So ive gone and bought another car that has a stuffed engine, but it also comes with another engine for it, all ready to drop in, minus the gearbox (need to use the one thats in the car ATM). The second hand engine to put in has been fully reconditioned and rebuilt. Im gunna be putting it in myself whilst i have nothing to do, and before i start my apprenticeship next year, but was wondering if it would be easier/better to take the gear box out of the car or not. (its manual BTW)

I would prefer not to as ive never realy taken one out of a car, whereas ive had engines in and out before, sometimes with the gearbox already on it, and sometimes with it in the car. Would it be too hard to align the clutch etc if its still in the car? am i better to pull the gearbox out and try put it in with the gearbox on it?

What would you do?

Oh and p.s. Its a honda accord :-? :-?

Depends on the mounting of the gbox and engine

http://www.nzhondas.com/phpBB2/ will know

Also depends on what tools/equipment/hoists you have

ive found its easier to pull it all out, set up the clutch and pressure plate ect with new motor, on a table. That way you can make sure the clutch works (putting in gear) then put all back in the car together. then once you have the motor sitting in place, you can jack the gearbox up and bolt it in place then do your engine mounts. Easier if you dont have the use of a pit. Plus i like working with lots of room. The only down point is you really have to move the car/motor around to get it all in place. Hondas have nice small motors. :lol:

Yea was gunna ask on NZhondas but thought id see what people here say first (anyway, david_r and evil_elmo are both NZhonda people who are hard out into their cars so they will know.

I don't want to pull the gearbox out, but id say that it will probably come to that, although id much prefer not too!!! Aligning the pressure plate will probably be the hardest part..... Im gunna need to buy some axle stands first too, as i dont have any lol. Last car i did at home was only a head gasket, everything else i have done at work with hoists etc. And yea, this car has a fairly large engine bay, but a smallish motor so thats cool :lol:

iv been a mechanic for 20 years :lol: :lol:

the easy way is take motor and gear box out as one unit, it drop out the bottom easy if it is front wheel drive.as the rigth hand drive line bolts to the side of the eng.

{if its rear wheel drive take motor out with out gear box}

Yea its Front wheel drive. So you reckon drop everything out the bottom? (i was gunna crane it out the top, dont realy wanna touch the sub frame etc....) Only time we've ever dropped an engine out the bottom in when its a major and we have a hoist.... dont think i could do it at home :-? :lol:

Looks like its leaning toward taking g-box and engine out at same time.... dang :lol:

what sort of car is it.if you got a craine you can do it on the floor.you jack the car up put on stands undo eng mouts with the crane drop the eng and gear box to the floor remove craine from eng find two hook ponts to lift the car up and side eng and gear box out. a basic front wheel drive car should take the average home mechanic a day from start to finish,

the only fram you have to undo is the one with the eng mounts on

Its a honda accord. Sounds like a good plan actually. Lift the whole front end up on two axle stands, undo the sub frame that has engine mounts on it, undo other engine mounts, auxillarys etc, crane engine to floor, lift car well into air, slide old engine out, change gearbox etc over, slide new engine in, drop car onto engine, lift engine into car, do up bolts, bing, bang, bong, next please

Thanks anthony you rule :lol:

no worries. its easy as that. 8) 8)

I don't think its necessary to drop it out the bottom, and to me sounds like a whole lot more hassle than its worth when you can just lift the motor and box straight out.

Probably the best piece of advice I can offer is to find someone who's done a motor swap before because there is always little tricks and easy ways of doing things that you will probably end up learning the hard way if you do it by yourself.

I've done motor swap before, just not by myself :lol: Dropping it out the bottom does sound pretty easy, but i guess lifting it out the top wouldn't be much different realy would it..... I will see when the time comes 8)

If you have a block and tackle, or an engine hoist designed to lift the motor (you can hire them) then it should be easier than lifting the whole car around the motor.

all and well if{ abig if }you can get it out the top as most frontr wheel drive cars chaisis rail are so cloes to getter it is very diffcilt to get the motor and gear box beween them. have fun.

i should know how to remove a eng out of a front wheel drive car i do it all the time .it my trade.

all and well if{ abig if }you can get it out the top as most frontr wheel drive cars chaisis rail are so cloes to getter it is very diffcilt to get the motor and gear box beween them. have fun.

i should know how to remove a eng out of a front wheel drive car i do it all the time .it my trade.

Listen to this guy! Drop it out the bottom - far less to go wrong that way.

mm dropping it out the bottom is sounding better and better......

all and well if{ abig if }you can get it out the top as most frontr wheel drive cars chaisis rail are so cloes to getter it is very diffcilt to get the motor and gear box beween them. have fun.

I've never heard of anyone having to drop it out the bottom in a honda. I remember friends with GTiR's complaining about having to do it that way.

Well digging up an old post, i have finally got the new engine in. Pulled the old one out ages ago and its been sitting there doing nothing for a little while. Bought the engine crane home from work tonight and went to work

Paul_r came around at about 6, and as soon as he left i lifted the engine up off the garage floor and put all the engine mounts and a few other little covers that go on the bottom of the engine and box on (flywheel cover etc) and wheeled it out to the car. By 8 oclock the engine was in and all the mounts were done up. Did it all by myself, except for a little bit where i held the engine in place and mum dropped the engine crane on my command :lol: The final drop to get it sitting fully on the mounts i did myself though 8) Holding an engine in position and dropping an engine crane at the same time is not fun, but possible!

Hopefully in about a week i will have it running, and then we should be all go.

By the way, i ended up lifting it out the top. Was easy as, and IMO was the easiest way to do it. I reckon that dropping an engine out the bottom would be easier if the engine was still fully assembled, but the one i took out had no manifolds, head, auxillaries etc on it, so was only a block and G/box. If i did it on a hoist i would take it out the bottom

good on ya . so this means you are going to be on the road sortly.

p/s every one watch out for a honda here comes evilkinevil. :lol:

Mate, i already have another two cars :oops: My van will be sold once i get this thing going, and i have my sisters car to drive for 5 months or so, but i need to do a wheel bearing on it before i can get it a warrant. So yea, i don't have a shortage of cars to drive, and have been on the road for ages

its nice to see someone to give things ago . i hope all goes well.

oh i didnt see this thread before but good to hear you got it sorted

for me, engine and box i would go top out. G/box alone i would drop from the bottom

Slowly coming together. I just put the AC pump back on which was a bit of a mission, considering the power steering pump was already on :lol: Owell, got it on in the end so all good. Now i just gotta finish hooking up the wiring loom, and put a few more vacuum hoses on here and there, then get the coolant pipes on, figure out how the emission control pipe thingy majigs go, and then we might be all go :lol:

Oh, still gotta put the axles/cvs back into the box, and put the front wheels/brakes/suspension back together lol

not much left by the sounds of it, should be done in 30 minutes lol :lol: :lol:

Haha, i wish! 30 days is probably a closer estimate :lol:

lol :lol: