engine removal/storing

[boxer1968]

hello people
ive got a project car on the go at the moment 91 jplate 16v been busy getting it ready to use as my fun car .got a 90 h plate16v  that ive been stripping to do this! im almost ready to break my 90 plate and keep the engine as a spare (just in case) . buying a engine hoist at the weekend (cheap) sorry if this seems longwinded.my question is from trawling forum is do i just (after removing ft end) lift out engine and store on blocks(railway sleepers etc)or do i drain of oil first or anything else,ive assumed i have to drop gearbox first and remove exhaust fixings is there any thing else i need to do planning on leaving it undercover when done .thanks in advance .max

[rubjonny]

I remove the engine & gearbox as 1 unit, though it is possible to remove engine and leave the gearbox in. bit tricky as space is tight though!

You can remove the entire front end which makes the job dead easy. take off the bumper, grille and slam panel. then drain the coolant and remove the rad. then get your engine crane hooked up, remove the top nut from the front engine mount. undo all the cables, wires etc till engine is free and lift the engine till it comes off the mount. then remove the front subframe by undoing the 2 outer 17mm bolts, remove rear and box mount bolts and pull the engine out!

For the driveshafts what I do is jack it up 1 side and remove the wheel, then poke a screwdriver into the brake disc vents to stop it spinning. crack loose the driveshaft bolts i can reach, then remove screwdriver and spin it round to get to the next lot, repeat till all out. Oh if the brake disc retaining screw is missing just thread a wheelbolt in to stop disc spinning.  another way is to jack it up and get a helper to hold and move the wheel while you crack loose the bolts from underneath.

another tricky bit is the inlet and exhaust manifolds, if you cant get to the bolts split the downpipe from the front silencer and drag it out with both of them attached, as long as its not a 16v this will work.  alternatively you can split the manifold from the downpipe, if its a carb this is easy as it just has 2 big clips, if its a gti type the studs may snap. you'll need to do this either way if its a 16v as there is a big resonator box that wont fit thru the gap.  I usually remove the manifolds though, your call here.

An alternative option is to leave the shafts on the box, and just drop the entire engine and rear subframe as 1 unit, this requires that you disconnect the UJ from the steering rack which is doable with the engien in just a little fiddly, and undo the top retaining plates from the front shocks. then its just 4 bolts underneath to release the subframe. if you do this though the car obviously needs to be supported on the front, so it depends if this is practical for you or not.  Ive seen peeps knock up some big castor wheels on a lump o wood and bolt this to the car using the subframe bolts, so thats an option

[boxer1968]

thanks mate just what i needed to know on the removal side!! so leave it full of oil for storage no other issues i need to know about? apart form keeping it in a dry storage place?.thanks again rubjonny for the pointers

[Neo Badness]

I've left mine with the oil in it, g/box attached, inc drive shafts. Loom stripped off it. Inlet and exhaust mani's still on with breather pipes plugged or taped off with a an oily rag filling the the t/b apature. This is just to stop the air getting into it and rusting stuff, dunno if it'll work just what I've been advised by the guy who's garage it's in. It's sitting on a makeshift "stand" 2x blocks of wood an old tyre. Will flush out the radiator/ when it's refitted to remove any crud and it'll get an oil change/ filter once it's back in too.

Highly recommend the engine hoist though, makes life simpler and safer.

 Just don't catch your fingers between hoist and bodywork. It hurts. A lot.

[rubjonny]

oops forgot to talk about the storage bit!
yeah as above, leave oil in but drain out all the water. take off the thermostat housing on the waterpump and rock the engine forward & back to allow it all to drain out the block, do the same for the radiator.  then when thats done block up all the ports on engine and car to stop stuff getting in. not just moisture you're worried about, there rodents that you have to watch out for as well. saw an awesome pic on ed38 of a vr6 head with a ton of seeds stuffed into one of the inlet ports 

[raferackstraw]

i would add remove plugs and squirt a bit of oil into the cylinders and replace plugs

[boxer1968]

thanks all for the advice two weeks and il crack on with this got my engine hoist today (sealy) 1ton swl and a new 3ton ram fitted £50 and local 2 me (pics to upload on my project page later tonight)just need to knock up a jig to store it on thanks again.max

[Neo Badness]

i would add remove plugs and squirt a bit of oil into the cylinders and replace plugs

3in1 do?

[rubjonny]

id use some engine oil, turn it over a couple of times to coat the bores. tbh prob overkill but more is more as they say!

[Neo Badness]

id use some engine oil, turn it over a couple of times to coat the bores. tbh prob overkill but more is more as they say!

I was just being daft, can't wait to get my abf in.