Dropping an engine- Is it really that difficult?

[upwardr]

Makes me think of this as a human mouse trap, throw an excellence magazine under there just as good as cheese.

[PushingMyLuck]

Originally Posted by DohertyCM

Wait, for each wheel, are those planks of wood all nailed together for a single solid block?
I still don't understand how your jack gets that high to slip the uni-block under the wheel.
What kind of jack gets the car that high?

[Driven97]

Originally Posted by PushingMyLuck

Wait, for each wheel, are those planks of wood all nailed together for a single solid block?
I still don't understand how your jack gets that high to slip the uni-block under the wheel.
What kind of jack gets the car that high?

If I read correctly, it was done in steps. 1 set of 4x4s, then probably put the jack on a 4x4, lift again, repeat.

[carrerarsr65]

to high you dont need to go that high it looks dangerous rememner to chock front wheels,pull the rear bumper it make the job way easier, any ?s im me
when dropping do engine and tranny together i used 3 ton floor jack , then set up a small dolly right under tranny loosen tranny bolts first then engine support bar bolts go slowly and you'll be fine once you have the engine dropped use a tie down strap around trans.it will help keep the engine/tranns. unit stable . so you will rest engine on jack, trannny on dolly . piece of cake

[PushingMyLuck]

Originally Posted by Driven97

If I read correctly, it was done in steps. 1 set of 4x4s, then probably put the jack on a 4x4, lift again, repeat.

How would you put the jack on the same 4x4 that the car tire is already on?
Also, I think those blocks are all fused together, not made like a set of Jenga.

[NoYouRelax]

If you are a "fairly good mechanic", you have to do an engine drop. You will get a lot of satisfaction. I did a clutch last year and I spent more time cleaning than wrenching. This forum was very helpful, due to so many willing to share, fellow wrench turners. Don't worry about the "slippery slope," as the results will be great! One last comment....Remove the rear bumber and get an ATV lift and you wont have to worry about the balancing act. Good luck!

[DohertyCM]

section one is all one piece made up of 2 6x6's and 1 2x12 attached on top. Also 2 2x4's are attached on top to prevent wheel movement.

Section two is all one piece made up of 1 6x6 and 1 6x8 and attached to the top is a 2x12.

section 2 is notched to prevent section 1 from moving once it is placed on top.


Raise one end of the car and place section 1 under the wheels.
raise the opposite end and place section 1 under those wheels.
Raise the opposite end and remove section 1 and place on top of section 2 and put back underneath the wheels.
Raise the opposite end and repeat last step.

to let down, reverse the steps...

I copied this from someone else so I cant take credit. But I did learn DO NOT RAISE all the way and place the both sections under the wheels at once.
This causes problems with car movement and spacing issues with the jack.

Anyway this is how I do it because it provides the exact height I need to remove the engine and allow ample room to work underneath the car safely.

[Tippy]

I have custom exhaust but never had to pull bumper.

[DohertyCM]

it just makes things easier to get to...and the car doesn't have to be that high to get the motor out.

[ischmitz]

I found the easiest way is to:

1. Drain oil and loosen everything but the four bolts holding the engine/tranny to the body

2. Slightly lift the car up with a single jack under the engine crank case to remove the rear wheels

3. Lower the car onto a furniture dolly (engine/tranny rests on dolly)

4. Remove the 4 bolts and walk the car up: many techniques. I use two axle stands under the rear sway bar mounts and a jack and the lift plate into the sides. The engine will remain on the dolly and once the car is high enough you can pull the engine/tranny combo out.

With this technique the engine can never DROP. Much safer than lifting the entire thing up first and balancing the engine/tranny on a floor-jack.....

Ingo

[BILLS 84 CARRERA]

Dude, you have to take your time and watch for all the stuff thats going on. There are some fragile hoses, throttle linkage, and wires that you do not want to smash or strech. I like to drop motor and trans tougher.
Ive seen some guyes do it differently (like take out motor in 5 min), but they do it all the time, and have a car lift! I also like to remove the cv axels and swaybar. And dont forget to disconnect the spedo sensor wire and the reverse light wires.
Just take your time and pay attention to car and motor angles as you lower motor on a good jack. I also made a steel plate that goes under the ssi or exhaust/ heaterbox and has a steel tab that bolts to the last hole in the engine case to prevent slipage and or motor from falling! Wood insulates steel to motor to avoid scratching of nice exhaust or new ssi's!
Having everything clean will help you see all the mounting hardware better! Good luck, and always put a "back up" set up incase anything fails.or drops. That way you are able to drive your car later with both legs and arms!............kind of important! And most of all have fun!!!

[PushingMyLuck]

Doherty,
Just one clarification. Do you use a special jack that can raise the car that high for block 1+2?
It seems like doing the blocks in stages is not for jack height, but to minimize the disparity of height of 2 ends of the car. Body flex, balance, etc. More stable if the other side is on block 1 when raising the other side to level 2. But, what about the jack? Your jack is not on the block itself, so you still need a jack that can raise the car to block 1+2 height right from the floor, right? The car looks very high, so I'm wondering how you got it so high to be able to slide block 1+2 under there.

[DohertyCM]

Well you are right PML, I don't use a small floor jack, I got a jack at Northern tool that raises 24 inches....the pillars are only 15 inches high and when you put a 2x6 on the jack (I don't like metal to metal) it becomes plenty high. Its not that high off the ground...only 15 inches.

[Tippy]

Jack up all the way, put a block under tires. Remove jacks, add a block to jack pads, jack high as you can, add another block or two under tires.

Keeping repeating until nose touches ground.

[PushingMyLuck]

Putting blocks on the jack itself to increase the jack's reach!

I should have had a V8!!

[PushingMyLuck]

Well you are right PML, I don't use a small floor jack, I got a jack at Northern tool that raises 24 inches....the pillars are only 15 inches high and when you put a 2x6 on the jack (I don't like metal to metal) it becomes plenty high. Its not that high off the ground...only 15 inches.

Anyone care to find a link to a 24" jack? Just wondering about the price range.

[Jerome74911S]

Originally Posted by ischmitz

I found the easiest way is to:

2. Slightly lift the car up with a single jack under the engine crank case to remove the rear wheels

3. Lower the car onto a furniture dolly (engine/tranny rests on dolly)

Ingo

Wait a minute, how do you lower the car's engine/tranny onto the furniture dolly when your jack is under the engine's crank case? Did you mean to say, "single jack stand" under the engine? Even so, how do you then lower? Not clear.

[bcgreen]

Does anyone have a exact list of tools used for dropping the engine.
Mine is a 2.7 MFI, would there be any specialized tools?
I think it would be cool to have a kit dedicated just for this job, and therefore when the next engine drop comes around, no digging for the tools because you have a Porsche Tool Drop Kit.

[Tippy]

My list:

1. 2 floor jacks on rear jack points
2. A bunch of boards and cinder blocks for under tires

After dropping car on boards/cinder blocks, take 1 jack with a couple/few of 2" X 6"s to place under engine balancing eng/trans while removing.

[Carbster]

Pelican has a nice tool list available, along with a list of all parts needed for rebuilding. They call it an engine wizard I think. Im headed down this road soon and thinking I will rat hole a few things this winter. I had hoped to paint but my clutch feels thin and if I drop it I might as well...