Pulling my engine, um, help?

[Metalhead47]

Surprisingly I couldn't find a durn thing about this doing a search. Maybe I'm using the wrong keywords. Anyways, tomorrow (Teusday) I'm hopefully pulling my fubar'd engine to start the long rebuild. I've got a Haynes to run me thru the procedure, but I've never done this before. Tips/advice/easy workarounds? 1990 'burb 350/th400. What bits absolutely need to be removed first & what can be left on the engine?

 

[tacoma]

Absolute necessity:

1. Transmission. Undo the flexplate FIRST if it's auto. Otherwise do the bellhousing.
2. Exhaust-- if the bolts go, sweet. Otherwise, sawzall.
3. radiator hoses.
4. Battery cables and ground straps. Look carefully, there is always "one more".


Tips:
1. Drain as much of everything out as you can.
2. Remove the distributor cap, as it is easy to smush into the firewall when hoisting.
3. when you get as much coolant drained as you can, fold the hoses up like an "S" and duct tape the sh*t out of it. Hopefully, the bends will keep the remaining coolant IN.
4. Tension the motor w/the lift just slightly, after you undo the bellhousing and flexplate bolts.
5. REMOVING THE FRONT CLIP MAKES ALL OF THIS SO MUCH EASIER, but it's a little work to tag and undo all teh stuff bolted to it. If you do this, unbolt the front clip harness from the block on the driver's side firewall. If this is gunky w/whatever, undo the lighting harnesses, and work back. Be careful, and seperate what you need to seperate.


Proceed cautiously but not overly so. Watch your fingers around the motor mounts.



EDIT: the Haynes manual suffices for engine removal. I used one for my first solo engine pull. Worked out fine.

Also, you can leave nearly everythign but the air cleaner on the motor. I wrap a chain around the pass. side exh. manifold, and use the pulling loop on the driver's side intake manifold.

 

[Metalhead47]

Well I figured stuff like unbolting the tranny kinda went without saying. So far I've got the flexplate unbolted; hood, radiator & hoses, AC compressor, & starter pulled. Are the bellhousing bolts, specifically the top ones, as much of a PIA to get to at they look? I can see one lifting bracket on the front of the engine, should there be another near the back that's still buried?

 

[GNERGY]

Pull the distributor, tie-rap all the wires out of the way, take the bolts out of the motor mounts where they bolt to the frame, so you don't have to lift and pull at the same time. I just swapped motors between 2 burbans. Prop up the tranny, and I pulled the water pump off just so I didn't accidentially poke it thru the radiator if anything slipped. I got the top tranny bolts with just a box end 9/16 wrench. I used the holes in the heads with a chain to pull the motors and put them back in. Pull the carb off and it makes it easier to lay on top of the engine to get to the back bolts. hope this helps you.
Tarey

 

[Metalhead47]

Pull the distributor, tie-rap all the wires out of the way, take the bolts out of the motor mounts where they bolt to the frame, so you don't have to lift and pull at the same time. I just swapped motors between 2 burbans. Prop up the tranny, and I pulled the water pump off just so I didn't accidentially poke it thru the radiator if anything slipped. I got the top tranny bolts with just a box end 9/16 wrench. I used the holes in the heads with a chain to pull the motors and put them back in. Pull the carb off and it makes it easier to lay on top of the engine to get to the back bolts. hope this helps you.
Tarey

Ah, that reminds me. It's gonna take me several months to get this all figured out and I'll need to move the truck around my property from time to time with no engine. Will I need to strap up the front of the tranny to keep it supported with the engine out, and will the parking pawl still be adaquate to hold it on level ground?

Which holes in the heads do you mean?

 

[GNERGY]

I used a piece of what they call strut, u shaped channel that you use to mount conduit to a wall or hang it fron the ceiling, to hold up the front of the tranny. Take pics of anything you can to make it easier to put back together. Yes the parking pawl will hold it, mine was on a slanted driveway.
Tarey

The holes where the alternator anr power steering bolt to, and the same holes are in the back of the heads too. Don't forget the fuel lines.

 

[GNERGY]

Here is a better pic of the strut holding up the tranny. I used 2 bolts in the bottom to keep it from moving while I moved the truck around.
Tarey

 

[buffblazer]

i have my motor out right now and i just took a shovel and layed it acrossed the springs and set the bellhousing on it. im running a 4speed so there was a nice little area for the handle to settel up in between the bellhousing and the tranny, but it could possibly work the same for an auto

 

[70jimmy]

I always pull the radiator completely out, I used wire thru the bellhousing bolts and tied up to some bolts on the firewall or you can go to the hood hinges to keep the tranny supported.

For lifting the motor out I have used the lifting block on the front before but I find what works better is to either use exhaust manifold bolts one on front right and left rear or vise versa. Obviously I like to pull the exhaust manifolds off when I pull the motor out but not required to do. I just like extra room. You can also remove carb / TBI and use a lifting plate. One of those screw type adjustment things helps to angle the motor the way you want but I have oly used one once.

I also remove the battery so there is no possibility of cables touching and sparking shockin you.

SOMETIMES IF YOU NEED THE TRUCK TO GO DOWN A LITTLE IN THE FRONT OR BACK DON'T FORGET ABOUT LETTING AIR OUT OF THE TIRES AND GRAB THE MOTOR AS CLOSE TO THE TOP WITH THE HOIST SO YOU DONT RUN OUT OF ROOM TO LIFT IT.

Have fun!!

top bellhousing bolts either get from the top by laying across the top of motor or use long extensions and get from underneath.

 

[Metalhead47]

Aargh I can see the top/passenger bolt on the bellhousing is going to make me want to hunt down & break the knees of the engineer who designed this setup. IS there any way I could remove the motor mounts & lower/tilt the engine down a couple of inches so I can get to this nut?

 

[1BURBAN]

you really need to move the S@#$ out of the way that is blocking your access to the top bellhousing bolts (zip ties on the wiring harness work wonders). Your gonna have to put them back in sooner or later.

 

[gone huntin]

I've just pulled the engine out of my Suburban last week. I got the two top bellhousing bolts from the top with the distributor removed. I used a ratchet wrench. There's gonna be a ground strap on the back of the heads that you've gotta take off there anyway.

 

[buffblazer]

or take a really long extention awith a short socket and a swivle from underneath. its a tight fit but you can do it, of course if your not taking the tranny out it may be impossible whenever i went from underneath, i was taking the tranny out.

 

[Metalhead47]

I used a piece of what they call strut, u shaped channel that you use to mount conduit to a wall or hang it fron the ceiling, to hold up the front of the tranny. Take pics of anything you can to make it easier to put back together. Yes the parking pawl will hold it, mine was on a slanted driveway.
Tarey

The holes where the alternator anr power steering bolt to, and the same holes are in the back of the heads too. Don't forget the fuel lines.

How did you get the fuel pump plugs/wires off the TBI unit?

 

[Metalhead47]

VICTORY IS MINE!!! I was really surprised at how easily it popped loose from the tranny, I was expecting another fight to get it loose. Had a few niggling things to unhook and at the end I broke down & cut the last few ground wires, but wiring is easy . Should I pull the flexplate before I mount it on the stand?

 

[1BURBAN]

yep