Engine removal

[Project240]

I wasn't sure whether to post this in the KA forum or here; I figured the KA guys generally wouldn't remove their engines since they're not swapping them

I'm getting started on my RB20 and need to pull the KA out. I don't have those engine slingers attached to the block, and I would rather not go get raped by the dealer and go buy them. How did you guys go about pulling your old KA24DEs when you did your swaps? If you didn't have the engine slingers, did you have to go buy 'em, or do you have a suggestion for other spots where I can attach a chain and pull that thing out?

[Big Manne]

i would think you could rent an cherry picker or something

[Nathan]

This is really ghetto and pretty damn weird but if the transmission is out allready then you could do what I did:remove hoodplace 2 4x4 fence posts across the engine bay on top of the fendersloop ropes around the engine, tie em' to it, then tie them to the posts. Get 3 other friends, lift the stupid thing out and dump it on the driveway

[Project240]

That's not the problem. I have a cherry picker/engine hoist. I just have no mounting points on the engine to attach a chain to to pull it out

[Wulfgang]

Go to Autozone and rent two hoist chain sets (you will need both of them on the RB because of its length). They are maybe $20 each, and you can return them for full credit when you are done.

The real problem is finding the right size metric bolts to bolt the slings to the head. I found some, but they are certainly not the grade 5 bolts I was hoping for.

Shane

[GTR-33]

I just threw a cain around the Intake mani, and a chain around the exhaust mani. I know it sounds kinda bad, but I don't care to much for the old engine...

[NISMO_RB25]

yep, did the same thing. It's not like I am going to use the KA again anyway, but even with the transmission still hooked up, the only damage was to the plastic around the wire harness. Just remove the harness before pulling the motor, and you won't have this problem.

[HybridOne]

thats what i did...one chain around 2 of the intake manifold runners and the other chain i just bolted into the side of the block somewhere. make sure you have alot of room in front of the car and two people. pulling the engine with the transmission attached is the only way to go...but it requires some room, and someone to lift the end of the transmission over the front of the car(hood latch area)....and take the hood off too. It just gets in the way for the entire swap. and drain your transmission BEFORE you try to pull everything out...transmission fluid is nasty, and it smells like cat urine after a while....and you always smell it once you touch it once. thats my only advice...drain that motor untill there is nothing left to drain...and then you "might" only get drenched in various fluids once instead of multiple times.

[HybridOne]

oh, and remember to remove the shift boot and shift knob. i forgot that the last time i did this and it ripped the hell out of a brand new leather shift boot.

[Yellow4g63]

haha I did that when I st did a SR swap.

[frosted flakes]

Dude the easy way!!!What we did was get the front of the car jacked up on jack stands and dropped the engine from the bottom onto a low-profile cart. Then you just unbolt the 240sx crossmember and drop the engine onto the cart, then roll it away. Its that easy!

[Bluefire]

Sorry to hijack but its kinda along the same lines... How did you guys manage to get you rb clip off the pallet and onto blocks... The legs of the cherry picker seem to get in the way. I was kinda planning on just getting the hoist as close as possible and kind of pull the clip out and up, but it doesnt really look safe... Also when pulling the motor out i see the metal plate to hook onto on the front of the head, but dont see anything on the back of the motor? Should there be some kind of a hook or something?

-Bluefire

[Wulfgang]

Yeah.... that's where I had a problem. The pallets that Venus uses are crap too, so that doesn't help. I picked up a corner of the pallet while my wife slid a small floor jack under the corner. Then I just jacked up that corner and put it on a block and went along the sides of the pallet jacking and blocking until it was all off the ground.

Then I slid the cherry picker under and hoisted the whole clip up high enough to cut the pallet off. After that I just dropped onto four jack stands.

By the time you finish all of this, your pallet will be in bits and pieces all over the place (if you ordered from Venus). The clip would be more stable and everything would be easier if they just used a good solid standard sized pallet. I had one clip flip over in shipping because of these crappy pallets!

Shane

[PROJECTRB240SX]

JUST PUT TWO GRADE A BOLTS IN THE HOLES FOR THOSE LIFT POINTS AND ATTACH THE CHAINS THERE..... THIS IS HOW I ALWAYS REMOVE AND REPLACE ENGINES.

[JeffTN]

Are you guys taking them out the top or bottom? With or without the transmission?

[Nathan]

Top, with transmission

[JeffTN]

Same with putting in the RB's?

[PROJECTRB240SX]

YOU CAN DO EITHER WAY..... I'D DROP THE WHOLE ENGINE AND transmission CROSSMEMBER OUT THE BOTTOM AND SLIDE THE RB IN THE SAME WAY.... BUT IF YOUR USING A MOUNT KIT THAN THROUGH THE TOP.

[Bluefire]

Yeah.... that's where I had a problem. The pallets that Venus uses are crap too, so that doesn't help. I picked up a corner of the pallet while my wife slid a small floor jack under the corner. Then I just jacked up that corner and put it on a block and went along the sides of the pallet jacking and blocking until it was all off the ground.

Then I slid the cherry picker under and hoisted the whole clip up high enough to cut the pallet off. After that I just dropped onto four jack stands.

By the time you finish all of this, your pallet will be in bits and pieces all over the place (if you ordered from Venus). The clip would be more stable and everything would be easier if they just used a good solid standard sized pallet. I had one clip flip over in shipping because of these crappy pallets!

Shane

Ooooohh your the one that had the clip flip over during shipping? I remember vicky telling me about that and to make sure to contact venus if anything seems out of place. Anyways I'll try your idea today...

Also "PROJECTRB240SX" are lifting the entire motor from that single plate with two screw? Shouldnt there be something to hook on to from the back of the motor?

-Bluefire

[PROJECTRB240SX]

ONE SCREW UP FRONT AND ONE IN THE BACK ON THE OPPOSITE SIDE OF THE MOTOR. I LIFTED THE ENTIRE CLIP LIKE THAT.

[Wulfgang]

ONE SCREW UP FRONT AND ONE IN THE BACK ON THE OPPOSITE SIDE OF THE MOTOR. I LIFTED THE ENTIRE CLIP LIKE THAT.

Ditto. The motor/transmission is almost perfectly balanced (no engine leveler needed) if you do it this way with even length chains. I couldn't find the grade 5 metric bolts tho... so I used bolts from elsewhere on the clip that fit those mounting holes. Only problem with this is that the front mounting point is really, really close to the fuel rail, so be careful.

Yeah, I had the flipped clip. I had to flip it back over in my garage using only an engine hoist, then check it out and say, "No, it's not gonna work," then get the trucking co. to come pick it up, then get another one shipped, then help the trucker slide the pallet onto the lift gate (because the pallet was trashed his jack wouldn't lift it), then get that clip off of the pallet, then pull the engine.... and now I'm waiting on another oil pan.

Fun stuff.

Shane

[PROJECTRB240SX]

I'M SORRY TO HEAR ABOUT YOUR EXPERIENCE. IHOPE YOU GET YOUR OIL PAN SOON.

AND YES THE BOLT METHOD IS PERFECTLY SAFE..... THEY EVEN TELL YOU TO DO IT THIS WAY IF YOU EVER TAKE AN ASE CLASS.