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engine and tranny swap

L

Leigh

CEG'er
Joined
Jul 28, 2013
Messages
34
Location
Calgary
I bought a nice 2000 CSVT with a seized engine and want to swap the engine and tranny from my wrecked 99 into it. I'd appreciate advice on the best way to pull and install these. I've got a car lift in my shop and assume that I should be able to drop the whole assembly out the bottom. Is this true?
 
Thanks very much. That description is fantastic, much better even than I had hope to find. You guys are so very helpful, it's greatly appreciated.

Just one question. If I drop the whole assembly out from the bottom do you have any suggestions, like can the subframe and engine/tranny assy come out together for reinstallation into the other car as an assy?

The wrecked car that I'm using as a donor is a car I bought new for my son so we know the car's history. It has 125,000 kms (about 70,000 miles) and ran and drove like new till it was hit hard from behind. Still runs fine. What do you suggest I do to this engine wnen it is out of the car and easier to work on? I'm not really looking for more power, just want to minimize things I'll have to do down the road and make it super reliable. In other words, what things are either time aged or mileage aged that should be replaced?
 
If the rear seal isn't leaking then leave it alone. I have yet to see one leak.

May be a good idea to get a new throw out bearing and make sure you install it correctly, don't just bolt a new one in.

I would have the flywheel machined so it is flat, and perhaps replace the clutch if it is below 50%.
 
Replacing the throwout bearing and clutch disc seems like a real good idea though the clutch was working fine. I've had a clutch throwout bearing fail in a 91 SHO and it of course took out the disc. There's just such a damned hard thing to R&R later on. Naturally I'll check alternator etc as well as all hoses. Anything else suggested?

Can the subframe be dropped with the engine/tranny combined?
 
Thanks for all the good advice. I've worked on lots of cars over the years but not the Contour and greatly appreciate the help of those so experienced in these cars. Dropping the whole assembly makes the most sense for me since I'll just switch that. Can I leave the whole suspension attached to it too and just disconnect the struts, brake lines, and steering from the body? I've a hunch this was how Ford built the car.
 
crewchiefpro said:
If the rear seal isn't leaking then leave it alone. I have yet to see one leak.

May be a good idea to get a new throw out bearing and make sure you install it correctly, don't just bolt a new one in.

I would have the flywheel machined so it is flat, and perhaps replace the clutch if it is below 50%.
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What are the "gotchas" regarding this?
 
Apply aerobic gasket material do the side that "sits" in the bellhousing. Make sure you get a TOB that fits the V-6 and not the I-4 (there's been a few who got the wrong one and it failed immediately).
 
Some people have had issues removing the rear-most subframe bolts. The nut located inside the frame rail is tack welded into place and has been know to break free. In that case you have to cut an access hole from inside the car to prevent the nut from spinning and allow the bolt to come out.

Same issue possible when re-installing, nut breaks free when tightening it back up.
 
Both the donor and the one I'm going to install it in are remarkably rust free cars so hopefully rusted nuts won't be a big problem but I'll keep that in mind. I guess in removing the assy from the donor one could always blow the heads off the bolts. Is it possible to get some heat and wax on the nuts without setting the car on fire?

BTW, if I drop the assy out the bottom do I have to strip the top of the engine as much as your pics show?
 
captastic said:
Apply aerobic gasket material do the side that "sits" in the bellhousing.

Is that so it's "glued" in and can't move around?


Make sure you get a TOB that fits the V-6 and not the I-4 (there's been a few who got the wrong one and it failed immediately).
Click to expand...

Is there a visible difference?
 
Leigh said:
Is there a visible difference?
Click to expand...

My understanding that there is no visible difference...part numbers tell the tale.

The TOB has 3 8mm bolts (I believe...maybe they're 10mm...its been a while) that hold it in place. The gasket material is to prevent leaks from the gear side and oil. Once you have it apart and look at it it will be real clear.
 
captastic said:
My understanding that there is no visible difference...part numbers tell the tale.

The TOB has 3 8mm bolts (I believe...maybe they're 10mm...its been a while) that hold it in place. The gasket material is to prevent leaks from the gear side and oil. Once you have it apart and look at it it will be real clear.
Click to expand...

Thanks!
 
Leigh said:
Both the donor and the one I'm going to install it in are remarkably rust free cars so hopefully rusted nuts won't be a big problem but I'll keep that in mind. I guess in removing the assy from the donor one could always blow the heads off the bolts. Is it possible to get some heat and wax on the nuts without setting the car on fire?

BTW, if I drop the assy out the bottom do I have to strip the top of the engine as much as your pics show?
Click to expand...

I spun the nuts on both of the rear subframe bolts. There isn't any direct access to these nuts, but there are small holes in the frame that you might be able to shoot some rust eater through. I ended up pulling my engine out the top. It was not fun at all, but it came out. Mine, being an automatic, was a little different than yours will be.

In a couple weeks I'll be dropping a replacement back in.

If you see any signs of oil leakage on your replacement engine, you might want to go ahead and replace gaskets. I did the pan, front cover, front crank seal and cam covers. I've also replaced the intake gaskets.
 
tvissoc said:
I spun the nuts on both of the rear subframe bolts. There isn't any direct access to these nuts, but there are small holes in the frame that you might be able to shoot some rust eater through. I ended up pulling my engine out the top. It was not fun at all, but it came out. Mine, being an automatic, was a little different than yours will be.
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There is access to the nuts. Just pull the carpet away from the footwell area on both driver's and passenger's sides and you will see the sheet metal "grates" that cover the access point for the bolts. Cut these strips of metal away and you can easily get to them.

People get lazy and cut the frames, bad idea since it takes less time to do it the correct way.
 
Thanks again for the helpful advice. I won't be doing this swap for a couple months as I have another project on the hoist to finish first. From the way I envision it, I can probably go out and spray some rust eater or such through those "grills" to soak the threads for a while and hopefully make sure that they unscrew when i do pull it. Anyone else here done that?
 
Leigh said:
Thanks again for the helpful advice. I won't be doing this swap for a couple months as I have another project on the hoist to finish first. From the way I envision it, I can probably go out and spray some rust eater or such through those "grills" to soak the threads for a while and hopefully make sure that they unscrew when i do pull it. Anyone else here done that?
Click to expand...

Couldn't hurt. But, once you're to that point, it is easy enough to have someone keep the nut from spinning while you break it loose from below.

Tony
 
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