Part 1. Preparation and safety
Objective
- Remove the engine from the vehicle body.
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
- Use only high strength alloy bolts, metric Class 10.9, or US grade 8 bolts to connect a lifting plate or chain the engine.
- Make sure no one is under the vehicle when hoisting the engine.
- 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
- Check the lifting chain to ensure it does not interfere with any engine or body components.
- Raise the motor slowly, checking carefully all round to make sure all components are disconnected.
- Support the transmission with a transmission jack or block of wood.
Part 2: Step-by-step instruction
- Connect a chain or plate
To connect a lifting plate or chain to the engine you must use only high strength alloy bolts, metric Class 10.9, or US grade 8 bolts.
Use a chain that is rated to hold at least fifteen hundred pounds or about three quarters of a metric ton. Connect it diagonally from one bolt hole in the back of head to the same bolt hole in the front of the head.
If you use a lifting plate make sure all of the bolts thread in at least half an inch, more if possible.
- Check for interference
When the bolts are secure, pull up on the chain to check for interference. If there is anything in the way, such as the distributor, loosen it and move it clear of the chain.
- Start raising the hoist
Check that the surface under the vehicle is clear of tools or components, then roll in the engine hoist and hook it up to the chain or plate.
Start raising the motor slowly, a little bit at a time, checking carefully all round to make sure there it can do no damage. The upper halves of the engine mounts will clear the lower halves, and then the bellhousing will contact the firewall. You may need to move or completely remove the distributor.
Push the hoist towards the transmission so the bellhousing mates with the rear of the block.
- Support the transmission
Support the weight of the transmission with a jack and a block of wood, or with a transmission jack. Don't raise the transmission, just make sure that it won't drop when you separate it from the engine.
- Remove final transmission bolts
Now remove the last two lower bolts from the bellhousing and the engine should pull free of the transmission as you gently crank it up. If there is a bolt or two remaining that could not be completely removed earlier because of the firewall, there should now be enough room with the engine suspended on the hoist to unthread it with an open ended wrench. It may stay in the hole after you've unthreaded it, but you can retrieve it later.
- Hoist the engine clear of the chassis
The engine is now floating free, but keep cranking it up and pulling it back very slowly and carefully, checking all the time, because there may still be lines or wires in the way.
Raise the engine high enough to roll it away from the vehicle. Make sure no-one is under the vehicle when you do this, and stand clear of the engine whenever the hoist is moving.
- Lower the engine carefully
Lower the engine to a safe working height and set it down carefully onto some blocks or onto a set of dolly wheels. Retrieve the last remaining transmission bolt from the bellhousing and put in a labeled storage bin with the others.
