from doing some research, looks like it may be better to buy a jack that goes higher and just go from under the car... who ran into this issue?

 

I had to lift the engine for the passenger side. Not only that, they both smacked the underbody after install. Still rubs a bit.

 

Going from underneath is the way to go. I also tried going in from the top and it hit in the exact same places you said. It will slide in in like 20 seconds. Just watch out for the coolant sensor that you don't break it while trying to shove the long tube up and in.

 

You might be able to wiggle it in with the valve cover off. I always go in from the bottom. Get the car up as high as you can on jack stands, jack the motor up just a bit & it should go in.

 

I already broke the coolant sensor, so thats a non-issue at this point. I guess I will jack the whole car up another foot or so. It is probably at like 14-18" off the ground now (roughly 6" under the tire) and that is the max of my crappy 20$ floor jack I have been using for years. I guess it is time to upgrade to a decent piece, my neighbor has a craftsman that seems to get some good height. I might just use his.

Will I have to jack up the rear as well? That may give me a LITTLE clearance, but from the looks of it, I need a good bit more clearance from the bottom. I cant even get the flange past the K-member/transmission area now. So it may have to be 3' off the ground to do that from the bottom. I would just hate to buy a jack and it not be tall enough still...

 

You can always put a piece of wood on the jack pad to get a few more inches. That's what I had to do for my jack to lift high enough to get the car on ramps in the front. With the car on ramps, it was 12" high from the bottom of the tire.

I also didn't need to jack up the rear.

 

borrowed my friend's jack, jacked it up a good bit more than I had it (front and back) and it slid right in. I feel stupid! Thanks for all the advice guys