911 SC Engine Removal

[subseamark]

This is my first time removing my engine and I'm having trouble separating the engine from the transmission. As you can see in photo, I'm almost there but engine is as far as it can go in compartment. I can wiggle the engine and have tried to move up and down but just can't clear bolts. Any tips appreciated as I seem to be stuck.

[smarens]

you might need to raise the car higher, allowing more of a drop/angle and you should get clearance at that point

[subseamark]

Thanks Steve. Just raise the rear and not front to get angle? Do I need to support transmission?

[Flat6pac]

You need to remove the short clutch arm on the bottom of the trans so the fingers will let go of the TOB.
Not experienced, you need to remove the engine/trans together but it’s too”late now.
Unhook the shifter in the back seat access to hang the trans.
And the accelerator rod.
Bruce

[subseamark]

Bruce,
Thanks. I removed the clutch cable assembly and the hex screw from the back seat access. Am I missing something else? Agree, I was thinking I should have removed both together about halfway into trying to separate engine from tranny.

[smarens]

make sure you pull the shifter coupling off of the transmission tail shaft or you could damage the transmission and /or tunnel

-did you disconnect the reverse light and speedo wires? they are part of the engine harness

[subseamark]

Steve,
Definitely removed the reverse light switch from transmission because one of the wires came lose and I'm going to have to repair. Don't know about speedo wire specifically but all harnessess have been disconnected. Everything looks and feels disconnected; it just seems there isn't enough room for the bolts to clear so the engine can be lowered. When I try to lower it hangs up.

I have the same car as you, 1980SC Targa

[Flat6pac]

Did you remove the circlip off the clutch levers then remove the short lever as the spring lever is an idle arm, and possibly pinned in place. If you have a pin in the spring arm, once you’re separated, remove the pin and don’t replace. Reinstalling, the spring arm need to be cleaned and lubed to idle on the vertical.
Now, it is possible that the large arm is frozen on the vertical and not free to spin.
If all else fails, pull the 9 8mm Allen bolts off the pressure plate through the starter hole
Bruce

[Flat6pac]

You need the chassis bumper high enough to clear the injection
I’ll see if I can find a picture
Bruce

[subseamark]

Bruce,
I believe I did all that except taking allen bolts off pressure plate. Basically followed all the steps in Wayne's book and in the tech articles plus what I've read on the forum. The engine feels removed from transmission and moves freely but seems to be hanging up on the bolts and no further room in engine compartment to move off bolts as shown in first photo.

Unless I'm still missing something engine seems separated from transmission aside from bolts.

Again first time doing this.

[Flat6pac]

The picture is a 3.2 and G50 but it typical
Bruce

[smarens]

are you sure you have the rear of the car up high enough?

[subseamark]

If I continue to jack the car up, the engine will come up with it because it's still slightly connected to transmission. I feel I will damage something since bolts aren't entirely clear. It's close, it looks like I have about a half inch of threads to go as seen in photo, but bolts aren't clearing transmission.

Will the bolts clear if I lift rear end further?

[subseamark]

I understand the car will need jacked high up to get engine out as shown in Bruces photo. I can't lower my engine due to bolts not clearing between engine and transmission as shown in photo.

[smarens]

maybe push the motor back onto the trans, then jack up the rear of the car more (I don't have Waynes book here but I think he has a dimension in the book for how high to jack up) the trans mounts will flex and let the motor tilt down farther, you could bend the engine studs (or worse damage the case) if the motor is barely hanging on

[subseamark]

My understanding is once the engine mounts are removed you should be able move the engine away from the transmission far enough to lower the engine and then jack the rear of the car up further to clear the engine and remove engine. right now my car is relatively level so the engine and transmission are aligned as I pull the engine away.

[boyt911sc]

Subseamark,

There is a good reason why dropping the engine and transmission together makes more sense. Unless you are an experienced mechanic with the right set up, removing the engine alone is not as easy as you think for 911 engines. And because of this controversial procedure, I contacted more than 50 Diyer’s, Porsche mechanics, shop owners, and engine rebuilders across the country and a few from overseas to find out their preferred procedures or methods.

The question was “ I have an SC with 915 manual transmission and like to do a clutch job so what is your preferred method?”.
a). Remove the engine and transmission as a tandem. Or
b). Remove the engine separately and leave the transmission in the car.

Everyone recommended “a” except for one who claimed to do both “a” and “b”. There were 3 known individuals well known in this forum who advocated “b” method. So in my spare time, I contacted some via emails and drove hundreds of miles to personally interviewed some of these participants in my survey.

Tony

[subseamark]

[subseamark]

Thanks Tony, but since I maybe ignorantly went for choice b and am now fairly far down that path, any words of wisdom from your emails and personal interviews? Should I see if I can put engine back in transmission re-bolt and drop both?

[rxtrom]

Mark,

I don’t think you are too far down the road to change your method of removal to include the trans. If you can get something under the trans to support and help drop it with the engine as once piece you may as well disconnect the clutch cable and unbolt the trans mount leaving everything partially disconnected (engine from the trans).
Even if you are able to disconnect and remove the engine only, I cant imagine reconnecting it when you put the engine back in is going to be very easy.