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So I've got an oil leak and it is showing at the back of the oil pan. In a month my buddy is pulling the transmission again so we can figure out why it is vibrating (who other thread already created on this problem). We will look at the rear main seal then, but I have been thinking of dropping the whole motor anyway to do some upgrades such as maybe new heads, cam and torqhead conversion. After lots of searching, it seems I need an engine hoist regardless if the motor comes out the top or bottom. It seems I can do this with basic hand tools but I do not have a large air compressor just a pancake one. Is this a feasible task in my driveway with standard tools or would I be getting way over my head? This car has only had 30,000 miles put on it in the last 16-17 years and the motor was rebuilt back in 2002. I am beginning to think by driving this weekly, I have awoken some demons and pulling the motor and giving it a once over might be the best choice.
There are other ways to do it than a hoist, like a lift but if you don't have a hoist I doubt you have one of the other ways. Just get one from somewhere like Northern Tool and you'll have it forever (also a Happy Hooker plate helps a lot too). I've pulled a motor three separate times now. Once to rebuild, once because I was a dumbass and snapped a bolt off into the crank, and once because a car I had rusted out and I pulled the motor and trans (sold the trans/kept the motor).
FWIW I've pulled the engine all three possible ways now. Out the bottom, out the top without the transmission attached, and out the top with the transmission attached. Out the bottom is easiest followed by out the top with trans attached.
I have an air compressor but I don't have an air ratchet (had one but it broke) or an impact. Just my air dremel and tools for filling up tires and blow guns for blowing off dust. So you don't need air tools. You might want to get a sawzall if the exhaust is hard to remove though.
Just go nice and slow and take your time either way. If you drop it out the bottom you'll need to get it up high in the air. So you'll need some cribbing blocks or something under your jackstands.
That was the plan. Hoist and engine stand from harbor freight. The next puzzle is what to jack the rear on. Jack stands seem iffy once the front reaches a high angle. Can you leave the front wheels on and wheel the whole thing out from under it? I have nothing but time at this point.
Cribbing blocks you make out of wood by using 2x4s, 2x6s, 4x4s, 6x6s, etc.
I made mine out of 6x6s (complete overkill) initially because I had a car that rusted out that I wanted to take apart. I didn't feel safe using strictly jack stands underneath it. I used the cribbing blocks as "back up" in case the stands fell through. They never did, but better safe than sorry. Having said that I love these things. I feel far safer under them than under jack stands. I just need to add some more wood to make them taller because 6x6 only gives 5.5 inches of lift off the ground. I did add 2 2x4s to front and back to tie them together and as wheel chocks in case the car rolls though, and added 2x2s for handles because they are quite heavy.
I know you said you'll use junk wheels underneath the back but just in case you wanted to try these. You might need them anyway to get the car high enough off the ground (jack stands alone probably won't cut it). Spare engine is in the crate :p
Mine are a little different than most people. They usually do something like this, which works fine too.
Thanks for the pics and info! Is there any reason I cannot do it without jacking the rear wheels up? I want to keep the car kind if mobile if I can. Watching this video it seemed to work fine.
Is there any reason I cannot do it without jacking the rear wheels up?
There really is no reason to. You can keep the back wheels on the ground, use two quality floor jacks plus 2 to 3 blocks of 2x4 on each side on the jack pads and lift the body off the k-member using the spots on that video. For the k-member, use a furniture dolly to move the k-member away from the chassis. That way the chassis isn't 600 feet off the ground. Only caveat is the air dam may come into contact with the intake if rolling out the engine as a whole. Taking the intake off and leaving it off until it's in the engine bay is one way to avoid taking the dam off. However with an air/electric ratchet it's NBD.
You don't have to build any sort of special engine/trans crate. Just a floor dolly. You can use yet another floor jack on the trans if need be.
[QUOTE=Jon M;20139259]Thanks for the pics and info! Is there any reason I cannot do it without jacking the rear wheels up? I want to keep the car kind if mobile if I can. Watching this video it seemed to work fine./QUOTE]
You'll have to jack up the rear to get the torque arm/driveshaft/maybe part of the exhaust off like the video poster did. I guess you could let the back down at this point but I would be worried about scraping the rear bumper on the ground! When I pulled the engine out of mine I left the back up until I get the engine out then I put the k-member back in and let both the front and rear down to keep it mobile.
Also I'm surprised he was able to get it high enough to get the whole assembly out with just jack stands. That's why I was saying you might need cribbing blocks (to get the front end higher than just the jack stands will allow). So you might want to see how high of lift jack stands the guy in the video or someone else used to do it and if you don't want to make cribbing blocks you might need to buy some higher lift stands than what you've already got.
And yeah a regular furniture dolly will work or even just two floor jacks or a floor jack and transmission jack.I only built the crate because I'm storing the engine from my rusted out car long term, Just makes it easier to move around in my garage on wheels.
Well I started today. Got pcm out, harness out of firewall, brake lines (stripped one flare even with flare wrench), fuel lines, cooling lines off, belt off, AC compressor unbolted, brake booster and steering shaft bolt out. Sure looks like someone used my oil pan as a jack point or the Hulk punched it from the bottom. Took 4.5 hours with two of that assembling the engine hoist. I have wood under my deck to stick jack stands on. Luckily I am only trying to beat the snow and cold so I have lots of time!! Thanks for all the help! And I need a 3M decal wheel for under the hood LOL
You’re probably right SS, that pic is not the best angle but it looks funny in person. If I undo all six K member bolts while the front is in the air and I leave the eight strut tower bolts in, will they hold the motor and all? My thought is to impact them all off when easily accessible, drop the car on its wheels, then remove strut tower bolts and then lift the car up.
Furniture dolly is much more stable than floor jacks for moving the engine.
I broke the furniture dolly I was using when I pulled the whole assembly. Was definitely too much weight for it.
I'm going to do like that guy in the video did and build my own dolly that's big enough for the engine/trans/front suspension the next time I pull my engine (to paint the bay if nothing else).
I broke the furniture dolly I was using when I pulled the whole assembly. Was definitely too much weight for it.
I'm going to do like that guy in the video did and build my own dolly that's big enough for the engine/trans/front suspension the next time I pull my engine (to paint the bay if nothing else).
What dolly did you use that broke? I have a 3’ 1,000 lb rated polyurethane one from Harbor freight plus a 1,000 wooden one for under the trans.
If you leave the front wheels on and just dolly the back of the trans, you can roll the whole thing out. You'll just have to support the shock towers a little to keep them from caving into the engine (blocks of wood or tower brace).
Ok someone help me think this one through please. If I wanna keep the front wheels on, what’s the best way to undo the k member bolts? Can I take the middle one out behind the wheel while its on the jack stands, put the wheel on, drop the car and take the other two on each side? Obviously I cannot turn the wheels very easily and with the wheels on it’ll make using a long breaker. Im having trouble mentally processing this process despite the write ups I have in front of me
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Pulling out motor with basic hand tools... 
