i have to pull the motor in my car on sat due to a spun rod bearing, i have a total of 4.5 hours to pull it in my bay, pull the motor, replace the k member and push it out

i searched around and i have the directions for the how-to part, i was just wondering if some of you guys who have already done this had some tips or tricks for things you have run into while doing this

thanks alot in advance

 

Giving your situation, I'd suggest pulling from the top with the trans attached...If your gonna do it this way, then do a search the TPIS "happy hooker"

Here's a thread I started about it:

http://web.camaross.com/forums/showthread.php?t=513931

 

just did it yesterday double check everything get some extra eyes while u lift it out. and if u all ready have car at the location unhook all wiring will save u a little time. i took mine all out the bottom. well good luck let me know how ya make out.

 

I took it out the top, wiring is the biggest pain of the whole process, also getting the shifter out of the shifter tunnel is kinda a pain (or would be if I was doing it alone). Minus those 2 things, everythign else was pretty easy.

 

I took mine out the top and used the "Happy Hooker". You will have a tough time doing it with the tranny attached unless you remove the whole front of the car.

So you are wanting to do a complete motor swap in 4.5 hrs? That is going to be tough.

 

guess i should have specified this in the original post, i am doing it at the dealership i work at on my lift so i will be def droppin it out the bottom. i had the local chevy dealer fax me the r&r on it and i have looked up a ton of info on here

 

We stack 3 boards ( 2" X 10" ) under the front wheels and use a jack stand under the trans. This give you 6" extra clearance under the car so you have room to work under the car when you're removing the K-member bolts and realigning during the install. Makes life a bit easier.

The only real PITA is just making sure you don't damage the brake lines. You have to remove the two lines that go from the ABS to the front brakes and sneak then past the other lines.

 

with a hoist, you can have it out the bottom in an hour or so

 

that is what i thought reading the directions, but when chevy faxed me the directions they faxed the flat-rate time as well, warranty time is 11.5 and they said they usually double it for customer pay..

didnt really think it would take that long i am just looking to see what problems others have encountered and how they resolved them, or just any tricks anyone would like to share

 

4.5 hours to get it out and make it roll again, I hope you have a bunch of help. Also I cant see it coming out the opt with the tranny attached, I think out the bottom is your best bet.

The last time i did I had the K-memeber out and the motor on the stand in 6 hours flat entirely by myself, if I had help that could be cut in half. Dont be surprised if you run into unforseen things that dont coopertate that eat up the time, like seized brake lines.

Just having lift access might make this doable, I had to use an ATV jack and a cherry picker to lift the front up as high as possible.

If it were me I would not attemp this if all I had was 4.5 hours. Cant you stay late or something?

 

Read the link I posted in my first reply to this thread.

I pulled one from the top with the trans attached...and I assure you that's how I'll be doing from now on unless I have a lift

 

I have seen the photos of the "hooker", looks interesting. I think I would have to see someone actually do it with the tranny attached. I am not really saying it cant be done, just looks tough. I will say that I would be fearful about those tiny bolts holding the hooker to the intake with that much weight, however I have have not heard of any failures.

The photos of the engine coming out without the tranny are posted somewhere here.

The 2 post lift is definitely the smooth way especially if you can leave the car on the lift.

 

yes but i do have a lift as i said in my second post, so the motor will be coming out of the bottom which i am sure is much easier, but thank you for the response

 

ok, for tips

1 disconnect battery, take wires loose as needed to lay cables on top of the engine(wire from the junction block, a ground, ect.)

2 remove pass side kick panel and disconnect the wires going through the firewall, then push them through

3 remove shifter ****, plate/boot, and the boot on the floor, place shifter in neutral

4 recover refrigerant from the A/C

5 unbolt pcm and lay on top of motor

6 there is a harness that goes around the A/C lines, disconnect these under the car and pull them through

7 disconnect the wires the go to the A/C lines on the pass side

8 disconnect the exhaust(if stock, the flange behind the converter on the side of the trans works best, the part that stays on the car needs to be out of the way)

9 disconnect drive shaft

10 unbolt the torque arm bracket from the trans

11 unbolt and remove the trans crossmember, you might want to leave a couple loose bolts in it until the engine is ready to come out

12 unbolt slave cylinder and move out of the way

13 disconnect the A/C lines from the compressor lines(one fitting on top, one on bottom, leave the block bolted to the compressor)

14 disconnect the brake lines from the abs unit(lines for the front brakes only, fittings will be tight), gently bend so they will pull clear

15 unplug the front abs sensors at the connector on the inside of the front frame rails

16 unbolt sway bar from body, leave the links connected

17 drain coolant, disconnect rad hoses and heater hoses(all at waterpump)

18 disconnect the steam tube from radiator

19 unbolt all but the 4 corner bolts of the k-member(I can't remember if there are more then 4)

20 unbolt the brake hose brackets from body(if needed, its been a while)

21 look for any other lines/wires that are clipped to bolt the body and the k-member, disconnect as needed

22 lower car and set k-member onto wood/stands, ect.

23 unbolt the brake master cylinder from the booster, but leave lines connected

24 unbolt the top of the shocks(move the master around as needed on the drivers side

25 unbolt the remaining k-member bolts and slowly raise hoist, stoping OFTEN to verify every thing is clear


P.S., I didn't say to remove the front wheels, since its not really necessary



and for anyone with a auto, everything is the same, but you need to remove the shifter cable from the side of the trans, and disconnect the trans line at the hoses near the radiator, and on autos, be very mindful of the shifter cable catching on the trans wiring harness when you lift the car up

 

thanks alot for the replys guys, hopefully this will go as planned and i will have the block to the machine shop on mon