pulling the engine.. I thought I was done! please help
 

ok I disconnected EVERYTHING.. the motor is stripped down to the block... I pulled off the fans, when I started pulling the engine up, the drive shaft was still attached to the tranny!! I couldn't shake it out for the life of me... any advise would be very helpful, I'd love to have the engine out by tommorow night, please let me know thanks guys.

if it does I'll take it out but right now the problem seems to be disconnecting the shaft from the tranny...

here is a few questions from you eric.

does the motor move out then suck back in, like something is still attached?
the car from which you are pulling the engine out of have an automatic tranny?
do you have the four bolts that connect the torque tube to the bellhousing of the engine out?

if YES was answered to the above Questions, then, there is a coupler on the automatic torque disc that needs to be loosend up before you start a pulling, this should be inside the bellhousing, think its a allen head bolt type but cant remember size.

Got a haynes manual?
it might explain this part better than me.

if you have a manual tranny then you need to stick in a bolt in a certain hole off the side of a small bolt (#10 wrench fits the small bolt, may look like a stud with a nut) in the bellhousing to realese the throw out bearing. maybe someone else can chim in with more detail,

but i think thats what your missing, one of these two,

Huh? The drive shaft is still attached to the trans? Is this a trick question? Of course the drive shaft is still attached to the trans. The trans is in the back if the car.

How about the drive shaft is still stuck in the clutch/bell housing.

Now if this is an automatic (you haven't identified your year, model or trans in a signiture line) you have to unbolt the rubber damper plate and the bell housing to get the engine out.

So what year and what type of transmission.

Of course you have removed the speed and reference sensors.

it is an 86 944 5-speed.. everything is removed except the drive shaft and your right I meant bellhousing not tranny

Leave the bellhousing on, unbolt the t tube from the bell housing, unbolt the tranny mounts and slide the entire assembly to the back of the car (it's easier if you remove the tranny because you get tons of room to move the t tube back). The key is to get the drive shaft clear of the clutch. Having the radiator out helps too.

Don't have to remove the torq tube or the trans to pull the engine out either the top or the bottom!

You do have to remove the starter and the clutch cross shaft if you still have the bellhousing on the engine.

You may need a rocking beam on the engine lift to equalize the weight of the engine on the drive shaft/torq tube to get it off. Don't just try to pull it off the end and drop it.

I dont know if I should give you this tip...... but

The driveshaft may be getting a little bound up..... hence Socals suggestion on equalizing the weight.

The shaft can get pretty stuck in the pilot bearing.....

SO what you can do is put the tranny/shaft coupler back on. Used a pry bar against it and then pull the drive shaft 1-2 inches back and that will pop it out of pilot bearing.

The shaft can easily be pulled or pushed within the torque tube.

Just becarefull you dont ^&(^*(& the splines.

ok I got the haynes manual, I think I have a good idea of how to go from here, thanks guys I'll let you know how it turned out tonight... also will take many pictures.

Just did the same thing couple of weeks ago. My problem was weight distribution. The engine somehow wasn't properly balanced when i hung it to the engine crane. I then made some adjustments and with relative ease the engine came out. Oh, and i took the radiator out, because it's a lot easier and best of all, you won't damage it.

Also: when removing the engine try to avoid any stress on the driveshaft. A wobbly driveshaft will result in a lot of trouble over time.