K-member removal write up.
11-27-2004, 10:15 PM
#1
K-member removal write up. I'm posting this more for search purposes because I couldn't hardly find any info on it. This is for the do-it yourselfer, who has no lift and wants to drop the K-member in the garage. So here goes:
Parts you will need: 2- 6 ton jackstands, 2- 3 ton jack stands, 2- rollable hydraulic jacks (helps if one has a nice big flat base on it), engine hoist, various metric tools, and a little patients.
Start by disconnecting the battery, then move on to disconnecting the wireing harness. Jack the car up and place it on jackstands as needed. Removing the intake helps to gain access to the rear sensors and the grounds that bolt to the back of the heads. Don't forget to disconnect the sensor on the air conditioner compressor and the wires that go down to the alternator. Disconnect your ABS sensors where the harness's come together at the body/k-member. Check to make sure you undo all the little black plastic wire holers. (There are many of these throught the process) The harness also runs down to the tranny, so disconnect all of the sensors there to. Unbolt the Torque arm and driveshaft while your there. If there is something you can't reach or undo, wait until you start to lift the body and come back to it.(Just don't forget.) Remove the front swaybar and the steering knuckle. Then Disconnect the front brake lines at the ABS distribution block. Trace the FRONT lines up to the distribution block so you know which ones to disconnect. After you remove them from the block, undo the heatshield that they run behind and place them in front of it. Next, drain your coolant at the petcock. Then start removing the coolant hoses from the front of the motor. My car was equiped with a power steering cooler so I removed the clamps that held it in place and tied it off to the motor. After the hoses are removed, Unbolt the AC compressor from the block. DO NOT evacuate the system unless you want to. Once the compressor is unbolted, you can tie it off to the swaybar bushing mount and never have to evacuate it. Now move on to removing the starter and the alternator. If you can remove the wires from these 2, don't worry about taking them off. I found it easier to unbolt them, then disconnect the wires. After all of this, do a good look over to make sure there is not anything that will hender your raising of the body.
I placed the rear-end on the 3-ton jackstand, set about halfway up. After removing the 4 bolts that hold the radiator shroud in place and removing it, I placed a good thick towel around the core support, as close to the center as possible. Now get your engine hoist and let the front legs out a pretty good waise for ballance. Then wrap you chain or strap around the towel and hook it to the hoist. Place your one smaller jack under the tranny crossmember, in the center and put your bigger, flat based jack under the center of the K-member. Place a small strain on each jack so you know the load will be supported. You can now remove the front tires to gain acces to the K-member bolts. There are 3 per side that bolt thru the member to the body. Remove them on each side. Also remove the tranny crossmember bolts. Now come up and remove the bolts that hold the strut towers up. There are 4 per side. The drivers side back requires that you unbolt the brake booster to gain access to them. They are a large Torx bit for some reason. You can now start jacking up the car with the engine hoist. Do this slowly and every few jacks, check to make sure nothing is holding you up and that your rear jackstands are OK. Once there is enough clearence for you to pull the motor out the front, place your 6-ton jackstands under the body. You can now ease off your engine hoist and roll it out of the way. You can now lower both hydraulic jacks to a safe steady level and pull the K-member foward. Wala, your engine/tranny/k-member have been removed.
I really found this to be quite simple and I did the whole process BY MYSELF. I did not have the slightest bit of help. I may have left out a thing or 2, but I'm sure someone will remind me latter on. After removing engines from the top and now out the bottom, the bottom is the only way to go. You have so much access to headers, tranny, and all the other little things that would otherwise be hell to get to. Feel free to throw in tid bits that you think might help and as always, you work under your own supervision. I am not liable for your actions when following this method.
Have fun.......
Parts you will need: 2- 6 ton jackstands, 2- 3 ton jack stands, 2- rollable hydraulic jacks (helps if one has a nice big flat base on it), engine hoist, various metric tools, and a little patients.
Start by disconnecting the battery, then move on to disconnecting the wireing harness. Jack the car up and place it on jackstands as needed. Removing the intake helps to gain access to the rear sensors and the grounds that bolt to the back of the heads. Don't forget to disconnect the sensor on the air conditioner compressor and the wires that go down to the alternator. Disconnect your ABS sensors where the harness's come together at the body/k-member. Check to make sure you undo all the little black plastic wire holers. (There are many of these throught the process) The harness also runs down to the tranny, so disconnect all of the sensors there to. Unbolt the Torque arm and driveshaft while your there. If there is something you can't reach or undo, wait until you start to lift the body and come back to it.(Just don't forget.) Remove the front swaybar and the steering knuckle. Then Disconnect the front brake lines at the ABS distribution block. Trace the FRONT lines up to the distribution block so you know which ones to disconnect. After you remove them from the block, undo the heatshield that they run behind and place them in front of it. Next, drain your coolant at the petcock. Then start removing the coolant hoses from the front of the motor. My car was equiped with a power steering cooler so I removed the clamps that held it in place and tied it off to the motor. After the hoses are removed, Unbolt the AC compressor from the block. DO NOT evacuate the system unless you want to. Once the compressor is unbolted, you can tie it off to the swaybar bushing mount and never have to evacuate it. Now move on to removing the starter and the alternator. If you can remove the wires from these 2, don't worry about taking them off. I found it easier to unbolt them, then disconnect the wires. After all of this, do a good look over to make sure there is not anything that will hender your raising of the body.
I placed the rear-end on the 3-ton jackstand, set about halfway up. After removing the 4 bolts that hold the radiator shroud in place and removing it, I placed a good thick towel around the core support, as close to the center as possible. Now get your engine hoist and let the front legs out a pretty good waise for ballance. Then wrap you chain or strap around the towel and hook it to the hoist. Place your one smaller jack under the tranny crossmember, in the center and put your bigger, flat based jack under the center of the K-member. Place a small strain on each jack so you know the load will be supported. You can now remove the front tires to gain acces to the K-member bolts. There are 3 per side that bolt thru the member to the body. Remove them on each side. Also remove the tranny crossmember bolts. Now come up and remove the bolts that hold the strut towers up. There are 4 per side. The drivers side back requires that you unbolt the brake booster to gain access to them. They are a large Torx bit for some reason. You can now start jacking up the car with the engine hoist. Do this slowly and every few jacks, check to make sure nothing is holding you up and that your rear jackstands are OK. Once there is enough clearence for you to pull the motor out the front, place your 6-ton jackstands under the body. You can now ease off your engine hoist and roll it out of the way. You can now lower both hydraulic jacks to a safe steady level and pull the K-member foward. Wala, your engine/tranny/k-member have been removed.
I really found this to be quite simple and I did the whole process BY MYSELF. I did not have the slightest bit of help. I may have left out a thing or 2, but I'm sure someone will remind me latter on. After removing engines from the top and now out the bottom, the bottom is the only way to go. You have so much access to headers, tranny, and all the other little things that would otherwise be hell to get to. Feel free to throw in tid bits that you think might help and as always, you work under your own supervision. I am not liable for your actions when following this method.
Have fun....... Last edited by Beast96Z; 11-27-2004 at 10:33 PM.
11-27-2004, 10:29 PM
#2
That was really good. My engine and tranny are out now, and my friend and I contemplated installing the engine that way as it sounds easier. What about steering linkage? Did I miss it or am I just not seeing it right when I look at my empty engine bay?
11-28-2004, 12:30 PM
#4
BMR Instructions:
K-member
http://www.bmrfabrication.com/instructions/km003.htm
A-arms
http://www.bmrfabrication.com/instructions/AA001.htm
K-member
http://www.bmrfabrication.com/instructions/km003.htm
A-arms
http://www.bmrfabrication.com/instructions/AA001.htm
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11-28-2004, 07:42 PM
#8
Originally Posted by cyphur_traq
A k-member swap write up would be cool
12-13-2004, 01:28 AM
#9
Let's say I'm gonna do a head & intake swap and a clutch swap at the same time. Would it be worth it to drop the engine & tranny on the k-member just to have more room to work? I would like the room for headstuds and the bellhousing bolts, etc and I would have access to a 4 point lift.
12-13-2004, 01:39 AM
#10
Originally Posted by WILWAXU
BMR Instructions:
K-member
http://www.bmrfabrication.com/instructions/km003.htm
A-arms
http://www.bmrfabrication.com/instructions/AA001.htm
K-member
http://www.bmrfabrication.com/instructions/km003.htm
A-arms
http://www.bmrfabrication.com/instructions/AA001.htm
, pro fab is waiting to go in.
12-13-2004, 01:41 AM
#11
Originally Posted by P Mack
Let's say I'm gonna do a head & intake swap and a clutch swap at the same time. Would it be worth it to drop the engine & tranny on the k-member just to have more room to work? I would like the room for headstuds and the bellhousing bolts, etc and I would have access to a 4 point lift.
