Contour Enthusiasts Group Archives Forums General Troubleshooting Dropping the 2.5 V6

I just recently picked up a 1996 Mecury Mystique with a 5 spd trans and the 2.5 V6. I got it for a steal because the engine in the car skipped time and locked up. It is coming with a 49,000 mile engine to drop in. Are there any tips or tricks I need to know about to drop this engine and swap in the new one? Will I need any special tools other than some standard sockets and wrenches? Any help would be greatly appreciated.

David

A lift would be very helpful. When we swap these engines, we drop the engine/transmission out of the bottom and separate them on the floor. Air tools and a good rust remover would also be nice.

It's easier to pull the powertrain out the top.

For your first time figure a day project to remove it provided you have the proper tools of course.

The basics of R&R have been posting countles times. You can search for it. The details are in the Ford Service CD's. You NEED them!!!

Geez! I've pulled dozens of the 4 & 6 cylinder engines and always pull them from the bottom as most cars today require. The cradle can be droped in about 1.5 hours and it makes it easier to seperate the tranny from the engine with out busting your knuckles all up. I thought about pulling from the top, but it seems like a lot of extra work in tight space to be time efficient.

I use an engine lift(obviously),but I lower the engine/cradle assembly on to the legs of the lift and that way it doubles as a dolly to move it out from under the car. I've done this for years on all different makes of cars.

Would I be able to get by with a Helms or Haynes manual for dropping the engine, or should I look into these repair CD's that somebody mentioned? Can I pick those up from a dealer?

when me and my dad and my bro took the engine out of our 53 Chevy to rebuild it, we just used a come-along and pulled it out from the top. of corse, there is enough room for another engine in that thing, so that made it easy. I don't know what way would be easier on a contour since it is so crapmed, but come-alongs work good so if u have one of those, its nice to use. good luck.