Techmerc’s Fix it Blog

So after leaving the engine fairly well stripped from our last encounter we follow up with a few things. First thing’s first, remove the starter, which is three bolts, the upper one is easier to reach across the top of the cross member with a long extension. Then we remove the Torque converter inspection cover and unbolt the converter from the engine. I used a large ratchet on the harmonic balancer to turn the engine over to reach all the bolts. Next thing is to unbolt the 6 main bolts from the transmission to the engine. This will require an obscene amount of socket extensions and wobble joints. I then noticed I had left my block heater intact and that it would hang. However I also noticed the cable was in real bad shape, like it had been chewed on by animals, so I just finished cutting the cable and I will repair it later. Next thing is to unbolt the engine from the frame and begin the lifting procedure. Now initially we unbolted the mounts from the frame cross member and tried to lift with a load leveler. I won’t go into to details but this is not the best way. The load leveler won’t clear the cowl and the bolts that go into the cross member are too long to pull all the way out when you lift. So we corrected that by using a steel bar between the lifting points on the engine with the engine hoist latched on between the two and chained to either lifting point for stability. The engine mounts are actually two pieces which will unbolt in half, allowing the need for less clearance. After clearing a few minor obstacles we were able to lift the motor out. Now there is video of this, but not all of it, just the climax. What you don’t see is a set of obstacles we had to overcome that would have made us poster children for “Why women live longer than men”. This engine depending on how it’s dressed has been quoted at weighing anywhere from 900lbs to 1100lbs, and we had way too many issues for our comfort. For one, the bar we used to lift the engine bent and almost broke on us. It was thicker than 1/2 solid steel yet developed a stress fracture at the lifting point.  Also our temporary pad of asphalt didn’t work well and we had problems trying to make the hoist work on boards we laid across the pad.  So lesson learned, give this thing some respect. Once the engine is free from the bay, remove the flywheel bolts and the transmission adapter plate. Now lesson learned here is that your tranny bolts are not usable on the stand, they are too loose, hence the jack on the front of the engine in the picture. It was Sunday and the fastener stores were close, it will hold till Monday when I can make the change.

Wilmar W41023 6 Ton Heavy Duty Jack Stands

Diesel: General Motors and Ford (Haynes Repair Manual)

18in. x 18in. Absorbent Pad Soaks up Oil, Gas, Battery Acids and More!

Tags: Automotive, Ham Radio and Homebrew Electronics // 1 Comment »