i need to know if i have to remove the cross member to remove my engine from the bottom. iv searched but cant find anything.. even if you can tell me what to type in the search to find the answer, that would be great.

 

i dont know about the crossmember because i havent pulled an engine out from the bottom but why dont you just pull it out from the top?

 

It is easier to remove the crossmember and take out the bottom. I have done it both ways and find it easier to be out the bottom.

 

you dont have to but it makes it goes a lot faster

 

why does it make it go faster? i didnt want to go from the top because i cant seem to find a hoist to rent... but my friend just said i can use his.. but that means i have to drive 3.5 hours this weekend to go home and do it.. and if i do , iv gone home ever weekend of this month and im getting tired of driving so much.

 

jack up the front of the car (on jack stands), unbolt the back mount from the trans, unbolt the front cross member (4 bolts, 17mm, and 2 on each radius arm, 17mm as well) then get your jack and brace the engine with some wood, undo the side mounts and let the jack down. done. its very easy

if i could choose between going out the top or bottom i would say out the bottom every time. its just sorta awkward to raise the engine back up (or lower your car down to install the motor.)


on a side note: i pm'd you

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by welfarepc &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">jack up the front of the car (on jack stands), unbolt the back mount from the trans, unbolt the front cross member (4 bolts, 17mm, and 2 on each radius arm, 17mm as well) then get your jack and brace the engine with some wood, undo the side mounts and let the jack down. done. its very easy

if i could choose between going out the top or bottom i would say out the bottom every time. its just sorta awkward to raise the engine back up (or lower your car down to install the motor.)</TD></TR></TABLE>


woooeee, thats a pretty easy way to drop your motor and bang up your engine bay!!!! I'll start by saying it is easier to remove from the bottom for sure as I too have done both ways but I PROMISE it is sooo much easier to install from the bottom also. Getting the motor to fit back in w/ a cherry picker is a ain in the *** compared to dropping the car onto it.

As far as removing the motor go ahead and remove the crossmember and strut rods as mentioned and once everything else is out of the way (radiator included) all you should have left attached are the 2 side mounts (tranny and timing belt mounts) holding the motor in. Now instead of lowering the motor out of the car like mentioned above (too risky!) just get a tire, a crate, or a rolling movers dolly like I use and lay that under the motor/tranny so it will sit as close to the ground as possible when removed. now get a jack and support the car instead of the motor and lower the entire front down until the motor is resting on whatever you have to hold it and then remove the last 2 motor mounts and raise the car back up until you can pull the motor out safely, it can be a tight squeeze depending on how high your jack goes. you can actually use a cherry picker also to lift the car up over the motor for removal and installation, I prefer this way because you have a larger range of motion and more control when raising and lowering the car

 

my fiance and I dropped my old supercharged sohc out from the bottom of the CRX. it was pretty easy. keep the crossmember in..... you'll want to use it as a jack point to lift the car up and over the motor when its on the ground.


notice the part that i said a girl helped me.




i didnt take any pics really.... but you can see how high i had to jack the car up.

 

to do an install, i like using a cherry picker.

you can buy them from harbor freight for way less than $100.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by STREETWERKZ &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote"> keep the crossmember in..... you'll want to use it as a jack point to lift the car up and over the motor when its on the ground.
</TD></TR></TABLE>

I can't argue w/ that if your using the jack method, just remember to take out the struts rods 1st.

it also keeps the frame from flexing so much when raising/lowering. when I stripped my Si I took the motor out w/ the whole crossmember off and the frame flexed pretty bad (though I was trashing the car so it did not matter) so I would not have felt as comfortable doing it this way to my daily driver. just was not sure how much room there would be when leaving the X-member attached since most of my swaps have been done using a lift. now I see it must not be that bad, no rubbing the motor or anything upon removal/install I guess?

 

hmm... so it can be done with the xmember still in. i also dont want to have to take the axles out of the knuckles cuz im lazy lol. is this possible? i hate that 32mm nut.
i still think i would rather take it out and install it from the top. if i took it out from the bottom id have to put it back in from the bottom aswell.

 

STREETWERKZ: those pictures dont really show how high you have to jack the car up lol.. but thanks for the pictures. more people will look at this thread with pictures in it.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by janz3n &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">hmm... so it can be done with the xmember still in. i also dont want to have to take the axles out of the knuckles cuz im lazy lol. is this possible? i hate that 32mm nut.
i still think i would rather take it out and install it from the top. if i took it out from the bottom id have to put it back in from the bottom aswell.</TD></TR></TABLE>

yes the axles gotta come out no matter which way you remove it. just use a large breaker bar on them with your center caps removed and tires still on with the car on the ground, leave it in gear or have somebody hit the brakes and you'll be able to break them loose (if you don't have access to air or a strong battery powered 1/2 inch impact gun) and then start on everything else. You may think it will be easier from the top but that's just because you have not done it yet. listen to the ones who HAVE done it many many times (like myself) and have the experience to back it up I even have alot of friends that work at honda dealerships and other small Honda shops (me included) so I am speaking for alot of professionals on this matter

 

Hey man, i just finished a crx b16 swap. I did drop the old d15 from the bottom. I have done this before so i knew i would do it this way again. I have tons of pics but don't know how to post them up. Send me your email and i can send you pics.

 

I actually meant to mention that the Bseries are MUCH harder to install and remove from the top due to there larger size. The d-series are smaller and easier to install which ever way, not to mention the mounts on D-series tend to be more flexible (especially if stock is used) than any Bseries mounts. Being that most Bseries run poly mounts they pretty much don't give when trying to reinstall the motor and dropping in from the top requires more maneuvering and that's a pain with stiff *** mounts and a bigger motor

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by janz3n &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">STREETWERKZ: those pictures dont really show how high you have to jack the car up lol.. but thanks for the pictures. more people will look at this thread with pictures in it.</TD></TR></TABLE>


the first picture does. like i said, i didnt take many pics. i didnt see a need.


EDIT..... you dont need to remove the axles from the hubs either.... just pop them out of the trans. they will swing out of the way.

 

ok.. well this makes me happier.. i dont need to find a hoist. i can take the radios rods off no prob.. my buddies got an air gun so im all good.

i also didnt want to have to drain the tranny fluid.. but i guess its gonna leak from the axles being out anyways. for some reason i thought you didnt have to take the axles out of the knuckle because i had a garage put my last replacement engine in and i saw the donor car and the axles were left in the knuckle. but maybe they just put them back

i forgot to mention im putting a sohc zc in my 91 sedan.

 

should be pretty straight forward.


yeah... trans fluid will probably drain out with the axles pop. i got lucky.... no weird angles, so very little drained out.


more engine coolant poured out of the back of the motor than trans fluid.

i just let it pour.... **** it. when i was all done, pushed the car out of the garage.... cleaned up, pushed it back in.

 

not sure if anybody has tried this before but i was thinking it would make it so much easier if you put the smallest wheels in the back that you can find (like 2 spares) thus lowering the car some more and also removing the front 2 tires while the car is on a jack and just lowering the motor onto the dolly, unbolt everything, then raise the car back up. it saves you having to jack the car super high. anybody try this before???

 

Keep the car at a perfectly level angle and you'll probably be ok with the tranny fluid. I usually am. Automatic trannies will pour everywhere though...

 

putting smaller wheels on the back won't help anything, it will actually hurt because it gives even less ground clearance for the jack to fit under the chassis for lifting. the rear height of the vehicle does not affect the height needed to remove the engine, it just makes the angle steeper when raising the front. Just leave the reg size wheels on or just set the rear on jackstands and you'll be better off.

 

on second thought, i think i did use 4 jackstands.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by STREETWERKZ &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">on second thought, i think i did use 4 jackstands. </TD></TR></TABLE>

as did I

 

id say if you got a lift..thru the bottom..

actually either way to pull it..

but putting it in always from the bottom.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by VtecSyndrome &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">putting smaller wheels on the back won't help anything, it will actually hurt because it gives even less ground clearance for the jack to fit under the chassis for lifting. the rear height of the vehicle does not affect the height needed to remove the engine, it just makes the angle steeper when raising the front. Just leave the reg size wheels on or just set the rear on jackstands and you'll be better off. </TD></TR></TABLE>uhhm no.... aactually it drops the car significantly, annd you can leave larger tires in the front which will not affect your ability to fit a jack under, you then jack the car up, remove the tires in the front, then lower the car down to the point where the motor is lying on the dolly, get it? with the tires being smaller in the back it helps with clearence when jacking the car over the motor to remove it.....just let it sink in a little, you'll get it. the last thing you want is to unbolt everything and jack the car up only to be short a few inches of clearence. just a thought, ive never actually tried it yet.