Engine removal with trans in car

30csl

30csl

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How easy is it to remove the block with the trans staying put? This way I dont have to remove the exhaust etc. Do i just undo the bolts at the front of the bell housing and slide forward and up!?

Thanks,

Rohan
 
Trans stays on motor or in the car? I did this and didn't even remove the hood but I did remove trans first. Remove right front wheel, lower car down, lift motor (after removing water pump, PS pump, etc for clearance). To access the bell housing bolts you need to tilt motor back and forth depending on location. If pulling with trans I think hood would come off and a tilting bar would be needed.
 
Hey Chris, No Trans and bell hosuing stay in the car. So you took trans out underneath and then took the bell housing off pre lifting block and head out?
 
Should be easy to get out. Going back in this way usually gives you major problems though trying to line up the engine with the trans. It's probably not impossible but you might end up removing the trans anyway, or wishing you had.

Personally I installed the engine and trans as a unit, which is normally very easy on BMWs, but it's not easy at all on the E9. I don't recommend it. Next time I would install the engine first, and then the trans. Which means remove the trans first, and then the engine.

Unless you have a lift to remove/install both together from the bottom.
 
Ok thanks guys, looks like i may remove trans after taking the engine out - was hoping it could stay in there and then I would be leaving the exhaust prop on place etc.

Might get stuck into it this weekend!
 
Ouch, some good questions here- even when you have a lift pulling and re-fitting are 2 different animals. Chris, would you suggest taking the hood off (etc) and pulling as one unit which may? save dropping the exhaust? I know it would be allot easier to put it back in as one unit because you can bolt everything up first (if that would work- never did it). When I put the transmissions in from underneath I always seem to have trouble getting the splines to match up on the clutch/input shaft even though I use the tool and I need to enlist the help of someone much stronger than I to get everything attached.
 
Hood must come off if pulling from top with tranny attached along with a tilting bar. Better have a very strong hoist. I have had issues like you with putting tranny in from underneath, took me four hours on the coupe with the 265 and eight hours on the 2800 (clutch disc wasn't centered).
 
Peter
I'm going to do an engine swap this summer and I hope it goes easy. I've done them many times on 2002's and e21's. I always dropped the trans out the bottom first, and the trans always went back on after the engine was back in place. Sorry but I never had a problem getting the trans back on. I'd just lie under the car with trans on my chest. Then I'd lift and wiggle forward. I have an old input shaft that I use to center the clutch disc on the motor. It's strong enough that I can use it to tweak the position of the disc (the plastic ones will break off in the pilot bearing). I think part of what makes it easy is lifting by hand because I can sort of feel the shaft align w the bush. I tried it on my Jag w a hydraulic trans lift and it was much more finicky to get everything lined up.
 
Not sure why you'd do it that way on an E21 (4 cylinder anyway). It comes out easily as an assembly. VERY easily. I could probably swap one in 2 hours. Which is about as long as it takes to remove the two starter bolts.

Also, The E21 transmission is quite a bit lighter than the E9. Best to have at least 2 people if you're hand lifting any of them.
 
Layne said:
Not sure why you'd do it that way on an E21 (4 cylinder anyway). It comes out easily as an assembly. VERY easily. I could probably swap one in 2 hours. Which is about as long as it takes to remove the two starter bolts.

Also, The E21 transmission is quite a bit lighter than the E9. Best to have at least 2 people if you're hand lifting any of them.
Click to expand...

You must be very fast removing down pipes, guibo, clutch lines, backup wiring, heater/coolant hoses, radiator, mounts which all must be undone.
 
HB Chris said:
You must be very fast removing down pipes, guibo, clutch lines, backup wiring, heater/coolant hoses, radiator, mounts which all must be undone.
Click to expand...

18 years I've been wrenching on E21's, and they're extremely easy to work on compared to an E9.

Removing a 2002tii engine that I ran for a few years. Got too valuable for an E21 so I sold it :) And the transmission had gone bad.
 

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Steve,
Is the hood really finicky to reinstall?

Some of you espouse dropping the whole front end. In theory I could just roll a work bench under the car and drop the whole front end assembly by lifting the car up (car on my lift). But that would require more things to be disconnected (suspension, brake hydraulics).

Exhaust: it's just 6 cristy copper down pipe nuts, the trans hanger (2 bolts), and a few rubber hangers at the back, and the entire exhaust drops out, right? The prop shat probably takes longer...

Finally, when draining coolant I hate cleaning up whatever spills or splashes out. My oil drain pans are all too small (8-10 qt). My local HomeDepot has 36" diameter aluminum water heater pans on sale for only $12. These seem like they'd be big enough to catch everything. I just bought one and it should also make a nice 'basin' for degreasing larger parts like a diff or for putting under a motor that you are disassembling. I might buy a second one and add attachments so it secures to the feet on my engine stand.

John
 
I've read that if it fits now try anything to not mess with it as alignment may take a frustratingly long time. Plus paint damage risk.

I've taken the exhaust off my car a few times, once it's on jackstands it's less than an hour. A combination of extensions and u-joint along with an electric impact gun removes the 6 down pipe nuts in no time. I use a couple plastic tupperware type buckets to support the pipes while removing the hangars etc. I drop it onto a blanket and pull it out the back of the car. The prop shaft can be out in 20 minutes after that.

bfeng said:
Steve,
Is the hood really finicky to reinstall?

Some of you espouse dropping the whole front end. In theory I could just roll a work bench under the car and drop the whole front end assembly by lifting the car up (car on my lift). But that would require more things to be disconnected (suspension, brake hydraulics).

Exhaust: it's just 6 cristy copper down pipe nuts, the trans hanger (2 bolts), and a few rubber hangers at the back, and the entire exhaust drops out, right? The prop shat probably takes longer...

Finally, when draining coolant I hate cleaning up whatever spills or splashes out. My oil drain pans are all too small (8-10 qt). My local HomeDepot has 36" diameter aluminum water heater pans on sale for only $12. These seem like they'd be big enough to catch everything. I just bought one and it should also make a nice 'basin' for degreasing larger parts like a diff or for putting under a motor that you are disassembling. I might buy a second one and add attachments so it secures to the feet on my engine stand.

John
Click to expand...
 
bfeng said:
Some of you espouse dropping the whole front end. In theory I could just roll a work bench under the car and drop the whole front end assembly by lifting the car up (car on my lift). But that would require more things to be disconnected (suspension, brake hydraulics).
Click to expand...

The major downside to this method is that the car no longer rolls. So it probably needs to occupy the lift for the entire time the engine is out, unless you're going to put the body on a dolly and haul it away for body work. Usually fine if you own the lift, usually not fine if you don't. And yeah it is more things to disconnect.
 
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