Pull engine from above or drop it from below?

[Jon K]

Hey guys - preparing for heart surgery on my poor car. Should I be focusing on removing the engine conventionally from the top with a load-leveler and a cherry picker or, since I have the car on a lift, should I try and drop the motor from below with the cross member and all? Trying to do this the best way possible.
Thanks all.

[Paul in NZ]

how do you drop it from below....would still require the support from above wouldnt it? have always thought it would be a whole lot easier if grills,radiator,and all the front is removed,then its relatively easy to pull motoer and trans together??...just my 2 c worth

[Jon K]

i always take em out the top, the tranny will come with it just fine too, front drive volvos are the only ones i take out the bottom, the core support unbolts

you don't gotta unbolt the core support to pull the engine

Awesome - sounds like I'll pull it from the top. One question though - when I pull motors (e36/e46) I wrapped a chain around the rear exhaust manifold and one in the eye of the front pull point. However, I am not going to lift my engine by the freshly coated and welded turbo manifold, so what do you do to support/lift the rear?

Core support == rad support? I might remove it just because it'll be easier to mount my radiator further backward as I've got to fit my giant intercooler.

[Paul in NZ]

i thought i have seen pics of e 34s with the whole front missing...could have beeen chopped parts cars though.....

[Jon K]

core = rad, i always hook to the block lift point by the starter as i have a chain that fits the hole, you can use one of those horse shoe shaped shackles with the screw in pin in that hole so you can hook in with a normal sized chain

**** you're right I forgot about that lift hole! It's been a while :( I need to get rowdy with my E34 - just a few more parts to go!

http://blowneuroz.com/525/Parts/partsshelf1.jpg

[Jon K]

how do you drop it from below....would still require the support from above wouldnt it? have always thought it would be a whole lot easier if grills,radiator,and all the front is removed,then its relatively easy to pull motoer and trans together??...just my 2 c worth

Well I imagine I could drop the thing from below by dropping the whole front subframe - we do this a lot on VW/Audi/Porsches, I just haven't spent enough time under the E34 lately to recall if its easier or not.

The trans and motor come out just fine through the top with a load leveler its just a pain with the car on a lift because the cherry picker doesn't go too too high.

The 3rd option you mention I forgot to ask about - does the radiator support come off easily? Is it welded in? If so, I could drill out the tack welds and bolt it back in when done - my front end needs considerable reconstruction considering the size of the intercooler I am going to run. I do like the sound of this best so far, but it might be a project itself just getting the front end apart!

[winfred]

i always take em out the top, the tranny will come with it just fine too, front drive volvos are the only ones i take out the bottom, the core support unbolts

you don't gotta unbolt the core support to pull the engine

[winfred]

core = rad, i always hook to the block lift point by the starter as i have a chain that fits the hole, you can use one of those horse shoe shaped shackles with the screw in pin in that hole so you can hook in with a normal sized chain


Awesome - sounds like I'll pull it from the top. One question though - when I pull motors (e36/e46) I wrapped a chain around the rear exhaust manifold and one in the eye of the front pull point. However, I am not going to lift my engine by the freshly coated and welded turbo manifold, so what do you do to support/lift the rear?

Core support == rad support? I might remove it just because it'll be easier to mount my radiator further backward as I've got to fit my giant intercooler.

[Ross]

Jon, Who's your interior decorator?

[Dash01]

I have a cherry picker and am gonna pull the M30 engine out while leaving the tranny in.

Questions:

How best to remove the three bolts on the torque converter?

How best to remove the top 3 or 4 bolts that hold the bell housing to the back of the engine?

[Jeff N.]

Ya mean like this?

http://home.comcast.net/~jsnord/pics/wreck_2.jpg

[Jeff N.]

http://home.comcast.net/~jsnord/pics/engine_pull3.jpg

http://home.comcast.net/~jsnord/pics/engine_pull4.jpg

http://home.comcast.net/~jsnord/pics/engine_pull5.jpg

[aston_jag_tech]

Remove it from the top. This way if you need to move the car for some reason, its not dead in the stall. Also, Thats how I swapped my engine from my car.

[Jon K]

Take the trans with the motor, trust me.

[Dash01]

Good point totally didn't think about that! Top it is.

What I have is a cherry picker to remove the engine from the car parked in the driveway, as permitted by January weather in the Pacific Northwest. So, I'm looking for the most efficient way to swap M30 engines in an E34.

I'd figured on leaving the tranny in the car, but that poses alignment and access issues with the torque converter, as well as working those pesky upper bell housing bolts. This would save having to remove the exhaust pipes, disconnect the drive shaft, etc., but would pose other issues instead, such as getting to and re-installing the 3 bolts on the torque converter.

Bentley says that to remove/swap the tranny, unbolt it and leave the engine in the car, which presumes decent access to the upper bellhousing bolts, etc.. So, per Bentley, an M30 engine can be disconnected and reconnected to an automatic tranny without removing BOTH from the car while still joined together.

Probably, I'm imagining problems that are not so bad, while ignorant of unknown problems that may not be apparent until re-assembly.

So, any further tips and tricks will be much appreciated, especially those with pictures attached.

[Jon K]

Remove it from the top. This way if you need to move the car for some reason, its not dead in the stall. Also, Thats how I swapped my engine from my car.

Good point totally didn't think about that! Top it is.