How do I remove a 2000 GMC Savana 5.7 van engine?
 

I stupidly agreed to do a side job for my boss.... Our 2000 GMC 2500 Savana delivery van developed a bad cylinder and instead of paying a local mechanic shop to replace the engine he asked if I would take on the project of swapping in a junkyard engine at my home shop.

I will make a little side cash and will get to keep the "bad" engine (a 5.7/350 HD Vortec) to build up for a racecar.

Without digging into it yet.... I can't figure out how the d@mn engine comes out through the tiny hood opening. Can I simply remove the grill, radiator etc and lift it out the front, or will I need to drop the engine/front cross member through the bottom? Can the trans stay in the van or does it need to come out with the engine?

I have a cherry picker, lift and torches, but I can't torch the engine out as the van needs to be put back together properly. :D

If you have a lift, you raise the body off the frame. That's the way the GM techs do it. WAAAAAAY faster

BTW, IIRC GM lists 22 hours for the R&R...... Hope you charged enough!!

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I told them I thought it would take me about 40 hours. My scissor lift is not going to be able to lift the van "body" in the same way. I am guessing I will need to either go out the front somehow or drop it out the bottom "somehow".

You can remove the front clip as well, it just takes a lot longer

ahh damn tim.

if YOU dont know, dont expect much from the rest of us..i consider you the mechanic wizard around these parts.

:D I have managed to avoid owning/working on American made cars for nearly my entire life.... I will be sure to park my German cars in another location so they do not see me cheating on them. :)

I will get this job done, but I wont like it one d@mn bit. The only reason I agreed was because I knew I would get the old engine along with cash for use on my new race car "hobby" that my wife is strongly against. If I pay for my new hobby with money that is not "our" money, it takes away a "portion" of her reasons to keep me from racing. ;):D

I have to be creative if I want to avoid a divorce over my multitude of hobbies. :)

Tim,
I spoke to my BIL about this type of project as he does side jobs frequently.

He said the front clip has to be removed. Sorry.

The "d@mn van"..... Supposedly there is a 350 cubic inch/Vortec headed/roller cammed/4 bolt main engine buried in there somewhere.... One way or another, it is going to be bolted to MY engine stand and a "30 day guarantee" $1000 junk yard L31 5.7 will go back in it's place. :)

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Express vans are a bonafide pain in the @$$ to work on. I've not done an engine swap on one, but I know that the whole front clip will have to come off. With that out of the way, it doesn't look as bad to do. A fellow I know did R&I a 6.5 diesel <shudder> himself with a boom hoist in an identical van. He removed a lot of components before removing the engine out of necessity because the turbo, and it's plumbing took up a lot of space in the dog house, and gave him no vertical room to raise the engine up off of the mounts. If you have to, you can remove the upper plenum of the intake, and the P/S pump-A/C compressor and bracket all together on the driver's side, then the alternator and bracket on the passenger's side to get enough headroom under the dash and cowl.

You can leave the transmission in place as long as you loosen the transmission mount before re-instalation so you'll have some longitudinal wiggle room. It is easier to re-install the replacement engine with the trans out of the way, but since GM used bolts on the torque converters of 4L60E, and 4L80E transmissions, there's no studs to line up with the flex plate, like a Ford. You just have to line up the dowels on the bell housing, then lower the engine down onto the mounts.

The engine will have to raise up about 8" to 10" in order to clear the cradle, so you'll have to chain the boom of your hoist tight against the engine.

Good luck. You're in my prayers. ;)

I did one, comes out the front after everything else comes off. I will never touch one again.

The nice thing about motor/trans swaps in vans is that the bell housing bolts/ studs, and fuel lines that are nearly impossible to get at in pick up trucks are all right there in the dog box opening. If you were a little closer, I would shoot over and give you a couple of evenings. Just get the clip out of the way, and the rest will fall apart pretty easy. If the power steering bracket needs to be removed, you will need a power steering pulley puller/ remover tool. The last gm van I did a motor in , I pulled the complete intake manifold so that I could tuck the cherry picker arm down in the valley to get enough clearance to squeeze the motor out.
Hell, if you pulled off the turbo swap on your audi, this will be smooth sailing for you. Best of luck Tim!

I never even got on eyeball on my Audi's turbos even with the front crap off and the car on a lift Fred. :D

When you guys say front "clip" are you just refering to the bumper/grill/upper radiator cross bar/radiator/AC condensor/etc or are you refering to the whole front sub-frame/suspension?

None of the suspension, Tim. The radiator support comes out along with the fenders, grill, supports, etc.

My BIL told me he unbolts the hood and then the fenders and moves the entire "U" shaped unit out of the way. (The radiator support stays atttached to the fenders so you don't have to mess with lining up the panels.) You WILL need help with that.

The engine needs to slide out from under the cowl first and then you can lift it out.

Thanks! I would have never guessed that the fenders would need to come off... Sounds like it might make the job less tedious. I spent last evening cleaning out my workshop so that I will have more room to work.... sounds like I will need it. :D

You don't expect much from Kaisen? Tim is extremely resourceful and talented but Eric is the most knowledgeable car guy I've ever seen in my life if you count overall, across-the-board car/truck knowledge. :cool:

i am actually stunned by the amount of car knowledge here..kaisen included.

there are talented folks here..collectively, we are brilliant. my comment above was half joke.

Spent all day Saturday and a good chunk of today, but I got the engine out. Pretty tight wrenching in some spots.... about as miserable as changing a clutch in a 944 turbo IMO. :)


Thanks to all of you who offered up some helpful tips.


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I don't envy you. Good job tho.

rjp