E30 Zone

I need to replace the b20 as it's pizzin out oil. It's a old l-jet and I have a 2.3 to save on time and penny's. can the gear box come out still on the engien or do thay need to be separtated.

Thanks Guy's
Mark

hi Mark lift it out as one unit engine and box. that's the way I do them. also fit them that way as well. some say jack the rear end up to give you clearance.. I normally jack the front end up and haven't had a problem doing it this way and I've done a lot of them..

Great Thank

I agree, I always used to take the box and engine as one. Recently I tried leaving the box wih the car and some of the bell housing/starter bolts can be a right pain, as well as lining up the gearbox properly.

i renamed my engine/chassis crane you can disconnect the whole subframe and drop it out like bmw did when they built the cars

jonny323i wrote:

i renamed my engine/chassis crane you can disconnect the whole subframe and drop it out like bmw did when they built the cars

Out of interest,how much headroom does this method require,please?

the closer the front of the crane is to the chassis the less you need but as i did it using a rear seat belt once lifted it was only just above my head and im only 5' 10"

I really like this method: especially keeping the wheels attached so that, presumably, you can roll the subframe around. And a ceiling-mounted winch should be enough to lift the car up too, I guess.

What's the weight of an E30 with all that taken off? Under a tonne?

put it this way late on that day we had the rear setup off too and me and my dad lifted the whole chassis by hand at one end so we could take some axle stands out and i aint geoff capes

jonny323i wrote:... and i aint geoff capes

surly to swap engine for engine is easier to take just the engine out and not take the gearbox and engine together,.
im thinking that the engine wiggle onto the gearbox is better than the wiggle of tilting the engine and box together in and out without damaging the car.

if you only have axel stands and a small crane im talking.

ive droped engines and boxed under the car . but cant imagine putting it back that way

the top bolts on the gear box can be a pig that need 2 feet of extension bars.
if its coming out do it complete and then swap the boxes.

i manage to do the top bolts with a 11m spanner . its tight but do-able .

psychochild187 wrote:i manage to do the top bolts with a 11m spanner . its tight but do-able .

So did I once, on a M20 that already had its head off. Spanner broke, and the resulting sharp edge managed to gauge a deep scratch in the top of the block, necessitating the engine taking a trip to the machine shop to have the deck skimmed!

psychochild187 wrote:surly to swap engine for engine is easier to take just the engine out and not take the gearbox and engine together,.
im thinking that the engine wiggle onto the gearbox is better than the wiggle of tilting the engine and box together in and out without damaging the car.

if you only have axel stands and a small crane im talking.

ive droped engines and boxed under the car . but cant imagine putting it back that way

Putting the gearbox in afterwards is a really sad job, especially if your lying on your back under a car thats on axle stands.

Engine and box in one is easier IMO, trolley jack under the gearbox to get it in place.

mr_dink wrote:
Putting the gearbox in afterwards is a really sad job, especially if your lying on your back under a car thats on axle stands.

Engine and box in one is easier IMO, trolley jack under the gearbox to get it in place.

After doing it both ways (almost) I agree, i fitted my engine/box in 1 and found it relatively easy, 500 miles later the clutch i re-used as a last resort gave up and changing it with the engine on new, high strength mounts was a royal pain in the arse.
The top pair of gearbox bolts were soul destroying, it would have been quicker to pull the lump out again than all the fannying about slackening engine mounts and lowering the subframe on jacks.

top bell housing bolts, do last after removing everthing else. jack under the sump.... remove the n/s engine mounting "leg" (or both) drop the jack down and the gap between the back of the head and the baulkhead increases by about an inch. enough room so you can get a 19mm spanner with another hooked in the open ended end down to the top bolts.

engine and box out together everytime, it's very easy to do this way,

also a good time to check the box over and fit new bushes oil ect,