thinking of pulling engine, too many leaky freeze plugs
12-08-2013, 01:08 AM
#1
Racer
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Location: san diego ca
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thinking of pulling engine, too many leaky freeze plugs
I know a lot of guys here can do it in <90 minutes blindfolded...I'm not one of them (yet!). I don't mind getting dirty and learning lots along the way. Is it doable for a rookie in a weekend?
Searching alot of old threads gives insight to bits-n-pieces, but it would be nice to have one go-to link with steps and gotchas.
I couldn't find any TechTips for it.
Searching alot of old threads gives insight to bits-n-pieces, but it would be nice to have one go-to link with steps and gotchas.
I couldn't find any TechTips for it.
12-08-2013, 02:21 AM
#2
Melting Slicks
this was sent to me a month ago when i asked a similar question
Adjust the following checklist to your specific vehicle:
REMOVAL
Disconnect battery cables at battery.
Drain cooling system.
Remove air cleaner.
Remove all accessory drive belts.
Remove fan and water pump pulley.
Disconnect upper and lower radiator hoses at engine.
Disconnect heater hoses at engine.
If equipped with automatic transmission, disconnect cooler lines at radiator.
Remove radiator and shroud.
Disconnect accelerator linkage and detent linkage, if so equipped, from carburetor.
If A/C equipped, remove compressor from engine and lay aside. Do not disconnect lines from compressor.
If power steering equipped, remove pump from engine and lay aside.
Remove engine wiring harness from engine.
Disconnect fuel line at fuel pump.
Disconnect all vacuum lines from intake manifold.
Raise vehicle.
Drain crankcase.
Disconnect exhaust pipe from exhaust manifold flanges.
"K" models with automatic transmission, remove strut rods at motor mounts.
Remove flywheel or converter splash shield, as applicable.
Disconnect wiring along right pan rail.
Disconnect wiring at starter and remove starter.
Disconnect wiring for gas gauge.
If equipped with automatic transmission, remove converter to flex plate attaching bolts.
Support transmission.
Remove bell housing to engine retaining bolts.
Remove lower engine mount bracket to frame bolts.
Lower vehicle.
Remove vehicle hood.
Attach engine lifting device.
Remove engine.
INSTALLATION
Place engine in vehicle.
Raise vehicle.
Install engine mount bracket to frame bolts.
Install bell housing to engine retaining bolts. Remove transmission support.
If equipped with automatic transmission, install converter to flex plate attaching bolts.
Install flywheel or converter splash shield, as applicable.
Connect wiring for gas gauge.
Install starter. Connect wiring.
Install engine wiring harness along right pan rail.
Connect exhaust pipe to exhaust manifold flanges.
Lower vehicle.
Connect all vacuum lines to intake manifold.
Connect fuel line at fuel pump.
Install engine wiring harness to engine.
If power steering equipped, install pump on engine.
If A/C equipped, install compressor on engine.
Connect accelerator linkage and detent linkage, if so equipped, to carburetor.
Install radiator.
If equipped with automatic transmission, connect cooler lines to radiator.
Connect heater hoses to engine.
Connect radiator hoses to engine.
Install water pump pulley and fan to water pump.
Install accessory drive belts. Adjust to specifications.
Fill cooling system.
Fill crankcase.
Connect battery cables and start engine. Check timing and carburetor adjustment and adjust if necessary.
Install air cleaner and vehicle hood.
REMOVAL
Disconnect battery cables at battery.
Drain cooling system.
Remove air cleaner.
Remove all accessory drive belts.
Remove fan and water pump pulley.
Disconnect upper and lower radiator hoses at engine.
Disconnect heater hoses at engine.
If equipped with automatic transmission, disconnect cooler lines at radiator.
Remove radiator and shroud.
Disconnect accelerator linkage and detent linkage, if so equipped, from carburetor.
If A/C equipped, remove compressor from engine and lay aside. Do not disconnect lines from compressor.
If power steering equipped, remove pump from engine and lay aside.
Remove engine wiring harness from engine.
Disconnect fuel line at fuel pump.
Disconnect all vacuum lines from intake manifold.
Raise vehicle.
Drain crankcase.
Disconnect exhaust pipe from exhaust manifold flanges.
"K" models with automatic transmission, remove strut rods at motor mounts.
Remove flywheel or converter splash shield, as applicable.
Disconnect wiring along right pan rail.
Disconnect wiring at starter and remove starter.
Disconnect wiring for gas gauge.
If equipped with automatic transmission, remove converter to flex plate attaching bolts.
Support transmission.
Remove bell housing to engine retaining bolts.
Remove lower engine mount bracket to frame bolts.
Lower vehicle.
Remove vehicle hood.
Attach engine lifting device.
Remove engine.
INSTALLATION
Place engine in vehicle.
Raise vehicle.
Install engine mount bracket to frame bolts.
Install bell housing to engine retaining bolts. Remove transmission support.
If equipped with automatic transmission, install converter to flex plate attaching bolts.
Install flywheel or converter splash shield, as applicable.
Connect wiring for gas gauge.
Install starter. Connect wiring.
Install engine wiring harness along right pan rail.
Connect exhaust pipe to exhaust manifold flanges.
Lower vehicle.
Connect all vacuum lines to intake manifold.
Connect fuel line at fuel pump.
Install engine wiring harness to engine.
If power steering equipped, install pump on engine.
If A/C equipped, install compressor on engine.
Connect accelerator linkage and detent linkage, if so equipped, to carburetor.
Install radiator.
If equipped with automatic transmission, connect cooler lines to radiator.
Connect heater hoses to engine.
Connect radiator hoses to engine.
Install water pump pulley and fan to water pump.
Install accessory drive belts. Adjust to specifications.
Fill cooling system.
Fill crankcase.
Connect battery cables and start engine. Check timing and carburetor adjustment and adjust if necessary.
Install air cleaner and vehicle hood.
12-08-2013, 02:52 PM
#3
Drifting
Do you need the car for work on Monday? Yes, it is possible to remove an engine tap out some freeze plugs and reinstall everything in 48 hours. You are talking about a major undertaking though and I would not recommend putting that type of time constraint on yourself.
All it takes is one bolt to break off or get stripped and you are into a side project that may eat up precious time. There are whole threads on here regarding snapped bolt heads. You just don't know what you will encounter.
You don't want to be tired or stressed during the reinstallation. If you have the luxury of time, I would allow more. Perhaps one weekend R&R the motor and freeze plugs and one weekend to reinstall. A helper would be nice to have.
All it takes is one bolt to break off or get stripped and you are into a side project that may eat up precious time. There are whole threads on here regarding snapped bolt heads. You just don't know what you will encounter.
You don't want to be tired or stressed during the reinstallation. If you have the luxury of time, I would allow more. Perhaps one weekend R&R the motor and freeze plugs and one weekend to reinstall. A helper would be nice to have.
12-08-2013, 11:56 PM
#4
Racer
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Location: san diego ca
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Thanks for the list. Glad to see I'm not the only one wondering. I found a cherry picker I can borrow, so now I'm deciding I'm going to go for it. If nothing else (and successful, of course) it will be cool to be able to brag about DIY engine R/R.
Kinda surprising to see "remove hood" 3rd from last on this list. I was gonna do that first, even though I've seen alot of post from people that leave it in place.
Why drain the oil? Doesn't seem required to me.
Kinda surprising to see "remove hood" 3rd from last on this list. I was gonna do that first, even though I've seen alot of post from people that leave it in place.
Why drain the oil? Doesn't seem required to me.
12-09-2013, 12:04 AM
#5
Racer
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Do you need the car for work on Monday? Yes, it is possible to remove an engine tap out some freeze plugs and reinstall everything in 48 hours. You are talking about a major undertaking though and I would not recommend putting that type of time constraint on yourself.
All it takes is one bolt to break off or get stripped and you are into a side project that may eat up precious time. There are whole threads on here regarding snapped bolt heads. You just don't know what you will encounter.
You don't want to be tired or stressed during the reinstallation. If you have the luxury of time, I would allow more. Perhaps one weekend R&R the motor and freeze plugs and one weekend to reinstall. A helper would be nice to have.
All it takes is one bolt to break off or get stripped and you are into a side project that may eat up precious time. There are whole threads on here regarding snapped bolt heads. You just don't know what you will encounter.
You don't want to be tired or stressed during the reinstallation. If you have the luxury of time, I would allow more. Perhaps one weekend R&R the motor and freeze plugs and one weekend to reinstall. A helper would be nice to have.
12-10-2013, 05:05 PM
#6
Cruising
Well I just finished reinstalling my engine last night. My original intention was to rebuild the transmission because it was slipping really bad but the man upstairs had another plan. I discovered a cracked head and 3 cylinders full of water so i decided to pull it all and when my parents left for choir practice one night i started working and an hour later when they got home i had it out and i had the whole engine apart all the way down to the bare block. I ended up selling the bad transmission and engine for 450 and got a good block for free out of my cousins 77 vette and at the swap meet i bought a brand new carb, fresh transmission, edlebrock aluminum intake and everything else i needed for under 200 bucks. last night i finished reinstalling the engine and trans now i just gotta finish hooking everything up and fire it up. this was my first time pulling an engine or building one and even though it took me almost 2 months i did it all by myself and the biggest reason it took so long was not having money or time but i built it into a 383 stroker bored 60 over and had it running in less than 2 months by myself as a rookie so 2 weekends for freeze plugs shouldn't be a problem.
12-11-2013, 09:56 PM
#7
Racer
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12-11-2013, 10:10 PM
#8
Cruising
Maybe not rookie but it was my first engine pull after watching a couple YouTube videos of people doing it with cherry pickers and load levelers and wondering how I'm supposed to do it with just an a frame lift and a chain hoist. I gotta make another parts run after school tomorrow and I'm hoping to fire it up tomorrow night but with any realistic luck I'll fire it in about 2 weeks.
12-11-2013, 10:29 PM
#9
Racer
The guy working on mine cherry picker and was afraid he was going to have enough length as to not bugger up the front end....Check on that before you start. He used a huge A Frame he hauled up to his shop from his real job.
Karsten
Karsten
12-11-2013, 10:35 PM
#10
Cruising
I had one friend that offered me his cherry picker but it was about a foot too short. I asked another friend and he had this a frame he built himself for a 85 camaro and it sat about 10 years and we had to pull it out of the woods but it worked out alright. I made sure to have a small wheeled cart down there that the bottom of my trans landed on so I just rolled it back and put my jack under the trans so I could put my ceossmember in.
12-12-2013, 01:11 PM
#11
Team Owner
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12-28-2013, 03:27 AM
#12
Racer
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I got my engine pulled tonite.
My pics look alot like Karstens, but green instead of red.
The cherry picker I borrowed was *just* big enough for a side-pull.
I couldn't have done it without the collective-wisdom of the forum...great wealth of info - thanks everybody.
