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Going 3L this weekend, those who have done it read please

LLADNAR

CEG'er
Joined
Jan 5, 2007
Messages
231
Location
NE Kansas
Well i was on my way home on tuesday, i pulled off the highway and heard a very low knock,, but it was very light and i just figured i could limp it home(only 5 miles), well the noise really never got any louder until,,,,i was just cruising at about 55 when, BAMM, it actually jolted the whole car and scooted me forward about an inch in my seat, I instictivly pushed the clutch and the motor dies,, i coasted it off the road, and amazingly it restarted,, but it sounded like someone had thrown a box of rock in the engine,, it wouldn't idle so i had to keep it running with the foot feed. so that was it toasted motor and i am replacing it with a 3.0 this weekend. now one of my questions is will this thing come out the top,, looks like i can pull engine/tranny together,, looks tight but i have pulled escape motors out the top too, and i was just curious if anyone else has done it this way,, if you have is there any look out for this kinda tips,, looks like i may have to pull the mastercylinder. but it really doesn't look too bad. i am going to be installing a full 3L and if time allows i will swap the cams. if not i will at least put the correct intakes on. if i go with the full 3L without the svt cams and have the svt intakes will the difference be that much less if i do swap the cams.

thanks for any help in advance
Randall
 
There is no way you're going to be able to do a full 3L with SVT intakes in one weekend unless you've either a) done this before and won't sleep the entire weekend or b) have 11 experienced friends helping you.
 
There is no way you're going to be able to do a full 3L with SVT intakes in one weekend unless you've either a) done this before and won't sleep the entire weekend or b) have 11 experienced friends helping you.


well to start i am a Ford Dealership driveline tech so yeah i am experienced but i am not above asking those who have done certain projects if they have any input on the subject, and i guess maybe my title was slightly misleading, but in all honesty i never said preject will be complete this weekend , though the bulk of it will be.
 
Its doable. I had never worked on a CSVT before and was able to get the trans out through the subframe in under 5 hrs. I can say we would have been able to pull the motor and trans out the top faster.
 
No doubt will you be able to pull the motor this weekend and and get the 3L disassembled. But in order to port match the heads to use the SVT intakes takes a tremendous amount of time and work. If doing a straight 3L with 3L intakes and everything, you could probably get it done in a weekend, but port matching will be very tough to complete and reinstall in one weekend.
 
Nonscense! Anybody can turn nuts and bolts man. I was just a little candid taking apart my new DD within the first months of owning it. I've done lift kits, tranny installs, complete 4wd rebuilds, locker and gear installs, etc.. Pulling a motor with the trans isn't rocket science, just a bit scary doing it to a car you didn't even make your second payment on :shocked:
 
I just finnished my 3.0 build about a month ago, and am now working on a website about the build.

this is the write up i did for the engine removal, it still needs work but you get the idea of how to get it out the top.

Engine Removal
--remove hood, headlights, grill, splash pan, unplug fog light, and remove bumper.
--remove windshield wipers and cowl at base of window to make more room for engine removal
--unbolt coil pack from rear valve cover
--remove battery and tray, then unbolt base that holds the fuse box and that can then be pulled up and out of engine bay leaving wiring intact
--remove air filter aselembly to throttle body
--remove battery and tray, then unbolt base that holds the fuse box and that can then be pulled up and out of engine bay leaving wiring intact
--CPU wiring plug under power steering reservoir
--Trans wiring plug behind air filter
--vacuum lines from intake
--disconnect wires to AC compressor it will not be removed with engine, that way it will not have to be recharged
--remove the three bolts holding ac compressor to engine block, use zip ties to hold compressor away from engine and keep stress of lines
--clutch line under battery
--shifter cables from back of Trans
--unbolt fuel line from fuel rail
--unbolt throttle bracket from upper intake
--disconnect coolant hoses going from engine to reservoir and radiator
--disconnect power steering lines
--unbolt Trans roll resisters from Trans not just pull the connecting bolt
--I completely removed the exhaust y-pipe from manifolds and rest of exhaust system
--there are other things that might need to be unplugged just look around the engine to find anything that might not come out with the engine

-Removing axels
--put front of car on jack stands, don’t rest on control arms. I used stock jack points.
--pull wheels
--remove brake calipers and zip tie to coil springs out of the way.
--remove brake rotors
--discount steering and sway bar links
--remove sensor from back of hub
--use impact gone to remove hub nut keeping axel in hub
--separate lower control arm from hub
--use axel removal tool to push axel out of hub
--gently pry axel from Trans on driver side and from axel extension on passenger side.
--after removing axels put suspension back together along with brakes and wheels so the car can be moved out of garage when working on engine

AT THIS POINT THE ONLY THING HOLDING THE ENGINE IN SHOULD BE THE TWO MOUNTS ON TOP ON THE TRANS AND MOTOR.

--I connected my engine hoist to engine using an engine leveler and chains rapped around the two top motor and Trans mounts.
-- start to lift engine, getting weight of engine off car
-- unbolt Trans mount from frame
--unbolt motor mount from rubber base, if not it will be in the way when removing engine and Trans
--lift engine enough to separate motor mount and base
--remove the three bolts holding motor mount base to frame, and remove base.
--lift engine and tilt motor at same time so that engine starts to come out before Trans, this is so the Trans will clear the brake booster
--once Trans is clear of brake booster the engine Trans combo can the be leveled back out and lifted over front cross member and out of car
 
No doubt will you be able to pull the motor this weekend and and get the 3L disassembled. But in order to port match the heads to use the SVT intakes takes a tremendous amount of time and work. If doing a straight 3L with 3L intakes and everything, you could probably get it done in a weekend, but port matching will be very tough to complete and reinstall in one weekend.

Just because YOU can't do it in a weekend, doesn't mean others can't. Quit trying to bash and be supportive. If all you have to say is "you can't do it" when you dont know a single thing about the person, then you are pretty ignorant.


A 3L swap can be done in a weekend. Especially a 3 day weekend. As long as you have all the tools you need. Like mentioned, a good time consumer is porting the heads to accept the split port LIM from the 2.5 if your going that route. If you know anyone with a shop or someone who does this work at a shop, I'm sure they could do it for you in a matter of a few hours or so. For someone at home with just a bit and a pnumatic (sp?) grinder, it will take a while longer. But don't be discouraged, it can be done in a weekend. As long as your willing to stick to it, and not take too many breaks.
 
I just finnished my 3.0 build about a month ago, and am now working on a website about the build.

this is the write up i did for the engine removal, it still needs work but you get the idea of how to get it out the top.

Engine Removal
--remove hood, headlights, grill, splash pan, unplug fog light, and remove bumper.
--remove windshield wipers and cowl at base of window to make more room for engine removal
--unbolt coil pack from rear valve cover
--remove battery and tray, then unbolt base that holds the fuse box and that can then be pulled up and out of engine bay leaving wiring intact
--remove air filter aselembly to throttle body
--remove battery and tray, then unbolt base that holds the fuse box and that can then be pulled up and out of engine bay leaving wiring intact
--CPU wiring plug under power steering reservoir
--Trans wiring plug behind air filter
--vacuum lines from intake
--disconnect wires to AC compressor it will not be removed with engine, that way it will not have to be recharged
--remove the three bolts holding ac compressor to engine block, use zip ties to hold compressor away from engine and keep stress of lines
--clutch line under battery
--shifter cables from back of Trans
--unbolt fuel line from fuel rail
--unbolt throttle bracket from upper intake
--disconnect coolant hoses going from engine to reservoir and radiator
--disconnect power steering line at pump on top of engine
--unbolt Trans roll resisters from Trans not just pull the connecting bolt
--I completely removed the exhaust y-pipe from manifolds and rest of exhaust system
--there are other things that might need to be unplugged just look around the engine to find anything that might not come out with the engine

-Removing axels
--put front of car on jack stands, don’t rest on control arms. I used stock jack points.
--pull wheels
--remove brake calipers and zip tie to coil springs out of the way.
--remove brake rotors
--discount steering and sway bar links
--remove sensor from back of hub
--use impact gone to remove hub nut keeping axel in hub
--separate lower control arm from hub
--use axel removal tool to push axel out of hub
--gently pry axel from Trans on driver side and from axel extension on passenger side.
--after removing axels put suspension back together along with brakes and wheels so the car can be moved out of garage when working on engine

AT THIS POINT THE ONLY THING HOLDING THE ENGINE IN SHOULD BE THE TWO MOUNTS ON TOP ON THE TRANS AND MOTOR.

--I connected my engine hoist to engine using an engine leveler and chains rapped around the two top motor and Trans mounts.
-- start to lift engine, getting weight of engine off car
-- unbolt Trans mount from frame
--unbolt motor mount from rubber base, if not it will be in the way when removing engine and Trans
--lift engine enough to separate motor mount and base
--remove the three bolts holding motor mount base to frame, and remove base.
--lift engine and tilt motor at same time so that engine starts to come out before Trans, this is so the Trans will clear the brake booster
--once Trans is clear of brake booster the engine Trans combo can the be leveled back out and lifted over front cross member and out of car

All of the top in bold is a ton of totally unnecessary disassembly.
 
I agree....


yeah i never have understood why in these build pics i see the whole front of the car taken off,, i am in process right now and i don't see any reason to take all that stuff off,, is it just to reduce the risk of damaging it,, cause i sure as hell ain't taking the front of the car appart.
 
yeah i never have understood why in these build pics i see the whole front of the car taken off,, i am in process right now and i don't see any reason to take all that stuff off,, is it just to reduce the risk of damaging it,, cause i sure as hell ain't taking the front of the car appart.

/yea, its pretty much so that you don't smash something when wiggling out the engine if you have to. I took out my headlights for fear of them being cracked or whatnot during the removal and install, but the engine never even came close to them. It was a waste of time. (only 5 minutes, but time is money!) So all that extran stuff, don't worry about, it will just prolong the amount of time it takes to complete the swap.
 
Some people just want to keep their front end looking new. Bending over the bumper with jeans on, dropping a wrench, spilling oil/coolant, running an air hose across the front bumper; they all take a little toll on it. Taking all those parts off, is more for peace of mind.

Mark
 
Well for me pulling the headlights, and bumper were to protect them from the engine lift, motor and fluids that might spill on them.

Having the headlights out ended up helping me some. I was able to reach through the holes for them in the support cross beam to get to some wires, and coolend hoses that would have been harder to get to if i had not.

The hood on the other hand, I would not try to pull the engine out the top with it still on, its only 4 bolts and it give you a lot more room to work, and i dont think I would want to try to keep it up out of the way when getting the engine out.

The cowl cover does not need to come off, BUT it gave me just a little bit more room to work that was helpful.
 
What do you do about the front engine mount? I am talking about the big steel part that goes down between the heads. The bolt holes are the wrong size. Do you just tap them out?
 
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