I have read around six different articles on 914 engine/transmission removal.

It doesn't appear to be a difficult task, pretty straight forward actually. But being somewhat skeptical as to how easy these articles say it REALLY is, I am wondering what things stick out regarding must do's and those certain specific things that can make this operation truly easy.

Along with that what things come to mind on what not to do, or avoid all together.

Thanks

[quote]My mind is a raging torrent, flooded with rivulets of thought cascading into a waterfall of creative alternatives

After 20 years I finally tried the threaded rod in the crossbar method. By far the 'easiest'. Takes a little longer, but if you're doing it alone you wont have that "oh, !@#$ the engine is tipping over" moment while balancing it on a floor jack.

I wrote this one a LONG time ago. So that's my vote.

http://www.914world.com/specs/tech_engdrop1.php

If it still runs and you have a car wash close enough to the house, I highly recommend taking it down there first and giving the bottom of the drivetrain a good high pressure wash down first. Plug or cover the transmission vent first, then fire away to get the biggest, most grimy stuff off. It'll pay off later when you go to cleanup the engine and trans more thoroughly.

Years ago, I built a fixture to hold the engine and bought an ATV jack at HF.
Engine in or out in about an hour....working by myself. That time included jacking up the car. I dropped the T-4 & said to meself..."never again".

Click to view attachmentClick to view attachment

Well, after doing mine last Saturday by myself, I can tell you do everything the opposite of what I did.

I wanted to do the lower car and engine onto a dolly, remove 4 bolts, jack up car leaving engine on floor method. Been there, done that, works great. You want two floor jacks.

What I got was, one dead floor jack, and two bottle jacks. Wasn't pretty, easy, or quick.

Nightmare but got it done.

Just be safe..

Threaded rod on the front and jack for the trans. I greased the washers so the nut turns easier. Helps keep it in line going both ways. T4 not so bad, but my V6 is a tight fit.

I don't have a pic of it but I have a low profile dolly to set it on and roll out from under. I usually have to unjack the front of the car to get it under the rear bumper. One of the larger HF dolly's would probably work fine for the much shorter T4.

Most forget the ground strap under the trunk on the trans.

[quote name='gunn1' date='Feb 17 2016, 06:09 PM' post='2304331']
I have read around six different articles on 914 engine/transmission removal.

It doesn't appear to be a difficult task, pretty straight forward actually. But being somewhat skeptical as to how easy these articles say it REALLY is, I am wondering what things stick out regarding must do's and those certain specific things that can make this operation truly easy.

Along with that what things come to mind on what not to do, or avoid all together.

Thanks

[quote]My mind is a raging torrent, flooded with rivulets of thought cascading into a waterfall of creative alternatives
[/quote]




DITTO !!

Two jacks ( rolling floor jacks that work) and a dolly.
First time, 2-3 hours
Now, under an hour with a coffee break

Don't over think this, we will need to add you to the procrastinators thread.
Get your cold weather gear on and go pull that motor

1st time I dropped a 1.7 engine megasquirt on a 71 car took me less than 3 hours from removal of all wirings, cables like speedo, accelerator, clutch and all the way to rolling the engine with a dolly and even just using a single floor jack and two jack stands. Single floor jack was used on both side dropping and lifting the rear every few inches.

Just make sure read a few times the suggested procedure in removing this engine. And I'm sure you can do it and you will say, wow that was easy! But just a friendly reminder, be safe at all times and don't rush!

Yup, I did that the first time, and later forgot to replace the ground until I found I had an electric speedo cable!

This is very timely and helpful. My 74 2.0 engine is completely disconnected and I'll be removing it tomorrow. Thanks for the write-up Mark. Can someone explain further the use of threaded rod?

Used the lower-onto-dolly method, first time took a few hours, spent lots of time labelling things. It is not as intimidating as it might look at first. Just be respectful of the weight.

The 2 jack method works swell. When the tools are functional.

Replace the front mount bolts with threaded rod and wind the nuts down the rod to lower the engine, while supporting the rear of the trans with a jack.

Double nut the top of the rod so you don't unwind that one by accident

Tangerine racing, jack adapter. Much faster and easier

I just did this recently, and had the same trepidation as yourself. In the end, it was not too bad a job although I did run into one snag as shown here:
http://www.914world.com/bbs2/index.php?showtopic=274995

As others said, just take your time, use the check list at PP to make sure everything is disconnected. If you have AC, one thing not on the list is that the compressor and mounting bracket will need to come off as well.

Rather than a floor jack, I lowered mine onto a a harbor freight hydraulic lift table. The combined engine / tranny is quite heavy so respect the weight. Tranny by itself can be carried by one person, engine (especially with everything attached) is heavy.

I still need to put it back in the car. Once out I decided to do the clutch, get the tins powdercoated, have the alternator rebuilt, new oil cooler, etc. While I am sure the "next time" will be even easier, I prefer not to make a habit o f dropping the engine.

Good luck, if you get stuck there are lots of folks here who can guide you along.

Here's a link to the thread with the write-up that I did on engine removal:

http://914world.com/bbs2/index.php?showtopic=241697

I made my own cradle with a length of 2X12, a notched 4X4 block across the rear to cradle the tranny, and a 2X6 cross pc front to balance the mount bar.
I could slide my floor jack under by tipping the tranny end up a little.
Biggest HF dolly worked well.
had the chassis fixed in up position with blocking.

Click to view attachment

Wow, talk about making an impression!
Here I am wondering about whether my engine is a 1.7, 1.8 or 2.0 liter or a combination of both and how not to drop it on my head during removal and you got JP Stein trying to illustrate this cradle he created using 2x4's and a ATV jack. Don't get me wrong I think the jack/cradle is great......But I just cant quite get my eyes off the engine sitting on top of the cradle. Very nice! I like it!

Welcome to the addiction.