tight or seems to stop coming up, stop and find out where it's binding. Lowering it a little, rotating or tilting the assembly a little bit before lifting again might be necessary.

Did I miss anything ?

-- Edited by 66 Beau on Sunday 23rd of May 2010 01:44:37 PM

dualquadpete · Canadian Poncho Superstar!

The only thing I think you missed was taking out the d/shaft & plugging up the output shaft with a "BUNG" either plastic one or a old d/shaft yoke?? If you don't do this ,your going to have a BIG MESS from Trans fluid coming out the back of transmission, OH ya Speedo cable off side of trans, just unscrews!!! If your going to "split the engine & trans & leave trans in car, you'll have to remove torque converter dust shield [by starter mtr. remove the 3 or 4 bolts that hold t/converter to flywheel, have to rotate engine by using big screwdriver on flywheel or turn it by harmonic pully on frt, then remove the bell hsg bolts to back of engine. Sometimes to get at these bolts you have to unbolt the trans crossmember & lower in down to tip the engine down enough to get socket up there. I wouldn't do it this way the 1st time "pullin a engine" take it out all as one unit then split it when it's out, alot easyer. Any ? ask away for the next week, then I'm off to West Virginia for a week.

-- Edited by dualquadpete on Sunday 23rd of May 2010 03:02:40 PM

66 Beau · Poncho Master!

Good point dualquadpete - I'd actually came back here to add a note about leaving the yoke in the tranny. I'm embarrassed to say I've had to clean up a trail of tranny fluid more than once. I usually haywire or duct tape the yoke to stay in because I've had a few drop out and leak all over (some are tight, some should likely have a new seal anyway). I have also stuffed a rag around the output shaft and managed to stop most of the leaks (usually after forgoetting to leave the yoke in...).

If you've got a manual tranny, I would disconnect the tranny at the back of the bellhousing. You'll have to disconnect the clutch linkage and pull the bellhousing out with the engine. Remember you'll need a pilot shaft during reassembly to line up the clutch with the input shaft on the tranny if you've moved the clutch plate/pressure plate while it's unmated from the tranny.

grande jim · Guru

Probably disconnect the battery after you get the hood off.

69-Tin Indian · Guru

Chain positioning is important on the engine hoist as well. I find it's usually better to have the hook closer to the front of the chain as it allows the front of the engine to be "up" and to allow the back of the engine and tranny to be downward, thus bringing it up on an angle and making it easier to clear the front rad saddle. Just my experience anyways guys.

66 Beau · Poncho Master!

I've never used one of the spreader bars they sell for pulling engines but I can sure see how they'd be handy - allowing you to move the load point forward and back to make it easier to tilt the engine/tranny.

I agree with the tip about connecting the hoist so that the engine/tranny will rotate nose-up easily. That's where a second set of hands is helpful since you can usually tip the assembly enough to clear the obstacles and then level it out to move the car out from underneath or move the engine hoist if you have a good shop floor and hoist on wheels. I usually prefer to move the car out from under rather than try to move the engine hoist with a swinging load way up in the air.

Also - good point about the battery. Good to do that before you disconnect the fuel line from the fuel pump.

427carl · A Poncho Legend!

are you pulling motor, to fix frame? or to access the valance?

jonathanD · Poncho Master!

to fix the frame. today i cut the valance off

davelacourse · Poncho Master!

I found the factory shop manual priceless - it had step by step, so I did not overlook anything (I for sure would have missed the ground strap or some wire, leading to problems):

Drain cooling system, crankcase and transmission
Disconnect shiftr linkage and speedometer cable
Remove driveshaft
Remove transmission
Remove hood
Disconnect front wiring harness and remove from radiator core support
Remove radiator hoses
Remove radiator
Remove radiator core support and baffles
Remove battery, battery support and battery cables
Disconnect starter and generator wires, engine to body ground strap, oil pressure indicator pipe and coil primary lead at coil
Remove temperature indicator element from cylinder head
Remove carburetor linkage
Remove carburetor
Disconnect fuel line at fuel pump
Disconnect exhaust pipe at manifold

etcetera.

So even though the guys have outlined it all very well - get the factory shop manual, is my recommendation.

You can plug trans where driveshaft yoke was but better to drain it IMHO (don't forget to add clean fluid when reinstalling).

Dave

davelacourse · Poncho Master!

Those carb plates should work fine on a V8 but if you ar going to pull it with the tranny too, the assembly will be tail-heavy so you might want to invest the $30 in one of these:

Mine came with the 4 short lengths of chain and brackets, would bolt up to intake manifold bolts L&R, F&R just fine (on my 261 I hooked it up differently since of course the inline 6 is much differnt than the V8) and be nicely distributed and balanced on the motor, and you can turn the crank to level the asembly once clear of the firewall.

Dave

davelacourse · Poncho Master!

Oh and of course - have a buddy or two to help!!! One to work the crane (if you need to lower it, do so VERY carefully and slowly) and others to guide it up and out.

Most important = NEVER let any part of any person be underneath the motor at any time.

Dave

-- Edited by davelacourse on Tuesday 25th of May 2010 10:34:29 AM