pulling motor from top! 
pulling motor from top!
Do it from the bottom.
http://www.michiganspeed.com/enginepull/index.html
You'll never want to pull it out the top again.
http://www.michiganspeed.com/enginepull/index.html
You'll never want to pull it out the top again.
Pull radiator and fans. Acces bracket can be taken off, leave AC comp in car no need to discharge. Remove everything off the front including crank pulley. Remove headers or exhaust manifolds. You will have to rotate engine and lift at the same time! Happy Hooker works great. If I had a lift I would drop it out bottom, but I have removed several out the top at home! I enjoy working on my car so if it takes a little longer out top BIG DEAL
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TECH Enthusiast
Joined: Dec 2009
Posts: 529
Likes: 0
i cant see it being any easier from the bottom. i dont care to have a car that high in the air and working on it myself, maybe with a lift..
took me and another guy like 5 hrs and we went to eat in the process, stopped for a few breaks,definetly wasnt rushing.. also changed the trans fluid and filter in the process..
that was pretty much from pulling the engine off the stand to driving the car down the road..
did it with the hood still on the car..
engine leveler would probably make it alot easier..
pretty much like fashooter said, i left the balancer hub on, i had a cutoff wheel handy and cut a small notch in the radiator support.. it was about 6inches long and 1/2" deep..
took me and another guy like 5 hrs and we went to eat in the process, stopped for a few breaks,definetly wasnt rushing.. also changed the trans fluid and filter in the process..
that was pretty much from pulling the engine off the stand to driving the car down the road..
did it with the hood still on the car..
engine leveler would probably make it alot easier..
pretty much like fashooter said, i left the balancer hub on, i had a cutoff wheel handy and cut a small notch in the radiator support.. it was about 6inches long and 1/2" deep..
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Thread Starter
TECH Apprentice
Joined: Feb 2010
Posts: 319
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at least one of you knows why i am doing it from top. i cant fit it in my garage and i have no lift. and im tired of people saying bottom. you guys can go head and wrap a chain around it and lift it with a hoist. i wont do that and the question wasnt whats the easiest way to get it out! i just simply want to know what needsto come off before i pull it out and run into problems
i always pull mine from the top with the hood on the car and everything.
Remove radiator fans.
dissconnect exhaust.
i put on jack stands up front for a better angle once the motor is ready.
electrical harness
drain all fluids
remove intake manifold and fuel rail/injectors.
remove front bracket .
If you do it out the bottom is something good if you have a lift the car can sit on untill your ready to go. having the car jacked up 3 feet or more is not to bright in the safty department. more or less work depends on how fast you can do it and how many times you have. i have done it both ways way to many times and i perfer the top.
Remove radiator fans.
dissconnect exhaust.
i put on jack stands up front for a better angle once the motor is ready.
electrical harness
drain all fluids
remove intake manifold and fuel rail/injectors.
remove front bracket .
If you do it out the bottom is something good if you have a lift the car can sit on untill your ready to go. having the car jacked up 3 feet or more is not to bright in the safty department. more or less work depends on how fast you can do it and how many times you have. i have done it both ways way to many times and i perfer the top.
Staging Lane
Joined: Dec 2009
Posts: 90
Likes: 0
I went through this last weekend. Pulled out the top with the trans attached. Comming out wasn't bad, going in was a pain in the butt. I pulled the accessories off the front. Had the manifolds and intake on still. Pulling the intake off would give a lot more room (the FPR was hitting, EGR was removed). Having done it this way once...next time it's comming out the bottom.
Rockstar
iTrader: (15)
Joined: Feb 2009
Posts: 1,582
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From: I'm on a boat! in Shreveport, La
Honestly, any of you guys who have never dropped it out the bottom, and have negative attitudes towards it for whatever reason (safety, time, difficulty), should really help someone do it or try it at least once.
From there you might just see the reason why everyone does it that way with these cars.
It's just one of those things that goes with these cars, just like the 10 bolt.
From there you might just see the reason why everyone does it that way with these cars.
It's just one of those things that goes with these cars, just like the 10 bolt.
Do it from the bottom.
http://www.michiganspeed.com/enginepull/index.html
You'll never want to pull it out the top again.
http://www.michiganspeed.com/enginepull/index.html
You'll never want to pull it out the top again.
I bought a new kmember which I could back in (no problems) with the motor out to make the car into a roller......
But now when I put the motor back in through the bottom I couldn't get the back two kmember bolts to go in
I was eventually able to get 5 out of 6 back in and tow it home...... even after I had undone both motor mounts and lifted the engine with the hoist. I guess my next move is loosening the shock and A arm on that side to get the 6th kmember bolt in. 
Oh and getting the shock studs to go back in was a PITA too.
at least one of you knows why i am doing it from top. i cant fit it in my garage and i have no lift. and im tired of people saying bottom. you guys can go head and wrap a chain around it and lift it with a hoist. i wont do that and the question wasnt whats the easiest way to get it out! i just simply want to know what needsto come off before i pull it out and run into problems
it's not that i am negitive about doing it from the bottom. Maybe coming out is a little easier, but like stated before going back in is another fieat in itself. plus bleeding the brakes removing the shocks ,k member and all the added work that is unessary just to remove a engine. going from the top is the simple way for removal and installation. you need a hoist and simple hand tools and some jack stands. If othere think its easy to remove and install from the bottom then more power to you but im sure i could remove and install faster from the top without unessary work. just have the intake off and it makes it way to easy.
Did mine throught the top. Car was on the ground and hood was still on but the engine has to be bare and the radiator removed as well as the trans. I did mine with a engine lift. I did not go out the bottom because I did not have the room for the entire front end plus all the engine crap in my garage. plus I was not worried about turn around. It was one of those projects that I want to do slowly.
it's not that i am negitive about doing it from the bottom. Maybe coming out is a little easier, but like stated before going back in is another fieat in itself. plus bleeding the brakes removing the shocks ,k member and all the added work that is unessary just to remove a engine. going from the top is the simple way for removal and installation. you need a hoist and simple hand tools and some jack stands. If othere think its easy to remove and install from the bottom then more power to you but im sure i could remove and install faster from the top without unessary work. just have the intake off and it makes it way to easy.
Out the bottom no need to remove:
Headers/manifolds
Intake
Transmission
Water pump
Radiator
Condenser/compressor/any AC components
Hood
Bumper
Throttle Body (other than cables of course)
Opti
Balancer
And so on. I'm sure some people have removed the engine from the top with some of the above components, but I doubt all :p
Also, you don't need any special tools (other than for what you'd need for going out/in the top) either.
All I used was:
Hoist/crane
Chain (for engine)
Tow strap (to lift the car)
Jackstands
Lincoln log stacks of wood under the jackstands
Dolly
Ramps (under the back wheels)
A couple of jacks
and ratchets/wrenches/etc.
you don't have to be tired about it, we're trying to help and we're not being hostile, just sharing our experience. Even with no garage and in the driveway, you can use the pick to lift the front and and just roll out everything from underneath, at some point, I think I've seen pics of a girl doing exactly that in her driveway so it's possible. good luck either way you do it, it's time consuming and a lot of work.
I Jsut Did this Saturday with my Trans Am. Just Pulled the Hood Took the Intake, all accessories, Alternator PS Pump Unbolted the headers pulled the plugs out Water pump Radiator and Condensor. took about 3 hours by myself Not too bad. Just need to find a Machine Shop that can do it and wont take a life time. seems like there all Busy as hell around here.