Engine drop question

[pookie]

I am in the middle of my first engine drop right now, I mean I had to wash my hands to come send this post. I have most of the steps done but have run into a few questions:

1. My hard online will not budge, I know it probably hasn't been moved in years but is there a trick to try and seperate those two. I have been trying to be careful about seperating the line because I don't want it to bend, but even when i really crank on it it won't move.

2. With regards to removing the cluth cable assembly, I have the cable, the circlip, and the coil spring off, in 101 Projects it says to "pry off the lever arm from the shaft with a small screw driver" I can't get the arm to move either. The U shaped helper spring will move a little side to side, but nothing seems to make the lever arm budge.

These are the last two steps I have before I seperate the engine from the transmission and then loosen the motor mount bolts. I was just hoping there was some trick you guys could pass on so I can move on with the drop.

Thanks
Ryan

[Rick Lee]

I can't help with your clutch, but I did watch a friend wreck his hard oil line while doing this job. That horrible scene motivated me to buy the proper wrench for the job. See the photo:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/ebayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=1816157189&r=0&t=0

Since you obviously can't wait for the part to arrive, you need a big cresent wrench and a 36mm flare wrench - if you can find one. I'd put a floor jack under the steel part of the line and use it to hold the crescent wrench in place, get a torch and heat that joint until it's orange and then use that 36mm flare wrench to turn it. If your car is high enough off the ground, you may be able to fit a pipe extension on the end of the flare wrench to get some more torque.

Good luck - I don't envy you, but I'll be doing this job in a few more weeks.

[Superman]

Heat might work on the 'nut' part of an oil line disconnection. I would remove the tranny with the engine, if I were you, but removing the engine alone is possible. Mating the engine to the tranny under the car while the tranny is still on the car is also possibly but likely to be difficult. Latex or better yet, nitrile gloves are the way to go. They eliminate hand washing.

[speeder]

Super, Where do you get nitrile(?) gloves? I'm allergic to latex. TIA.

[Don Plumley]

Nitrile gloves (cheap ones anyway) can be found at Harbor Freight - there are a few here in the LA area.

Don

[ChrisBennet]

Definitely remove the engine and transmission together. Sometimes the clutch lever becomes stuck on the shaft from corrosion. When that happens I remove the shaft from the transmission and then separate the lever from the shaft. I use a regime of penetrating oil, time, heat, time, and a big socket and hammer and time. (did I mention time?)
-Chris

[Superman]

Yeah, Harbor Freight. it's like a candy store. When on sale (often), the nitrile gloves are about $7 per box of 100.

I know Wayne suggests the engine-only removal method, but I don't. Another half hour of disconnecting (CVs, reverse light plug, ground strap, speedo cable, throttle) and you'd be removing it all.