How to drop engine and trans?

[Tysama]

I have just spent a ridiculous amount of time unsuccessfully searching for any step by step threads on removing the engine.

"Can anyone please post a link to the elusive thread I am looking for?"

I know the manual covers this but was hoping for first hand advice from experienced members. (Be great with some pics) Thank you in advance, TYSAMA.

 

[Hugh]

Since it's covered in the service manual I'm not surprised there's no step-by-step thread on the topic. I know if I were going to drop my motor/tranny the last thing I'm going to do is to photo-document the job.

 

[shawn110975]

I started to write one with pics but figured someone had a better one already done. I never did a search to find out if someone had done it already.
I think I will start when I get my next build on the 6th. in about a week.
doing all hoses, timing belt water pump, etc.etc.

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hows this.....

put car on jacks.
disconnect main battery.
open engine glass.
remove interior center top leather.
remove interior passengerside square leather
remove interior passengerside side leather.
remove rear wheels.
disconnect shifte cables.
disconnect rear e-brake cables.
disconnect wheel sensors
disconnect rear brake line/ turn the lines up and ziptie to brake clamp so they dont drip everywhere.
remove muffler. you can leave the cats installed.
remove secondary sub frame brace.
remove the 2 upper rear triangle brace bolts.
if you have the car on a lift remove upper shock tower brace/ or targa brace. then the 3 shock bolts.
if on jack stands only then remove the shocks totally.
remove airbox cover and bottom
disconnect the starter
cut or remove your main 3 coolant hoses. I cut them and put new everytime why take the risk.
let coolant drip into the street into the public drain system or street gutter J/K
remove the gas lines connected to the engine.
remove the bolts holding the vacuum box and turn the vaccum box and place on top of the engine.
remove the throttle cable depending on year. coupe only
now attach your engine lift onto the lift points on the engine and raise the car useing the engine life.
remove all bolts holding the main sub frame to the car.
remove rear jack stands the car is now held up by the engine lift.
lower the whole chassis onto your engine dolly.
unplug the wire harness going int the cabin and push the wires back thru the firewall and place it on top of the engine
now remove the chains from the engine and place them into the shock tower holes. lift chassis off the engine a few inches only.
double check everything is disconnected, like any grounds,
unplug the A/C signal wire.
disconnect the a/c compressor 4 bolts. and ziptie the unit off to the side so it doesnt get ripped out during the engien drop.
now verify everything is off the engine, and nothing is going to rip off, break smash or rub during the engine drop.
next verify everything is off the engine, and nothing is going to rip off, break, smash or rub during the engine drop.
I typed that twice cuz I have ripped a ground off during a drop and scratch the valve covers on the firewall. so verify as many tiems as you feel comfortable doing.
now your ready lower car onto your engine dolly
lift chassis off the engine. slowly. lift the chassis as high as you can and push the engine out from under the car.
lower chassis back onto the rear jack stands
and your done

I do all my engine drops myself no help its all a one man show.
there are things i missed but those are the main points of interest

good luck

 

[Tysama]

I am impressed SHAWN 110975. You are obviously very resourceful to do it all on your own.

Thanks, your detailed description is very helpful. Any suggestions on which style engine lift and dolly I should buy?

I know it would take a lot of extra time but a step by step write up with pics would be fantastic for those of us that are not so experienced. TYSAMA.

 

[nikey22]

I agree, the only person who should be doing a picture-step-by-step is Shawn. But he is not allowed to use a crappy camera. Come on Shawn DO IT, we're all waiting to do this to our cars!!!....

 

[shawn110975]

you how time consuming remove one bolt, then take pic, remove another bolt take pic LOL I would go crazy.
I know I forgot some stuff that all form memory I have done it so many times now.

I got my engine lift 2 ton I think from northern tool. 300 bucks maybe I forget.
car jacks any auto parts store has them.
air tools. 10mm 12mm 14mm 17mm 19mm philips screwdriver, that all you need to take it out.

goodluck

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oh and a sharp knife for cutting the coolant hoses off.

 

[goldNSX]

you how time consuming remove one bolt, then take pic, remove another bolt take pic LOL I would go crazy.

That's why there's no step-by-step-thread with pics. It simply Needs too much concentration and nerves to do.

 

[Lamini]

If I could do it.. i would just turn on a video camera, then hand video over to someone willing to chop it up to make it useful to the interweb. otherwise, it would take me along time to get the will to edit the video myself

 

[Elite]

You plan on doing it on a lift or in a garage(no lift)? Can be done either way, and neither use a engine hoist the way I do it. I thought there was a thread in the "Build" section where someone showed them dropping the motor in a garage. There are a couple/few different ways to pull the motor, so it'll be up to you to figure out which works best for your situation.

 

[Tysama]

Garage floor with hand tools. Buying a shop crane, engine stand etc. tomorrow.
I cannot find any threads detailing how it is done.
If I lived in the States I would volunteer to help Shawn next time he dropped one, just to gain the experience.
Unfortunately over here there are no Shawn's or Larry B's to learn from.
Anyhow!!! I am an Aussie -- "I am meant to be resourceful"

 

[Fuoss484]

Hardest part is getting started. Once you get started the rest is cake. Its not really as bad as it looks.

 

[doctor z]

Way to go SHAWN, I dont know how you find the time, but it is nice to see someone help out as much as you do. All that from memory? WOW!

 

[Tysama]

Dito ^^^^^^^^^^^^

 

[PS172]

You will need these... mine is on the floor right now.

 

[shawn110975]

thanks guys I want to try and help everyone I can in anyway I can. Karma is what I live by the more Karma I collect I can spend it when I am in heaven. and there are no taxes up there..

 

[junior40er]

subscribed cause i will be doing this soon. i just dont wanna mess up.

 

[PS172]

Believe me is a mess... mine ingested a VVIS screw, cylinder #3 was destroyed, got a newly rebuilt engine, now installing it, taking the the engine down is about 5-6 hours, if you have a car lift, then a couple hours dismantling acccesories and transmission. Get a good impact wrench, a couple of floor jacks, and a engine hoist.... the engine is quite big and heavy, the transmission is a monster about 100 pounds. Prepare an adequate engine dolly before doing the job, is doable, but try to get a helper, at least to handle you the wrenches.

 

[shawn110975]

i was timed and dropped and NSX engine in 1 hour 14 mintues

 

[Tysama]

i was timed and dropped and NSX engine in 1 hour 14 mintues

Maybe I should fly you in Shawn then book you on a later flight.

 

[EAC]

Shawn, if you were doing this with just jackstands in your garage, how would you go about removing it? Unbolt everything, the raise the car and pull the engine out? Or, raise the car and lower the engine down?

 

[Elite]

I usually do this on lifts, but have done it in my garage once as well.

In short, lower the car/motor and raise the car off of it. More detail here:

Disassemble everything to take the motor out(99%), but leave the two top motor mounts in place. This includes taking down the rear crossbeam(#1 in the diagram below) and the passenger side beam(#4 in the diagram below) that bolt to the chassis(what your control arms mount to). Your lower control arms will already be be down, leave the top control arm in place, and leave the shock mounted top and bottom(take out the swaybar earlier, but put the link or a proper sized bolt back in place). All this will allow enough space for the motor to clear when raising the chassis. This will all swing out of the way when you are raising the car. You need people to help spot and pull stuff out of the way as you slowly/incrementally raise the chassis up.

Drop the car down until the motor/trans are sitting on a dolly(Put some wood below the tranny(on the dolly) to level it out with the oil pan on the dolly, adjust to the right spot when lowering the car/motor/tranny onto the dolly). Once the engine/tranny are fully set down on the dolly, take the two motor mounts off from the top, and begin raising the car slowly while watching to make sure everything is clearing, to make sure nothing is snagging, and to make sure you didn't forget to disconnect anything.

I use two SUV/large jack stands(with locking pins) on the rear most jack points to keep the rear of the chassis much higher than standard jack stands. I think I may have needed to have the front wheels on 2x12's to raise the front a little(or could have been on dolly's as well). This will let you roll the motor out without much worry of clearing.

Like Shawn, this is off the top of my head, but should give you the general idea. Use your common sense if I left anything out.

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[Ko-nsx]

disconnect everything AND drop, or just drop?

 

[Elite]

disconnect everything AND drop, or just drop?

Not exactly sure what that question means.

 

[shawn110975]

yeah lower the car using the engine lift points onto a engine dolly, then raise chassis off the car slide engine from under it and out of the way.

in some of my build threads I show how I do it. would rather drop an NSX engine than a civic LOL

 

[Ko-nsx]

i meant disconnecting hoses and such.