What jack to use for engine drop?

[Porschekid962]

a motorcycle/atv/trans jack is best. if you have a welder you can make your own adapter, i have also used and had no problems with regular car jacks and wood blocks. i have even used a skateboard to drop and move a chevy corvette ls1 engine around!

best of luck

[SpeedracerIndy]

My dad is always telling me that with his VWs he used to lower the engine, then have two or three helpers LIFT THE CAR over the engine while he slid it out from under the car. I figure that the 911 is probably a little heavier than the old bugs though. Anyone tried it that way?

[power]

I lifted the car off the engine with a hoist. The hoist has to be big enough with wide enough "legs" to fit something to slide the enigine out later. I used an ATV jack to support the engine. I attached the hoist via chain to the engine mounts, but be careful you can bend surounding metal in the engine bay on some models using this method. Worked O.K. on my early car. I also used large 12 ton jack stands to support the car on the torsion tubes when I got it high enough to remove the hoist. Someone had pictures of this method recently in a post.

The thing I liked about this method was I could do it relatively safely, with no assistance. I can also use the hoist to lift engine onto the engine stand.

Please note, I already had a large hoist and didn't want to buy new high lift jack or adapters.

[cyprusx]

A good floor jack is a must anyway. I really didn't have one so went for the harborfreight floor jack. It worked out well using a motorcycle jack for the engine and then using the floor jack to lift the car up high enough to roll the engine out on the furniture dolly. I wouldn't change a thing the next time I drop the engine. I also have an SUV so my high lift jack will be put to many uses...

[TerryH]

I've only been here a few months, but there is a jack mentioned often as been quite capable. I think it's considered a high maintenance item tho. This jack has been pictured about 100+ times that I've seen anyway.

The best jack to use for your engine drop would be the "Olsen"!

[naparsei]

Originally posted by 125shifter
I'm unclear on how some of you slide the engine out from under the car with it on a jack.

I take off the wheels and lower the car until the engine is on a wooden dolly that I made, then I loosen the bolts and raise the car enough to slide the engine out. Even with the very short dolly, I have to lift the car pretty high to slide out the engine.

Is there any reason why more people don't do this? It sounds ideal. The engine gets move down right on the dolly ($10 at HF), then unbolt it, and jack it way the hell up? I assume you would probably want 2 floor jacks (one for each side, at the regular jacking point under the door).

Alex

[Scott R]

Having just done this last weekend I'm glad I did not go with the ATV jack. I used a simple orange colored Harbor Freight jack, and a second cheapo jack to lift the chassis itself.

The reason I liked the harbor freight jack was that I was able to angle the shift rod into the tunnel easier. A freind of mine did his with my assistance and an ATV jack and we had a buger of a time angleing it up and in due to how flat it was.

As far as balancing the motor it was very well balanced by itself, I found the point of balance with transmisson attached to be just aft of the sump plate. I lowered the thing right out and down no issues.

[john_colasante]

If you had a lift you would want to use something like this for the ultimate in factory-style engine-drop luxury.

http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/Displayitem.taf?itemnumber=38074

[Rex Walter]

I was not comfortable jacking my car up that far with a floor jack, and putting it on jack stands that were extended as far as they would go. The car seemed very unsteady. The 2nd time I removed the engine, I used an engine hoist and a chain running through the back motor mounts on the car. I was able to jack the car way up, without worrying about it falling over. The long legs of the engine hoist gave me enough room to pull the engine out from under the car, and the car was up so high, I didn't have to remove the rear bumper. After the engine was pulled from under the car, and toward the engine hoist, I let the car down, transfered the engine hoist to the engine/trans and moved the engine to where I could work on it. Very slick. I will post pictures of this when I install the rebuilt engine.

Rex

[walt]

ATV jacks are great for this job. No problem going solo with the drop if you need to although an extra set of hands and eyes are handy.

[Scott R]

Man, your garage is way to clean for just having dropped a motor.

[JeremyD]

Just did this too. You angle the engine by sliding some wood under the end of the engine. Take the wood out by jacking up the tranny.

ATV jack (I have the yellow one from Harbor Freight) made it an easy job. We did it twice in 4 hours...