 
     |
| Removing Iron Duke through the top (Page 1/2) |
|
BruhMans06
|
AUG 24, 08:13 PM
|
|
Hello, help.... Please
So I'm in a bit of a predicament. I wanted to remove the duke out of my 1984 fiero because the motors totally pooped. I was going to replace it with a new one and keep the auto trans until I can find a v8 and maybe an f25 manual.
The issue is, I wanted to drop the sub frame as every one does that but my cherry picker is too light to lift the rear of the car and also the roof of my garage is too low in order to clear the motor. So I just thought I would remove the hood and detach the mount bolts and lift the engine out lickity split just like any other car I've taken motors out of. But I'm having issues clearing the firewall and the mounts can't fit between the strut towers.
I need to be able to lift it out and I just don't know how. I literally left the motor just chillen hanging on the lift cuz the mounts are gone and I can't put it back down without it falling through the frame and breaking something.
I would just drop it since I don't care about the condition of the motor but I want to save the trans
what do I do!!
------------------
James Bird[This message has been edited by BruhMans06 (edited 08-24-2023).]
|
|
|
buddycraigg
|
AUG 24, 11:32 PM
|
|
I hate to tell you this, but you are on your own.
I know I took a duke out of the top of a 84 with a manual once (which should be harder than an auto) but I can't remember how I pulled it off.
I'm not clear on if you have it disconnected from the transmission or not.
|
|
|
|
BruhMans06
|
AUG 25, 12:00 AM
|
|
| quote | Originally posted by buddycraigg:
I hate to tell you this, but you are on your own.
I know I took a duke out of the top of a 84 with a manual once (which should be harder than an auto) but I can't remember how I pulled it off.
I'm not clear on if you have it disconnected from the transmission or not. |
|
I'm taking both the transmission and engine together. There's not enough room between the engine and the strut towers to pull them separately. I would have done that since I'm keeping the trans and just replacing the engine.
|
|
|
Patrick
|
AUG 25, 12:44 AM
|
|
| quote | Originally posted by BruhMans06:
I need to be able to lift it out and I just don't know how. I literally left the motor just chillen hanging on the lift cuz the mounts are gone and I can't put it back down without it falling through the frame and breaking something.
|
|
Well... seems to me you need to jack the back of car up high enough (and support it with blocks and/or jack-stands) so that you can swing the cradle (still attached at front) down low enough to pull the transmission out the bottom. Yes, do all this while you have the cherry picker supporting the engine. Then once the transmission is out of the way, swing the cradle back up, lower the car, and pull the engine out the top.
Sure, this seems like a lot of screwing around... but you put yourself in this situation. 
One more thing... be awfully careful. We lost a good guy here who got crushed while working under his newly acquired Fiero.[This message has been edited by Patrick (edited 08-25-2023).]
|
|
|
|
fieroguru
|
AUG 25, 07:07 AM
|
|
I did it once on a parts car. I think you need to take the intake manifold and alternator off. I swore I would never do it again...
But if it was me, I would lower the engine/transmission, re-attach to the cradle and drop the cradle.
Let the cradle rest on the legs of the cherry picker, raise the body up high enough to slide the engine/transmission/cradle out through the wheel well (less clearance needed than pulling it back under the trunk area. Chock the from wheels, use sturdy jack stands (i put a 2x4 between the top of the jack and the frame to help reduce the chance of slipping), lower the body to the jack stands and shake the car to make sure everything is solid, before releasing the cherry picker from the body and pulling everything out the wheel well.
If you are limited height wise, take the rear decklid off. Once you do that the body doesn't get much more than 6ft.
In this picture, I ran the chain through the holes of the strut tower. It you remove the rear carpet (or just pull it back), you can hook the chain in the holes of the support bar going between the rear strut towers.
|
|
|
|
82-T/A [At Work]
|
AUG 25, 08:09 AM
|
|
| quote | Originally posted by BruhMans06:
Hello, help.... Please
So I'm in a bit of a predicament. I wanted to remove the duke out of my 1984 fiero because the motors totally pooped. I was going to replace it with a new one and keep the auto trans until I can find a v8 and maybe an f25 manual.
The issue is, I wanted to drop the sub frame as every one does that but my cherry picker is too light to lift the rear of the car and also the roof of my garage is too low in order to clear the motor. So I just thought I would remove the hood and detach the mount bolts and lift the engine out lickity split just like any other car I've taken motors out of. But I'm having issues clearing the firewall and the mounts can't fit between the strut towers.
I need to be able to lift it out and I just don't know how. I literally left the motor just chillen hanging on the lift cuz the mounts are gone and I can't put it back down without it falling through the frame and breaking something.
I would just drop it since I don't care about the condition of the motor but I want to save the trans
what do I do!!
|
|
It's not hard at all! I've done this before, but it was with a V6, so it should be easier for you.
Basically, you want to unbolt literally everything from the engine... wiring harness, accessories, everything. You're going to have to do this ANYWAY since you're going to be replacing the motor... so no better time than now. But, remove everything from the motor that you can. Then... you go under the car, remove the starter, and along with underneath the engine (I think there's also a plate that can be removed), you simply remove the bolts that attach the torque converter to the flywheel.
Then, you lower the car back down, and you can then unbolt the motor mounts, attach the engine to the engine hoist, and then start removing the transmission to engine bolts (don't remember how many there are). You can easily then just lift the engine up and out of the engine compartment.
Keep in mind, the transmission will then want to pitch inwards, which is not really a problem, but the torque converter may want to slip out, and it will make it like 1% harder when installing the new motor.
It's really not that hard, and in my personal opinion, replacing a motor in a car that has an automatic transmission ... where all I needed to do was just replace the motor, this is the ONLY way I'd do it. No way I'd lower the subframe just to swap out an engine.
I'm going to be doing it in a manual transmission car, and for that, I AM going to be lowering the subframe because I'm not really sure how it all works with the clutch and the engine / transmission (if I have access to those bolts). It might be just as easy... but never done it. BUT... I absolutely have done it on automatic transmissions, so don't even worry about it. I'll say it again, just replacing the motor (stock for stock), there's no way I'd drop the subframe.
|
|
|
|
theogre
|
AUG 25, 09:05 AM
|
|
You can't pull from top trying not to separate them.
L4 Engine Can pulled only when unbolt the trans and TC first. Even then also needs Alt & AC loose or remove to clear lid hinge and dog bone mounts.------------------
Dr. Ian Malcolm: Yeah, but your scientists were so preoccupied with whether or not they could, they didn't stop to think if they should.
(Jurassic Park)
The Ogre's Fiero Cave
|
|
|
|
olejoedad
|
AUG 25, 01:11 PM
|
|
| quote | Originally posted by theogre:
You can't pull from top trying not to separate them.
L4 Engine Can pulled only when unbolt the trans and TC first. Even then also needs Alt & AC loose or remove to clear lid hinge and dog bone mounts.
|
|
I must have just been lucky then.....
|
|
|
|
82-T/A [At Work]
|
AUG 25, 02:15 PM
|
|
| quote | Originally posted by olejoedad:
I must have just been lucky then..... |
|
I think you can pull both the engine and transmission out at the same time, but you'd have to remove the wheel hub so you could disconnect the axles first, right?
Separating from the torque converter is easy though.
... just remember to use Lok-Tite when you re-install the converter bolts. I have a rattle on my Fiero because I just tightened them and they backed out on their own. I took this video many years ago... and then put it away in storage at this point. I apologize for the mess in the garage... this was almost 14 years ago, haha... and I was a lot younger.
|
|
|
|
BruhMans06
|
AUG 25, 02:17 PM
|
|
| quote | Originally posted by 82-T/A [At Work]:
It's not hard at all! I've done this before, but it was with a V6, so it should be easier for you.
Basically, you want to unbolt literally everything from the engine... wiring harness, accessories, everything. You're going to have to do this ANYWAY since you're going to be replacing the motor... so no better time than now. But, remove everything from the motor that you can. Then... you go under the car, remove the starter, and along with underneath the engine (I think there's also a plate that can be removed), you simply remove the bolts that attach the torque converter to the flywheel.
Then, you lower the car back down, and you can then unbolt the motor mounts, attach the engine to the engine hoist, and then start removing the transmission to engine bolts (don't remember how many there are). You can easily then just lift the engine up and out of the engine compartment.
Keep in mind, the transmission will then want to pitch inwards, which is not really a problem, but the torque converter may want to slip out, and it will make it like 1% harder when installing the new motor.
It's really not that hard, and in my personal opinion, replacing a motor in a car that has an automatic transmission ... where all I needed to do was just replace the motor, this is the ONLY way I'd do it. No way I'd lower the subframe just to swap out an engine.
I'm going to be doing it in a manual transmission car, and for that, I AM going to be lowering the subframe because I'm not really sure how it all works with the clutch and the engine / transmission (if I have access to those bolts). It might be just as easy... but never done it. BUT... I absolutely have done it on automatic transmissions, so don't even worry about it. I'll say it again, just replacing the motor (stock for stock), there's no way I'd drop the subframe. |
|
This actually helped quite a bit, I removed all of the accessories like the starter, alternator, and ac compressor and it made the engine slip out quite easily. The only thing I have to do now is remove the rear trans mount bracket because it's getting caught on the firewall. After that I hope it slips out.
I can't remove the cradle at all as one of the rear subframe mount bolts is completely stripped so I can't even swing it. I don't want to deal with remind a stripped bolt out of something so integral to the vehicle I'm just going to leave it as is.
Thank you!
------------------
James Bird
|
|
|
|