removing engine w/ tranny

[nyle]

i've heard that you can lift the engine with the tranny attached to it. has anyone done this? do you need to remove the front of the car?? i'm reallly trying not to screw with my AC stuff.

currently (and of course pressed for time) i'm swapping m44 for another m44 and that is my biggest problem right now. any help would be greeeatttlyyy appreciated.

[cooljess76]

Yeah, you could do it. It's gonna be pretty tough getting the thing out without removing the front clip though. I took the front of my car off and it only took a few hours. I also removed the engine with the tranny attached. If you don't want to diconnect your AC lines, you'll need to remove the AC compressor from the engine prior to pulling the motor. This could be pretty difficult, but I've done it several times. I had to make a special tool with a 5 or 6mm(??? can't remember) allen wrench and a socket to get the back bolt off. Then remove your radiator and auxiliary fan for more room. Be very careful, take your time and use a load leveler when hoisting the old motor out. Also, of course, don't forget to disconnect your shifter linkage and driveshaft.

[nyle]

my radiator and cooling fan are both out. that's enough clearance? is it easier to remove the tranny? i don't have any sort of jack to hold it up.. just the jack that comes with the car.

[cooljess76]

The tranny only weighs about 60 lbs and it won't fall on you. You have to pull it back about 2 inches before it falls. I usually put the car on jackstands about 18 inches off the ground on all 4 corners. Then I lay on my back and support it with my knees while I wiggle it side to side and pull back. Then as it releases from the engine, I slowly lower it down on my stomach and crotch, roll out from underneath it and thats it. The only hard part is unbolting the starter and a couple of the bolts on top of the bell housing, but on our cars(the newer 318ti's) they have threaded starters meaning that the bolt threads directly into the starter instead of having a nut on the other side. The older modes had non threaded starters and you had to have someone hold a socket on the nut from outside the engine bay with a long extension while you loosened the bolt from underneath the car. You will however need a long 2ft extension or a combination of smaller extensions as well as an inverse torx socket set. All in all, it's not that hard of a job, just take your time and make sure everything is disconnected before you start removing anything.

[nyle]

when i was redoing cooling stuff a couple months ago i replaced my starter with a non-threaded one. doing it from the top is easier than the threaded. but 60lbs isnt that bad, i was expecting it to be heavier.


so.... disconnect the driveshaft at the tranny, and the bellhousing from the block and wiggle??

[angel318ti]

if you are not pulling the transmission there is no need to disconnect the drive shaft. I recommend removing the front end if you are pulling the engine and transmission.

[cooljess76]

Originally Posted by nyle

so.... disconnect the driveshaft at the tranny, and the bellhousing from the block and wiggle??

Don't forget the linkage, the 10mm bolt threaded into the front of the bellhousing that holds the metal gasket in place, the electrical connector and the slave cylinder.

Originally Posted by angel318ti

I recommend removing the front end if you are pulling the engine and transmission.

I agree with Angel, if you're going to pull the tranny with the engine, it only takes an extra hour to remove the front end and it makes life so much easier plus there's less of a chance that you'll mess something up. Just make sure the entire wiring harness is disconnected and lift slowly having a second person guide the motor out and checking that nothing is getting snagged.

[zboot]

yeah dude, you're better off taking apart the front end of the car. doesn't really take that long to do or reassemble. A couple hours on that will probably save you more time spent trying to figure out how to get the engine+tranny in and out of the car otherwise.

[nyle]

it's not that big of a deal whether or not the engine and the tranny come out at the same time for me. i just need the engine out. is it just the bellhousing connecting it to the engine?

[cooljess76]

Originally Posted by nyle

is it just the bellhousing connecting it to the engine?

yep, and in that case just stick a block of wood under it to hold it up.

[nyle]

sweet. i have extra jack stands. so i'll see if i can get one the right height. thanks guys, that (and finding a engine hoist to rent/borrow) have been my two hang ups.