Part 1. Preparation and safety
Objective
- Remove the centrebolt and flywheel and mount the engine in a stand.
Personal safety
Whenever you perform a task in the workshop you must use personal protective clothing and equipment that is appropriate for the task and which conforms to your local safety regulations and policies. Among other items, this may include:
- Work clothing - such as coveralls and steel-capped footwear
- Eye protection - such as safety glasses and face masks
- Ear protection - such as earmuffs and earplugs
- Hand protection - such as rubber gloves and barrier cream
- Respiratory equipment - such as face masks and valved respirators
If you are not certain what is appropriate or required, ask your supervisor.
Safety check
- It is essential to only use high tensile grade bolts – US grade 8, or metric Class10.9 to mount the engine to the stand.
- Make sure that you understand and observe all legislative and personal safety procedures when carrying out the following tasks. If you are unsure of what these are, ask your supervisor.
Points to note
- Remove the centrebolt and flywheel before you put the engine into an engine stand.
- Organise and label parts as you remove them.
Part 2: Step-by-step instruction
- Support the engine
Most engine stands make it difficult to get to the flywheel or flexplate area at the back of the block, so it may be best not to put the engine onto an engine stand before you complete this task. Use a set of dolly wheels instead, or sit the block on the ground supported at three points.
- Remove the centerbolt
The centerbolt is a good place to start. The flywheel or flexplate is connected directly to the rear of the crankshaft. The harmonic balancer and main pulley are connected to the front of the crankshaft. The centerbolt holds the balancer and pulley in place. All of these components spin together as one piece.
The centerbolt is usually tightened to a very high torque setting, so you need to stop the crank from moving while you apply pressure to loosen it. Insert a large flathead screwdriver between two of the teeth of the flexplate or flywheel. One of the alignment dowels in the back of the block will keep the crank from spinning as you loosen the centerbolt with a breaker bar or a large1/2 inch drive ratchet wrench. Using the same screwdriver technique to hold the plate still, use a big wrench and loosen the bolts that connect the flywheel or flexplate to the crank.
- Organize and label small parts
Every fastener, every small component that is removed from the engine must go into some type of labeled container. You can use self-sealing ziplock food bags, or takeaway containers, or a multi-bin organizer, but the important thing is that you label everything carefully. Do not skip this important step. A successful rebuild will depend on the accurate identification of dozens of different sized fasteners.
- Mount the engine on a stand
Once the flexplate or flywheel is off, the rest of the task of disassembly will be easier if the engine is on a stand. Remember that the entire motor will be supported by the bolts that connect the block to the stand, so it is essential only to use high tensile grade bolts – US grade 8, or metric Class10.9
If you have to move the engine somewhere else to finish disassembly, check that your engine stand is not too wide to fit though a standard size door, in which case use dolly wheels or an engine cradle to reposition it first . Then you can hoist the engine to a stand and clear the dolly wheels or block support out of the way.
