Engine/trans jack

[Lyle O]

Has anyone used one of these (HF ATV jack)to drop your engine/trans? Does it work OK for this purpose? Can you move the engine/trans around once it is out (does it roll around easily)? They claim a weight limit of 1500 lbs. Anything I should be concerned about?

TIA...

[Brian Cameron]

I have used what looks to me like an identical atv jack (below) from canadian tire (we don’t have HF up here) with no issues, worked great. You will also need a regular jack under the transmission for stability. I had no problems rolling the assembly around.

Three tips:

1. Build a cradle out of wood to catch the engine on the jack, otherwise it will be too tippy to be safe.

2. Don’t put the jack too far forward under the engine, or when you go to lower it from the raised engine drop position the muffler will get stuck on the safety bar.

3. When you roll the assembly around, rotate the 2nd regular jack holding the transmission so its wheels are aligned with the direction of motion.

Have fun with your engine R&R, remember to post the requisite head in engine bay photo.

['76 911S 3.0]

I just used that exact jack to remove my engine this weekend. I added a 3/4" sheet of plywood to the top with a couple of 1"x2" pieces screwed to the plywood to act as a guide. I also removed the intake and fan to make removal much easier and not require the rear of the car to be so high off the ground. Worked fantastic. You can kind of get an idea of what I did here (note, I did not remove trans when pulling the engine):

[Lyle O]

Brian / Jayson, thanks for the great tips on setting up and using this as a solution. I was figuring to make a jig of some kind, so that looks great. As I will drop the motor with the trans, the balancing act had me thinking, so using a rolling aux jack for the trans is how to do that.

For $90, this looks like a good value (especially since I will likely be doing this alone). Thanks again.

[Pazuzu]

Originally Posted by Lyle O

Brian / Jayson, thanks for the great tips on setting up and using this as a solution. I was figuring to make a jig of some kind, so that looks great. As I will drop the motor with the trans, the balancing act had me thinking, so using a rolling aux jack for the trans is how to do that.

For $90, this looks like a good value (especially since I will likely be doing this alone). Thanks again.

You can balance both on there, but it's tricky and I wouldn't leave it too high. Having a second jack to lift the transmission crossmemember up a bit to align the shift rod is VERY helpful, but you don't need it to balance the assembly.

I use a Harbor Fright wooden wheeled dolly, and put the ATV jack under it, with two pieces of wood (1x6?) to extend the arms out under both sides of the dolly. Lift the whole thing up to engine, disconnect everything, drop everything down carefully, and you end up with an engine/tranny on the dolly, which wheels around 10 times better than the ATV jack alone.

[Sboxin]

"Picture worth a thousand words" - - -


Used many times - replaced plywood once -

Regards,

[Brian Cameron]

Another view

['78 SC]

Has anyone used this other Harbor Freight ATV lift? It goes higher and does not have the bottle jack frame that can get in the way. Costs more, of course.

[SReppel]

Just pulled my engine last week to do a clutch job.
I've used this ATV jack twice to remove my engine and transmission. I used a strap wrapped around the muffler and to the jack to better balance it with the transmission attached. Made a frame out of 2x4's to fit under the engine and put a piece of plywood on it.

[Jesse16]

I used the same thing from Northern Tool and as others say all you need is a little wood to extend the parts the jack will touch the motor. You really don't "lift" the engine/trans hardly at all. You lift the car off the engine. The lift also gives you the ability to finely move the motor up and down during re-assy to get the bolts in. That view above showing a second small floor jack for the tranny is accurate to what I did also. You just toggle between them to get things where they need to be.
Wish the thing was lighter so it was possible to sell and ship it. Mine looks brand new hiding in my basement under the stairs. I've used it twice, second time for clutch work.
Get the least cost option because our engines aren't very heavy and you aren't going to be moving it much.

[uwanna]

Originally Posted by '78 SC

Has anyone used this other Harbor Freight ATV lift? It goes higher and does not have the bottle jack frame that can get in the way. Costs more, of course.

I bought that jack at HF but returned it and bought this Craftsman motorcycle
jack at Sears. Compared the two and the Craftsman jack is a much better built/quality than the HF one. They look VERY similar in appearance, but believe me they are not even in the same ballpark, the HF one is a poor copy! The cheaper jack that the OP showed I'm sure will work but has the bottle jack crap in the way. Have used the Craftsman on three engine remove/replacements and it is very precise in use and control.

[Superman]

Originally Posted by Sboxin

"Picture worth a thousand words" - - -


Used many times - replaced plywood once -

Regards,

That engine cooling fan is incorrect for that car.

[uwanna]

Originally Posted by Superman

That engine cooling fan is incorrect for that car.

Strangely enough, my '80SC has that same fan. Makes the car go a
helluva lot faster. LOL

[Sboxin]

Superman - good eye
964 3.8L race engine . . .

Regards,

[juanbenae]

Originally Posted by Superman

That engine cooling fan is incorrect for that car.

correct for the motor though as by the looks of the chain box covers it's a3.6. looks like the second dizzy is obstructed by the jack handle.

[fred cook]

Originally Posted by '78 SC

Has anyone used this other Harbor Freight ATV lift? It goes higher and does not have the bottle jack frame that can get in the way. Costs more, of course.

I have one just like that (except it's yellow) that I got from Sears. I added a piece of 2 ft x 2ft 3/4" plywood to have a more stable support of the drivetrain. I've used it several times, works quite well!

[proporsche]

when finishing resent rebuild i found a 5L beer kegs are perfect to hold the engine strait..before installation;-)Best beer of the World can hold the best engines...

[yelcab1]

I have the yellow one from Sears and it's been 8 years. I think it is on its way out. I have bought Pittsburg branded jacks a few times but no more. I fix a lot of cars and they just don't hold up and a malfunctioning jack is the one that hurts you.

[Mike Andrew]

Another Sears cycle jack with 3/4" plywood and a couple of "stabilizer" strips of 2 X 2. Drilled and bolted ply to jack for added stability. Works flawlessly.

[Steam Driver]

What about a relatively light weight, portable hoist for getting the engine off an engine stand and onto the ATV jack. I essentially disassembled my engine to the crankcase, which easily lifted onto the engine stand by two people. Not so going the other way after reassembly. And I don’t need one (nor really have a way to transport) the ubiquitous hydraulic engine hoists.

Suggestions?