smaynor

Hello,

I'm in the process of pulling my engine out after a broken piston.

I have heads, intake, etc. off.

Car is an automatic A-6.

Do I remove the bellhousing bolts from the engine and leave the bellhousing in the car, or do I remove the torque tube bolts from the bellhousing and take the bellhousing out with the engine?

Thanks for your help!
Stacey

Crowhater

Does this help?



You must pull your rack in pinion steering our one of your front wheel opening. You don't take it all the way out you just unbolt it and rotate it until you can get it almost all the way out. Your balancer will hit your steering if you don't do this.

TAKE A PICTURE OF YOUR STEERING HOSES AND LINES! It seems silly but I forgot how mine where routed.

You can see the steering sticking out of the pass side. If your engine puller is not long enough you can take the engine out from the side.

subfloor@centurytrans

Bellhousing gets disconnected from the torque tube and stays connected to the motor.

Although some people have gotten the engine out by pulling the steering rack and not touching the cradle, I can promise you it's a LOT easier to drop the cradle as it gives you more room to maneuver.

I've had my motor out more times than I care to admit so if you wanna PM me your number I can walk you thru the whole process tomorrow.

SCcues

This is the kind of help we all wish we could get when we have to do an involved project.

Joe_G

smaynor

Christopher actually called me this morning (Sunday) and we talked about how to pull the engine from the top. I'm in the last steps of getting it out now. He mentioned all the little details that I need to do to be able to get it out, and even texted some Alldata information that there is no way I would have ever known.

Thanks Christopher and all the others for your help!

Stacey

Joe_G

Christopher has long been a great asset to the forum!

sick cc

drop/lower the cradle down a little, I didn't take the nuts the whole off, left them on a few threads and dropped it down, I took the bell housing out with the engine, then reinstalled it to the torque tube before installing the motor. hope this helps.

smaynor

Got it out today no problem (after advice from Subfloor!). I dropped the cradle, and took the bellhousing out with the engine.

I simply cannot believe how clean this engine is for 155,000 miles. No sludge in oil pan, crank/rod journals look almost new, bearings look good, crosshatching still in cylinder walls, etc. Just one small problem with a piston with a chunk missing off the side! HaHa! It may, however, have a small crack in the sleeve in the broken piston hole.

Oh well....ordering the new motor tomorrow.

sick cc

mine was also very clean with having 105k on it when I tore the engine apart, bearings still looks great, cross hatch still present. my cylinders were a little out of round, some spots were pulled outward and couldn't be cleaned up with a hone, they went .010 over and that trued them up. glad to hear you got it out though and good luck with what ever your gonna be doing with it.

smaynor

Yes, I'm anxiously awaiting my forged 418 to arrive. I checked around with several different places, and my easiest/most cost-effective option was to just purchase a complete forged short block, with a cam and timing chain installed, and including the remainder of the valvetrain parts (springs, lifters, valves, etc.) I'll re-use my heads, intake, etc. No need to spend big $ on new heads since I'll be using a blower.

It should be ready in a couple weeks, but I wish it were here now! I'm ready to get back to the track!