Engine Installation Troubles

[ILoveMyPatty]

Haven't been around for a fair while, I lost motivation trying to swap my swamped engine with a used one. A friend and myself got the engine out, we didn't drop the front diff or anything. Unbolted the tranny-engine bolts, pulled it out as far as we could and unbolted the pressure plate from the flywheel, pushed the pressure place and clutch back onto the spline shaft so we had enough room to pull the engine out and clear the front diff with the oil pan. It all worked great, but now we're stuck with getting it back in. My friend really doesn't want to drop the front diff, but it looks like thats the only way we're going to get it in... Anyone have some tips or tricks that I should try for getting this pig back in?

 

Thanks

 

Oh yeah, I also painted my valve covers a nice electric blue, and polished my intake so its nice and shiny.... Oh yeah, and topped it off with blue NGK wires. I'll definitely get some pictures when the engine is in, and I change valve covers and put my intake on.

[Slick]

what comes out must go back in, but not always the way it came out.... i couldn't get mine OUT none the less get it back in without dropping the diff..... but i think someone here actually DID manage to get theirs back in without doing that..

[ILoveMyPatty]

Well, with my limited mechanical ability, I'd really like to avoid dropping the diff, if possible. Haha.

[Slick]

Well, with my limited mechanical ability, I'd really like to avoid dropping the diff, if possible. Haha.

it's not that technical. just more work, but not hard

[94extreme]

BFH

 

:D

[Casey.T]

Anyone got an extra spline shaft he can borrow for aligning the clutch plate????

 

Not having pulled a Pathy 5spd motor im not sure... I know the one 5spd tranny I dropped along time ago, the second time with the shaft saved an hour on trying to slam it back in....

 

you can also tip the front of the motor down a little, jack up the front of the tranny a little, but putting it back in with the New??? Clutch and pressure plate could be interesting...

[ILoveMyPatty]

Looks like the front diff is getting dropped tomorrow morning. I gotta get this pig runnin' again! I miss her. Now that Thorley is supposidly not making headers for our Pathies, I dont know what I'm going to do with my crushed pipe.... Pacesetters... eeeeew

[ILoveMyPatty]

Okay well I'm going to drop the front diff, but I don't have jackstands. All I have are two ramps, and a couple bottle jacks. Is there some easier way to get the clearance I need, without supprting the frame with jackstands?

[adamzan]

Jackstands aren't that expensive dude, unless money is real tight. And you'll be glad you bought them too. I see you live in BC, go check out canadian tire, they usually have them.

 

Good luck though

 

heres a good deal:

 

Motomaster 3-Ton Jack KitSale: $79.99

Reg: $119.99

Product #09-1055-6

 

3-ton jack kit is made of high-strength steel

Includes one 3-ton heavy-duty service jack and one pair of 3-ton axle stands

Maximum capacity of jack and axle stands: 3 tons/ 2721kg (6,000 lbs) each

Dimensions: jack, 25 x 13-7/16 x 6-7/16" (63.5 x 35 x 17cm); axle stand, 8-3/16 x 7-1/8 x 11-3/16" (22 x 19 x 29cm)

Weight: jack, 84 lbs. (38kg); axle stands, 14 lbs, 11 oz. (6.7kg)

Assembly required

 

Instock at kamloops crappy tire.

Edited February 15, 2008 by redfinder

[ILoveMyPatty]

Money is quite tight, yes. And it's an hour drive to the closest Crappy Tire, which means another $40. I know I should have some, I'm just trying to get by without them. Yes, yes I know... It's not a good idea, and will be slower without them, but whatever....

[adamzan]

Money is quite tight, yes. And it's an hour drive to the closest Crappy Tire, which means another $40. I know I should have some, I'm just trying to get by without them. Yes, yes I know... It's not a good idea, and will be slower without them, but whatever....

I know how it feels to have no cash, Im going to algonquin college in ottawa and for the first semester i had no pathy so i had to suck it up and drive a car

 

Maybe a friend would have some?

[ILoveMyPatty]

Well I'm without a job right now, haha. I'm waiting for our fishing resort to open in two months so I can work there. I don't really feel like looking for work for two months and then leaving. But yeah, I'll call around and see if I can find some. I wish I were rich . Then I'd have my nice Titan... and of course still keep my Pathfinder!

[adamzan]

Yeah I don't have a job either, and its hard to work and go to school at the same time.

 

Just make sure you support the truck well, that'd really suck if it came down on you.

[jj big shoe]

Anyone got an extra spline shaft he can borrow for aligning the clutch plate????

IIRC, a deep well 13mm-14mm socket will align the clutch. Bolt the clutch on loosely and slide the socket into the hole. If you use the correct size, it'll sorta fit in the hole at the end of the crank and center the clutch. Be sure the socket it flat on all sides against the crank and you should be good.

 

Pulling and reinstalling the front diff was the biggest PITA about my engine swap, especially when you're doing everything by yourself. You'll have to drop at least one of your t-bars to get it out, prolly help to remove both. Good luck.

[ILoveMyPatty]

Do I really need to take the diff right out? I can't just drop it as far as I can, which looks like about 2.5"?

 

Today I ended up disconnecting the front driveshaft, and disconnecting the axle shafts from the diff... What a pain that is with one person... I had to put a prybar on the brake pedal to prevent the axle shaft from moving while torquing on the bolts. Got them both off, now tomorrow I'll try to drop the diff.

Edited February 16, 2008 by ILoveMyPatty

[TerranoNZ]

I've never used a clutch aligning tool....Just bolted it together loosely then feel the outside of the P/plate/clutch plate and push it to make the gap even....Little hard to explain in writing Always goes on

 

Good luck though man

[ILoveMyPatty]

You mean make the clutch splines centered with the pressure plate opening? I did that and bolted it up, hoping it would be just right and fit in. If not, I was planning on loosening the bolts a little and trying to make it work. What a PITA this job is with one person. My buddy got called to work, so I'm alone from here on out. What makes it even worse is that all my picture of when I started taking parts off (rad, ac, alt, ps pump and every other line connected to the engine) got deleted off of my computer somehow. But thank god I labled all of my electrical. I'll just have to try and place the hoses properly. It's a good thing that most of the rubber hoses are bent, which will make it easy to find where they go. I'll give everyone an update tomorrow as to how I did.

[ILoveMyPatty]

Wahoo! It's comin along better than I had expected.. considering I have NO experience whatsoever, and I'm the only one wrenching on 'er. I got the front diff dropped today, with the help of the engine hoist (I don't have a floor jack). I didn't have to remove either t-bar, I just muscled it through the gap, but not overly rough with it as to bend the t-bars. Now I'm just trying to line up the spline shaft with the clutch, which is a piss off. But, I'm determined to get the engine in and mounted by the end of the day. Makes it ALOT easier to work, when the diff is dropped

[jj big shoe]

I didn't have to remove either t-bar, I just muscled it through the gap

IIRC, I didn't have to drop it to remove it, either. It was when I tried to reinstall the diff that the t-bar had to go. Total PITA when you're doing it alone with a floor jack. I half considered going 2wd during the ordeal. I decided the next time it needed to be removed I'm gonna go SAS. That seems like it would be less work!

[ILoveMyPatty]

Haha, SAS sounds like a good idea. Well, I got the clutch lined up, and I just torqued down the pressure plate. Now I'll go out, and bolt 'er up to the tranny, throw my diff back in, put the motor mounts back on the block and bolt it down. Then comes the fun part of plugging it in. I'm scared about the first turn of the key... But I'm quite excited to see how the electric blue valve covers and polished intake look, with the blue plug wires....

[ILoveMyPatty]

Okay, I go out to start bolting it up to the tranny to find that the guy that was helping me with my swap threw all the bolts into one container. Now I don't know where the longest and the shortest and the bolts in between go on the bellhousing. Nor do I know which bolts are transmission mounting bolts, or drive shaft bolts. I would assume the rear drive shaft bolts are bigger than the front, and there are 8 of them, and the fronts are smaller and there are 8... The tranny-engine bolts are really annoying me. There's one that's a tad longer than the rest, and there's one that's quite short and covered in oil (which would lead me to believe it goes near the starter) Then there are the two starter bolts. Oh man, what a headache.