E30 Zone

i need to boost my engine up a bit ( just enough for it to come off the engine mount studs.

is there a safe place to jack the engine up on?

Either use a block of wood between your jack and the sump to spread the load or use an engine crane to the lift points on the top of the engine.

A word of caution: if you jack up the weighty engine (especially if it's a 6-pot) using the Sump you will compress the Sump gasket and run the risk of subsequent leaks.

I did just that when I swapped my steering rack - and the sump that was oil-tight before developed leaks on both sides.

My suggestion (I wish I had thought of this before I ruined my sump gasket) is to undo the nuts -bottom first then top- on the circular rubber engine mount blocks and, leaving the alloy engine mounts connected to the block, use blocks of wood under the alloy mounts to raise the whole thing evenly a bit at a time on both sides.

Good luck.

KimH wrote:A word of caution: if you jack up the weighty engine (especially if it's a 6-pot) using the Sump you will compress the Sump gasket and run the risk of subsequent leaks.

This will only happen if your sump gasket is already long overdue for replacement!

KimH wrote:A word of caution: if you jack up the weighty engine (especially if it's a 6-pot) using the Sump you will compress the Sump gasket and run the risk of subsequent leaks.

I did just that when I swapped my steering rack - and the sump that was oil-tight before developed leaks on both sides.

My suggestion (I wish I had thought of this before I ruined my sump gasket) is to undo the nuts -bottom first then top- on the circular rubber engine mount blocks and, leaving the alloy engine mounts connected to the block, use blocks of wood under the alloy mounts to raise the whole thing evenly a bit at a time on both sides.

Good luck.

Two things spring to mind;
1.With the engine out of the car,it sits on it's sump without causing damage to the gasket...
2.No need to move the engine to swap the rack,the lower tabs that retain the rack are designed to bend down!

Use a engine crane with the rope around the alloy parts of the engine mount brackets tim.

all done now. it just needed moving up an inch so i can pop a washer in

all done

thanks for the help guys