Have you ever dropped your engine?

[ebradway]

It has been said that you really don't own your Porsche until you've taken the engine out (dropped it). Have you every dropped your engine? Post details of the most complicated job you have done.

[andyu911]

With Wayne's book and Bently manuel, it's easier than taking out a Toyota's 16 valve. Not sure about putting it back yet. I will find out soon!
Andy
'87 Carrera

[911pcars]

First time out, I used a shop car lift and an expensive Hein-Werner hydraulic transmission jack with homemade adapters to cradle the engine. Well, to make a long story short, one of the adapter supports bends as its coming down and the engine/trans takes a half gainer endo onto the shop floor from about 4'. It bent one of the carb. filter tubs and broke three velocity stacks, but no other damage or self-induced injuries. The engine did suffer bent valves and broken rocker arms some years later, but I think this was due to the timing chain that skipped a tooth .... or was it?

Does this constitute "dropping it"? If so, I win unless someone can show a higher degree of difficulty with better form.

Sherwood Lee
(I hope this doesn't discourage first-timers)

[cary]

I did the floor jack with 3/8 plywood method. Down on to 6 x 6's. Went slick as a whistle.
Will be doing again after Christmas. To send the gear box off for enhancements ( short stack and LSD ).

[Nickshu]

Once....on my left foot.


dud-um...ching!
.......Thanks folks, I'll be here all week....be sure to tip your waitress!


Nick

[ChrisBennet]

Yes, lots of times. It's an easy project. It was my 2nd mechanical project. My first was replacing the brake pads on my VW Rabbit.

[rscupper]

No ... but with an explanation your honor.

I have only assisted with a Porsche engine in/out (had to do it twice in one day on an E, but that's another story). I used to do it all the time on old VWs but that was some 25 years ago. I wouldn't be fearful of doing it but I would only be comfortable if somebody knowledgable would show me at least once.

[jluetjen]

Sure; lots of times! -- And I've only had the car for 18 months. Let's see...

First I took it out to swap the rear trailing arms,
Then I took it out again because I had to replace some transmission parts to complete the swap.
Then I took it out again because the tranny was jamming internally after I swapped the desired parts.

But it all works great now!

I guess I may take it out again this winter just to stay in practice

[KTL]

Did a 911 motor removal for the third time in three years (first year Kiwior's, next mine, this year his, next year mine I guess).

Most complicated = time consuming job i've done is the timing belt on a 92 Eclipse turbo. Not a hard job, just a little time consuming with not much space to work.

The dumbest job i've done has to be a tie between the steering column on the 911 and the heater core (remove entire dashboard) on the Eclipse. I hate it when you have to disassemble 75% of the car to get at the problem.

[ebradway]

It's interesting to see the attitudes of those who have dropped the engine. Once you do it and realize how easy it is, you start thinking of reasons to do it again.

I'm begining to think dropping the engine at every 15K service point might make alot of sense. You can schedule performance upgrades for those point. You end up inspecting parts of the engine you just can't get at and fixing minor problems that would have gone undone. Plus, you can clean the backside of the engine and do some detailing while it's out. I'm sure the valve adjustment is easier with the engine on a stand - even if you have a lift for the car.

If I lived in climates that required storing the car for the winter, I'd probably just leave the engine on the stand so I can detail it a little at a time.

BTW, an assist counts. It's very likely that you may have a car that's either too new or in good enough condition not to warrant a drop. I wonder how the ratios would come out if I did this poll on Rennlist?

[GIBSON]

Speaking of engine drops, how about this tool..

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/aw-cgi/ebayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=598499777&r=0&t=0

Wayne said he contacted the guy about Pelican possibly stocking this tool. Don't know what happened on it.

Bruce Herrmann

[L Sjoberg]

My first Porsche exprience was a 1967 911, which proceeded to puke after 3 months of ownership. Having never changed the oil in a car before, a buddy and I dropped the 911 engine using a floor jack, a 2x4 and a couple of old pledge paddles (okay, insert requisite frat boy and/or weenie joke here). Of course, after oh so carefully balancing the engine on the paddles, it fell off the jack about 3/4 of the way to the floor. And then there were the things - such as cables - we neglected to detach before commencing with the drop. All of which took a little less than 9 hours. Luckily no real damage done.

We ended up swapping out the #3 P/C, cleaning 30 years of crap off and out of the whole damn thing, machining the heads and rebuilding the carb which led to the puking in the first place. And, after swapping out the ignition coil after I managed to burn out the original one with a little careful miswiring, the old beast ran like a charm until the day my understanding wife and I cheerfully parted company with it.

I've still got the pledge paddles hanging in my garage for the next job, which will hopefully come later rather than sooner.

[pbs911]

Not on my Pcar. But I used to take the engines out of my VW bus and Bugs to just to clean them. Those cars only took me about 20 min total time to take it out and reinstall.

The first time my 3.0 will be dropped will be the last. You see, I just have to make things a little more complicated and will be installing a 3.6. Now that's an upgrade performed during an engine drop!

[Rich911E]

I have taken the engine out and did worry about the dropping part of this procedure. I did figure out a solution that works pretty well though.

Home Depot sells furniture dollies for about $20 that are like 1x4's with carpeting on two sides and casters on all four corners. I modified mine by cutting a slot in one of the boards large enough for the floor jack to fit through. Before taking out the mounting bolts, I fastened the furniture dolly to the engine using nylon wire-ties (greatest product since duct tape), put the floor jack in place, took off the mounting bolts and lowered it to the floor. If it had fallen off the jack, it would have just landed on the furniture dolly and would not have hit the floor directly. Plus, once it was down on the floor, I just pulled the floor jack out through the slot and rolled it around my garage. (As you can see this was a one-man operation).

Harbor Freight tools sells an item they call a "motorcycle lift" for about $140 that looks like it was made for dropping 911 engines. I may have to ask for one for Christmas (next year -- this year's list is already complete)

Rich

[Leland Pate]

Um,...yeah,.... I had this"Friend" once who was trying to drop his engine out of his SC in the base hobby shop...
Yeah, we was using a tranny jack and large phone book to lower his engine. I think he said he was pulling on it trying to get it to seperate it from the tranny. Whilst he was doing so, (unbeknownst to him but knownst to us) the phone book slipped a bit throwing the center of balance off. The engine was about 3 foot off the ground and when it came free of the gear box it proceeded to do a half gainer clutch first to the deck.
Um...so I've heard anyway...
The only damage was smashed engine tin, a ding in the oil cooler and a bent fuel distributor fitting.


This is just a story I heard somewhere along the way... it is in no way connected to anything I have ever done...

[htbetz]

Piece of cake. Took my 2.7L out myself using Wayne's instruction's in about 2 hours. I initially left the tranny in but wound up removing it as well. It was a little awkward getting the throwout bearing fork properly placed. Installation took about 3 hours. I used a good floor jack and jack stands. Installation I did have a friend to help me.

[911pcars]

Okay Leland. Your "friend" and I should get together to compare "drop" notes.

I too am now using a pseudo furniture dolly. I bought 4 caster wheels from the surplus store. They're about 8" in diameter to clear the floor jack (among several methods to arrive at the minimum floor jack height). Then I built a strong platform for the wheels. Place this between the engine and jack to remove the engine/tranny, then roll it out from under the car. Using only the floor jack is also an alternative, but then you'll need a helper to transfer it onto something a little more stable/portable (if you want to use the jack again).

Although there are some who prefer splitting and assembling the engine and trans in the car, I find it easier to R&R them as an assembly.

Sherwood Lee
http://members.rennlist.org/911pcars

[Leland Pate]

Sherwood, I think we can now pretty much say that using a Transmission jack is in fact NOT a good way to lower a Porsche engine.
I too have made a dolly out of large casters and 4x4s which I used to install my rebuilt engine back in my car.

Oops.. I mean...ahem..."my friends car" ...

[cary]

The thin plywood in the key. Wide enough the spread the load across the entire engine bottom. For balance . And soft enough to bend. And soft enough for the floor jack to BITE a seat in the plywood.( But not through )

Dropping both engine and gear box together. Put the jack with the plywood under the engine back towards clutch bell housing.
Jack up the engine to take the load off the motor mounts. Take out the motor mount bolts. Now carefully lower the engine/gear box, a smidgeon. And slide the shift rod out of the body hole. Now lower the engine down to the awaiting 6 * 6 timbers.
Take a deep breath. Pat yourself on the bath. Drink ONE(1) beer.

Now set your jack up again. Lift the engine and roll it over to to your work area. If the floor is clear , it is very easy. You can balance it with one hand and pull the jack with the other. And your beautiful asst. can move/drag the 6 * 6's to your work area.
At set the engine back down.

[911tmaster]

yes to many times