c5 engine removal
Thread Starter
Intermediate
Joined: Mar 2010
Posts: 32
Likes: 0
c5 engine removal
wanting to remove an engine out of a c5 corvette and was wondering whats the best way to do this since i will be doing it myself out of my house (garage). Dont have a lift sadly will in the future thou. Any one do this already if so any pics or links on how you did and any step by steps. will be taking the engine apart and rebuilding it. so if i have to take it half way apart to get it out no problem.
Tech Contributor
Joined: Dec 2006
Posts: 10,962
Likes: 29
From: Van Buren Arkansas
Wounded Warrior Escort '11
It was designed to come out from the bottom with all the appropriate holding fixtures and so on. Some have removed it from the top but you need to make sure you have enough forward clearance in order to slide the output shaft off the torque tube propeller shaft and you have to support that tube! I had the heads off my '99 some years ago and was noticing that with a little more effort, I could have pulled the rest of the engine.
Melting Slicks
Joined: Feb 2001
Posts: 3,376
Likes: 4
From: Hershey, PA, USA
Cruise-In VI Veteran
St. Jude Donor '12
i dropped mine out the bottom. used a motorcycle jack to give me a nice wide base to set the cradle on. if you get the car up fairly high it has plenty of room.
took it out by myself. the wife just stood by to dial 911
IMG_0456.jpg?t=1268151686
IMG_0449.jpg?t=1268151756
took it out by myself. the wife just stood by to dial 911
IMG_0456.jpg?t=1268151686
IMG_0449.jpg?t=1268151756
Instructor
Joined: Jul 2009
Posts: 131
Likes: 0
From: East Side Louisville KY
Haven't had to pull the motor yet but I used canjundude's write-up to pull the tranny out and it was spot on so I'm sure his engine removal write-up is just as adequate. Good luck~
http://www.cajundude.com/vettehomepage.htm
http://www.cajundude.com/vettehomepage.htm
Team Owner
Joined: May 2006
Posts: 21,473
Likes: 356
From: Palmdale, Ca----- 2009 Cyber Gray 4LT A6 F55 452 RWHP 422 RWTQ- RIP 1998 C5 734 RWHP & 585 RWTQ-----
The motor is basically designed to be unplugged from the wiring harness and dropped from the bottom.
It can be done from the top but there is more difficulty to this procedure.
Thanks,Matt
Instructor
Joined: Oct 2016
Posts: 117
Likes: 25
Sorry to bring up an old thread, but does anyone know exactly how high I need to raise a C5 Corvette to pull the engine and transmission from the bottom? I am trying to figure out if I can do this by using 3 ft tall 2 ft square crib blocks under the tires or lifting pucks in their correct location.
Also, has anyone pulled their engine and transmission using a Kwiklift?
Also, has anyone pulled their engine and transmission using a Kwiklift?
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Drifting
Joined: Jan 2012
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From: Portland OR
Instructor
Joined: Oct 2016
Posts: 117
Likes: 25
Safety Car
Joined: Mar 2016
Posts: 3,534
Likes: 432
From: Atlantic Beach FL.
I did it with pucks, 4 medium sized jack stands, 6 small ones and a motorcycle jack (for the engine cradle).
I had to raise the front and lower the rear on stands to get the front bumper high enough to clear the engine.
I had to raise the front and lower the rear on stands to get the front bumper high enough to clear the engine.
Le Mans Master
Joined: Nov 2009
Posts: 6,119
Likes: 156
From: Huntington tx
I just removed mine from the top, easy. I put the car on stands about two feet high. placed jack under torque tube for support. Removed the heads, powersteering rack, lowered the engine cradle about one inch. Lifted the engine from the engine mounts and cleared the cradle and then removed the engine. It helped that my grown sons did the labor.
Le Mans Master
Joined: Nov 2009
Posts: 6,119
Likes: 156
From: Huntington tx
Brutal.....really brutal.
Melting Slicks
Joined: Mar 2012
Posts: 2,800
Likes: 456
From: USA
I pulled the engine from my 2001 by myself from the top. I just removed the intake manifold and the hood. It was no harder than any other car i have removed the motors from. I just had to lower the front cradle for clearance so the engine could move towards the front to come up and out.
Here is a link for info i used when I removed the motor:
http://web.archive.org/web/201012091...engineswap.htm
Here is a link for info i used when I removed the motor:
http://web.archive.org/web/201012091...engineswap.htm
Last edited by zachaeous; Nov 22, 2016 at 01:05 PM. Reason: link
CF Community Team
Joined: Apr 2016
Posts: 14,150
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From: Pittsburgh
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Yes I removed the hood and radiator. Even though my sons did all the labor in taking the short block out, I did all the intense labor keeping my coffee cup refilled and using my pointing finger to show them what needed to be done next. I even worked through the cramp my finger got pointing out things.
Brutal.....really brutal.
Brutal.....really brutal.
Instructor
Joined: Oct 2016
Posts: 117
Likes: 25
Do you recall how high the car was lifted? I can't really tell from the pictures. That looks like one heck of an operation in that garage.