i was just wondering how everybody puts their engine back in after a rebuild or something. do you pull the whole thing out tranny and all and put it back that way, or just strip the engine down and pull it out?

-Neil

 

with the tranny bolted up

 

If you take your radiator out, its MUCH less of a paint in the **** to put the tranny on and THEN stuff the whole thing into the car... MUCH less!! you can do it with the radiator in.. but... that's even more weight to keep from swingin around!!

 

Engine and Transmission DEFINATLY...

It's a PITA to line the engine/gearbox/mounts up all in one go, much easier to eliminate the gearbox problem and just worry about the mounts.

 

Ive always found in much easier to just drop the engine in, while the tranny is already bolted up. Always slides right into place for me *shrug*...

 

my friend and I always pull the engine out only. it doesn't seem to be too difficult to bolt the tranny, and gearbox. in that way, you don't have touch any thing other than what you have to: the engine.

and we done it couple times with tranny bolted to engine as well. not much easier if you don't have a lift. I guess this engine/tranny method is better when you have a lift. if for guys like me, work on car on driveway, I will just pull the engine out.

 

I work out of my garage too and realize that the least amount of parts I have laying around the better. I leave the tranny, radiator, P/S and A/C in the car and just remove the engine.
When I put it back, I lift/tilt the tranny and tilt the engine as it goes in.
Never done it with taking the entire tranny out.

 

Pull the tranny, install the engine then install the transmission afterwards. When installing the engine, REMOVE the mounts until it is all lined up. Then simply bench press the transmission in afterwards. By far, this has been the most trouble free method for me. I find lining the engine up to the transmission to be a major pain, as well as risking damage to the pilot bearing and seal.

 

I had no problems whatsoever pulling them together, and reinstalling them together, although an engine equalizer on the hoist would have helped matters a little...

Thanks, White FC, you're the one that convinced me to do it that way

 

I have done them three different ways. When I am ding one without a lift I go with eng/trans together. On lift, Aarons way. I am too old to be bench pressing a tranny on my back.

When I install an engine, everything that can be installed is done so on the engine stand. If the AC is already discharged, the compressor and PS pump are hooked up outside of the car. If it has a charge, I leave it in the cradle so as not to break the system.

 

No problem mate, i'm an avid fan of doing it this way in any car that I can. Saves time and trouble IMHO.

As someone said earlier though, much easier if you take out the radiator, not like thats a hard thing to do at all though.

 

i like to put the tranny in and mounted w/ drive shaft then sliding the motor on is a breeze..... but concrete in my backyad is hard to come by so that makes life a lil bit harder

 

Yeh, I don't think I could have done it (as an assembly) if the radiator would have been there. As it was, I had clearance issues, and had to stop, support the engine, change the placement of the hook on the chain run attached to the engine (to move the ***-end of the tranny down for oil pan clearance at the front bumper structure), and then continue on. I also used a stationary chain hoist, and actually pushed the car backwards as the engine/ tranny came out. Then reversed all of the above going back in with her...

Next time I'll have an equalizer

 

i plled it out with the tranny and everything else attached.....we just unhooked all the lines....make sure u have help when installing it tho.....it took me 2 hours to do it by myself.

 

ENGINE ONLY! (OOOPS did I contradict an Aussie?). Much,much easier. Those that have trouble mating the engine and transmission when they put it back in just are not mechanically inclined. Probably push paper or burgers for their day job.

 

I've pulled my engine twice, and both times I pulled the engine only, and just left the tranny in place. I just put a little bearing grease on the transmission input shaft and it slides back in pretty well. I try to leave the bolts for the engine mounts a little loose so that I can shift them around a little when I'm putting the engine back in.

The first time that I put the engine back in, I put all the components and manifold on while on the engine stand. The second time, I just put the bare block in and attached everything after it was in. The first time it was harder to get it in the engine bay and get the mounts and tranny lined up, but the second time it was a pain to get the turbo back on in the cramped engine bay.

If I had to do it again, I would put everything on while on the stand and just cram the whole thing back in.

 

I guess that is all depends on what kind equipments you have, and man force you have. pulling engine only is the way to go with simply tools, limited man power. the only two tricks are to get the tranny lined up the engine, and the engine mounts bolt in places.

I still remember the last time we install engine w/ tranny together, it was so painful to get the driveshaft in tranny, bench pressing the tranny, and then mounted the tranny bolts. damn so hard from under the car, NO NO space. two of us got hurt on our fingers.

 

Hey!! All I do all day at the moment is fish... no day jobs here..

My mechanical engineering degree takes up all my time whilst i'm not on holidays though..

--

I have to admit I have done just the engine before without taking the tranny out, IMHO it was harder... Maybe I just wasn't doing the mounts in the right order or didn't have the tranny on the right angle...
I did get it in fine though...

 

If you have some decent strength, just pull the engine alone.

When you put it back in, put only the bare keg in.

A decently strong person can lift and wiggle the engine into place and onto the input shaft by himself, ive done it like that a few times.

 

I pulled both of mine just the engine only. It was a PITA getting the trans lined up good though. That has always been the hardest part of the job for me. I did the same on a I-6 in my truck too.

 

i pulled mine by hand, engine only. but im using an engine hoist this time and installing the engine only. ill see how it goes