Engine removal questions

When dropping motor do most of you guys move it around on a floor jack after lowering it?

The engine and trans weigh about 500lbs is it real difficult and akward to lower move it around on a jack? I know some use a furniture cart but how do you get it from the jack to one?
My concern is losing control of the motor and damaging it.
Thanks
Jeff

[This message has been edited by jryerson (edited 07-17-2000).]

I've taken my engine and gearbox out a couple of times using just A trolly jack. I've done it by myself but it would be helpfull to have another pair of hands to keep an eye on things. I usually just leave the engine just behind the car and jack it up again, put some blocks under the heat exchanges and leave it rest on these. Then I take out the jack and bring it around under the gearbox and let it take the weight when I seperate it from the engine. Make sure to put a piece of wood between the jack and engine. Hope this helps.

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Martin
'70 911T

I have just fininshed taking had my motor and trans out and replaced them without any help other than a good transmission jack. I rented a transmission jack with a large top area that has over 30" of lift. Getting the pivot point on the engine is a trick. I used short pieces of 2x4s between the head of the jack and motor to compensate for the un-evenness of the bottom of the motor. I was able to move it around the garage with no problem. I did it with all exhaust, turbo, etc. intact (tricky since the motor is not balanced this way. I built a motor stand using upright 2x4s such that I could work on the motor with the exhaust and turbo attached.

I too used the jack method. Once the car was raised high enough, which is no simple task, I used my floor jack to lower the engine.

I took the trans out seperately.

After the engine was out, I placed it on some blocks in the corner of my garage, as the trany was what I was after.


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'80 911-SC Targa

A wheeled engine stand is a good way to transport your engine around the garage. This has the added bonus of allowing you to rotate the motor to get at exhausts, etc. See previous posts for adaptations of simple, low cost auto store engine stands. The method I use to raise the motor (minus transmission) from the floor jack to engine stand height is to straddle a couple of 8' long 2x4's across 4 exposed joists in my garage roof, attach a come-along at mid span and raise the motor to the proper height. In theory the weight of the motor is distributed across the 4 joists which in my case is sufficient to hold the load of the motor.

Good Luck

Chuck

I am a first timer and I am preparing to drop my engine here in the next few weeks and was wondering what most people thought was easiest.
Is it easier to drop the engine and transmission together or seperate?
The tech article here on P.P shows the process of removing the motor alone, but I have heard somewhere that this is more dificult than dropping the engine and tranny together.
What do you all think?

I too plan on using a transmission jack to lower the motor out from under the car.

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Leland Pate

___79 SC Targa

I put the floor jack's end, you know the cup-shaped thing that holds the engine (separated by a piece of wood) THROUGH the furniture dolly. the furnitor dolly is a square that is open in the middle, and when I had the engine on the floor jack, so was the furnitor dolly.

I then had to rest the dolly on some 2x4 pieces while I got the jack out.

You know, these questions underscore (IMHO) the sense it makes to consider lowering the engine and THEN raising the car. My floor jack will not extend up to 30"!!! Just under 20 in fact.

And the balance point for the engine and tranny as a unit, is approximately between the #5 and #6 cylinders. Perhaps closer to #5. On my car.

I also agree with your caution about dropping the engine. Balancing this behemoth was the most unnerving part of the job. A helper would be quite useful, although it can be carefully done alone.

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'83 SC

Regarding removing the engine alone or the engine/trans together, I remember there was a big long thread on this a while ago.
You may want to do a search.
p.s. if you find it, can you repost it here, or respond to it so it gets bumped up? i can't find it, although i know its there.
thanks

[This message has been edited by Jim T (edited 07-17-2000).]