When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.
Started out as an "engine-in reseal" to address the multiple oil leaks on this newly purchased 90 C2 w/192k miles. Found a broken head stud on cyl 3. Ok, guess I'll drop the eng & do a top end rebuild. I won't bore you w/the drop portion as it's been done. I went this far, may as well go all in & split the case (given the mileage)...don't want a repeat performance. I'm just a novice wrench (first time eng drop) so I'll be drawing from the collective wisdom of those willing to share. Lots of great threads of previous builds to refer to. I've already benefited from the generosity of many on this forum (ie tools/manuals/eng stand/helping hands etc). So the journey begins.
I only put toes in the water, your in deep! What reference materials prepared you best to split case? Did case come apart easy like, tap tap wiggle wiggle? Sure there is a lot of "bag and tag" going on ... Congrats on early steps to a drip dry engine ....
I thought about doing an engine drop on the ESCO stands, but acquiesced, and bought a scissor lift. Since I don't have many options for extra helping hands, I figured best to make it as easy, and safe as possible.
A hydraulic table too. Should have the motor out and stripped to a longblock for delivery to the shop for the detail work. I just don't have the space to do an engine rebuild at this time.
So far the biggest PITA was separating the eng from the trans. Ended up unbolting the pressure plate which means turning the crank to line up each (rusted) bolt. You round these off & your screwed. Fortunately all came out, thank goodness these are not torqued too tight from the factory. Then there is the frustration of broken studs, rusted/rounded nuts, not unusual for a car this age. I found I'm good at taking things apart, it's the putting it all back together that will be the most challenging.
John McM: Some of your threads will be quite helpful for me when I get to the reassemble stage. Will try to mimic your "operating room" approach, all about preparation. Trying to take a Zen approach to the whole process by taking my time avoiding mistakes. Too easy to go medieval when things won't budge.
Great work! The more I think about it, the more I think I need to do the same. My cam towers and oil return tubes are leaking. And god knows what else I'll find on the way...
Can I ask how high the chassis needs to be from the jacking points to the ground for you to remove the engine without the rear bumper installed? I see you used an ATV jack, is that what you used to removed the engine/transmission combo?
Maxed out the Esco jack height, was enough to slide the eng out. The key is how low the ATV jack can go, which is why I chose that particular one (Craftsman Pro). It's the jack that the trans is sitting on in the pic above.
Maxed out the Esco jack height, was enough to slide the eng out.
You can reduce the jacking/clearance requirements by 1" if you pull the engine out from under the car with the AFM going through the exhaust cutout on the right side.
You can reduce the jacking/clearance requirements by 1" if you pull the engine out from under the car with the AFM going through the exhaust cutout on the right side.
07-18-2017, 10:44 PM
Engine rebuild....ground zero
