Contour Enthusiasts Group Archives Forums Modifications Duratec Maintenance Duratec engine change: Pull it or drop it?

Hi all,

I am about to swap engines out of my 95SE MTX. (Lunched a rod bearing! ) I am not sure if I'm better off yanking the engine from above or dropping out the sub frame like the Haynes manual says. I will also be replacing the lower control arms, struts, upper strut mounts and sway bar links while I'm at it, so I'm thinking that dropping the sub frame may be the way to go. I will be using a 4000 lb truck duty engine hoist to do this so lifting capacity is definately NOT an issue! (Hell, I could lift the whole car with that thing!)

I will be doing this in my driveway/ in my garage at home if that makes a difference. Any thoughts out there as to which way to proceed? Any input would be appreciated!

I pulled mine from the top. Its probably easier if you take it from the bottom though. I just couldn't figure out a way to get my car that high off the ground.

Pull it from the top. It's easy to do.


A trick is to pull the suspension completely assembled including the half shafts... (Tom)

Personally I would also pull the crank pulley as well. (leave bolt in snout) Definitely if you have a DMD isntalled.

Thanks for the info,

I was talking with Bill Jenkins at Signature LM while ordering a Sh!t load of parts for this project. He suggested that given all the other stuff I'll be doing, droping from the bottom might be easier in the long run. Given the humongous hoist I'm using lifting the body high enough to get the sub frame out shouldnt be an issue. I could then drag the whole kit & caboodle into the garage.

I guess I'll just have to play it by ear and see how it goes! If anyone else has any tips, let me know!

Happy Holidays,
Steve

Were are you In LI? I have pulled two engines from contours from the top. The hardest part was getting the Half shafts Out. Let me know when your going to do I can give you a Hand.

On a 95' you'd be better off going out the top. I've seen a few people who have gone from the bottom and the subframe bolts broke off because of rust, then it was a huge hassle and a buncha welding to get the car back on the road. The top is pretty easy anyways.

Go from the top. I've done mine twice, (a long story about the wrong pp for the clutch... ) and you don't even need to remove the halfshafts. The tranny assy will move just enough to get the engine out. I did have to loosen the F/R driver subframe bolts and the strut in the tower to drop the frame some, giving the tranny enough room to slide back a bit; but the engine will easly come out on it's own.
It's not an easy job... esp if you've never done a FWD engine b4, but it is do-able.


[EDIT]

Originally posted by Stevedrivr:

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Hi all,

...so I'm thinking that dropping the sub frame may be the way to go. I will be using a 4000 lb truck duty engine hoist to do this so lifting capacity is definately NOT an issue! (Hell, I could lift the whole car with that thing!)

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Just an afterthought, but I'd be worried about how I'd support the body. Definately wouldn't wanna wrap a chain around the header and yank away.
Then there's the arc of the hoist and pivot of the car to consider. It won't be straight up and down as in a propper hoist.
And at the end of the day, with only a engine hoist, a subframe drop is just much more work IMHO.

Good luck, and enjoy your project!

Thank you all for all the info!

I appreciate all the offers for help, and while I still may need some, (especially between my ears! ), I am not at that stage yet. I just finished cleaning off the replacement engine so I can swap the intake manifold set up from my 95 to the 96 block. (Vac vs IMRC secondaries) without dropping all that wonderful built up crud into the heads. Luckily the 96 engine has the wiring harness attached and it appears to be the redesigned wiring as there is not an insulation crack to be seen! I will also have to swap a couple of connectors as there appear to be a couple of differences. Also, while I may be a fool,(and/or a masochist!), I think (hope?) I will be able to do this on my own. I've done many a RWD yank, but this will be my first FWD engine swap. At least if I mess something up I have no one to blame but myself! But, as I mentioned, I may still cry out for help! (To Nossvtcontour, I am on the south shore of LI, on the Nassau-Suffolk border about 37 miles from Mt. Vernon. I can PM you with an exact location.)

A couple questions though:

Its been repeatedly mentioned that pulling the suspension first is better, I presume because this gives you better access to the engine to tranny bolts? I am going to be replacing the lower control arms, sway bar links and struts while I have everything apart, so should I just remove them now? I figured once the engine was out I'd have better access to the four control arm mounting bolts. Also concerns have been mentioned about the subframe bolts breaking, (Iâ??ve sprayed the daylights out of them with penetrating oil, not WD40, through the little access holes), but its also mentioned that I will have to loosen them anyway to move the tranny and give clearance for the engine to come up. If thatâ??s the case, wouldnâ??t I be better of just dropping the whole mess at that point? I have the car body firmly supported so that is not an issue.

As you may have guessed, Iâ??m still debating which way to go, up or down!?

Steve