What jack to use for engine drop?
 

Looks like I need to order a new jack since my cheap POS is leaving puddles just like my car. I was wondering what other people have used to drop the engine. I am looking at this for the lift hight but not sure if it's overkill.
http://www.drivewerks.com/catalog/shopcart/TOOL/POR_TOOL_ACHyd1_pg1.htm

Appreciate the help.

Thanks,

For engines, any jack will do since the engine weighs about 500 lbs. The SEARS aluminum jack was nice since is weighs about 35lbs and is much more easily moved then the steel one that weighs 100lbs.

Jay, The one you link to is a beautiful garage jack. Pretty much the ultimate if weight is not a consideration.

Removing the motor involved jacking the car up and off the motor at one point so high lift is important. The Sears aluminum jack is a nice looking POS just like the other $100 Chinese aluminum jacks. They are fine for occasional track use but the poor quality Chinese hydraulics/seals will be leaking in a few years just like your current one.
My friend has one of those AC Hydraulics jacks and it is very nice.
-Chris

I used two $50 orange Harbor Freight jacks; one borrowed and one my own. I placed one jack under the engine and used the other jack to lift the car. Three jacks would have been ideal. That way I would not have had to keep moving the jack from one side of the car to the other.

-Brad

http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/Displayitem.taf?itemnumber=4172

How do you balance the engine on the jack? Is there an adapter of some sort?

Some people have used ATV jacks, like this one: ATV Jack

I used an ATV jack. It worked very well. Unfortunately, unless you work on motorcycles or ATV's it has limited other uses.

But for $70, how can you go wrong? In fact, when you're finished with your engine drop and reinstallation, you can probably sell it to a local fellow Pelican for $50, for his next engine drop. Then he can sell for for $30, etc., etc.

Take a look at the Craftsman motocycle/ATV/riding-mower jack. It's only $199 and is sure as hell what I'll use next time, having already once gone through the circus trick of balancing an engine on a floor jack. Never again. At that price, it makes no never-mind that I don't own a motorcycle, ATV or riding mower.

Stephan

Scott, funny you should mention that. I bought mine from a local Pelicanite for $40. I'll pass it on to the next Pelican engine dropper.:D

I use two jacks, the 30lbs aluminum one under the tranny, and the large steel one (bought from Costco few years ago) under the engine sump cover. The aluminum one did not have enough lift to reach the engine while the car is jacked way up.

This jack rocks!!!! Cost is very reasonable for a jack that get as high as this one. I bought one for my drop last fall and would buy it again in a second. Free shipping also!!!! Check it out...

http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/Displayitem.taf?itemnumber=42820

The motorcycle jack will keep it balanced. I have dropped and installed my engine by myself with it. I picked one up from checker for $59. It was well worth it.

Yes... Use a motorcycle jack for the engine with a beefed up funiture dolly. Use the high lift jack to lift the car so you can slide your engine out. You can do it by yourself with these jacks at the ready...

I've dropped and replaced a couple of engines the last year and have come to the conclusion: You don't need either jack to lift excessively high if you place the jacks in the right spot. To jack the back end of the car up, place the jack on a 2x4 centered on the car directly in front of the transmission bolts. This will lift the car adequately to slide the engine in from the back. Once the engine is in place, jack enough to get if close and then lower the car and start bolting. 2 people and do this job, 3 is better. It is not that hard to center the engine on a board and guide it into place with light support on a jack. If you want to buy $500 jacks or specialized jack to do this possibly once in your cars lifetime, do so by all means. The economy can use the business.

Having now used the Sears ATV jack (I lend mine out freely Ted) and Paul Wilding's jack adaptor (if you have a pre 3.2 engine) which Pelican sells, I can say that Paul's tool beats the ATV jack hands down.

The engine is balanced perfectly and is level so you don't have to worry about messing up the shift shaft while lowering the car down on to the engine/tranny.

If there was one for the 3.2/3.6 blocks, I would buy it and sell the ATV to Ted for 50 bucks. :)

The I've been very happy with the AC hydraulics model 20. I looked at the high lift model, but figured the vast majority of the jack use wouldnt require it (other than an engin drop) and that I could use some wood boards when required for the extra lift.

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.

Thanks for all the input and will try to post some pics. It seems like the motorcycle jack is a nice way to go for balance and overall ease. But with advice give here tells me I don't need a "high lift" jack to get this sucker out. I'm sure there's more questions on the way so htanks again for the help.

Jay

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

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?

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.

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...

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"! :D

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

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.

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

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

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.http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1123803663.jpg

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

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...
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1123811427.jpg

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1123811687.jpg