Steps
- Position vehicle to where you can get the hoist in and out on the level. You will need to drain fluids. Plenty of lighting is necessary. Take pictures of everything under the hood.
- Remove the hood. The hinges bolt to the hood. Mark the hinges with a sharpie or a sharp point scribe around the hinge so you can locate it later. Loosen carefully so you don't scrape when the hood slides. Lift off with a friend if possible.
- Disconnect the ground cable on the battery.
- Drain coolant and disconnect hoses. NOTE: cut off hoses that don't come easy; you can replace rubber, but metal connectors can be damaged and harder to replace.
- Remove fan. Loosen alternator or tension pulley and remove belts. Remove radiator.
- Disconnect the intake air supply and fuel lines.
- Unbolt and pull aside the power steering pump and air conditioning compressor; don't disconnect the hoses.
- Remove all electric wire connections to the motor. Spark plug wires can be left for later.
- Disconnect the exhaust manifold(s).
- Unbolt all visible connections to the transmission. (Sometimes it's easier to pull the transmission with the engine, i.e., FWD's)
- Jack up car and place jack stands. Go under.
- Remove exhaust pipe connections.(When you removed the manifolds it should be obvious whether this is necessary or not.) Remove starter.(Probably not necessary if your pulling the tranny with the engine - see above.)
- Unbolt the torque converter from the flex plate
- Position jack stands or something able to support the transmission BEFORE disconnecting any bolts from the transmission. Once the bolts are freed from the engine nothing will be supporting the transmission, so this step is vital.
- Loosen transmission connections at the cross member.
- Unbolt all the other transmission connections to the motor. (See above-re: engine+tranny pull.)
- Unbolt motor mount connection.
- Get out from under, let the car down.
- Bring up the hoist (Don't forget the engine "leveler") and connect the chains to the biggest bolts.
- Hoist slow. Adjust leveler to lift front higher.
- Swing motor free of car to avoid hitting the car. (Caution: You're dealing with a 200lbs+ "pendulum")
- Bring up truck or SUV. Put the old motor in.
- Perform this in reverse for installation.
- See extra instructions: distributor removal and timing, valve adjustment, clutch replacement.
Tips
- Save all parts removed in labeled bags.
- Take pictures of assembly.
- Note position of all parts removed including gaskets.
- Don't yank parts apart.
- Use "liquid wrench" if parts stick.
- Reassemble with new parts whenever possible.
- Replace consumables such as the main(crankshaft)seal gaskets, oil pan seals, and valve cover gasket(s) while engine is out of the car and easier to work on. You don't need leaks which can become a major messy headache.
- If you genuinely don't know how to swap-out a car engine, get correct and specific advice before attempting such a task.
- Never work on a vehicle without someone checking on you.
Warnings
Things You'll Need
- Wrenches including socket, open end, and box end sets (metric and standard)
- Screwdrivers including torques
- Pliers (needle nose, standard, and hose removal)
- Floor jack and jack stands
- Fender cover pads (both sides)
- Engine hoist
- Creeper
- Shop space (with shelves or boxes)
- Box (for parts)
- Masking tape (for labels)
- Proper Engine
- Parts cleaner solution and sprays
- Box of disposable h-d mechanics gloves
