Is it possible to change piston/rods without taking engine out of the car?

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Old Oct 31, 2005 | 12:29 PM
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Default Is it possible to change piston/rods without taking engine out of the car?

Is it also possible to hone the sleeve myself?

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Old Oct 31, 2005 | 12:37 PM
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Default Re: Is it possible to change piston/rods without taking engine out of the car? (elpiar)

I think the answer to all your questions is yes. Bump for a more definitive answer.
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Old Oct 31, 2005 | 12:39 PM
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Default Re: Is it possible to change piston/rods without taking engine out of the car? (******)

you can do it, but its gonna be a bitch
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Old Oct 31, 2005 | 12:50 PM
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Default Re: Is it possible to change piston/rods without taking engine out of the car? (wantboost)

You can take out the pistons without removing the motor, but it's easier to work with the engine on the stand that having to go under the car and ****. The honing can be done by you, but I would just take out the block and take it to a shop. When you hone without removing the block you dont get to clean it after and metal shavings will always find their way in there.

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Old Oct 31, 2005 | 01:00 PM
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Default Re: Is it possible to change piston/rods without taking engine out of the car? (wantboost)

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by wantboost &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">you can do it, but its gonna be a bitch</TD></TR></TABLE>

Not really, I did pistons/rods and honed the block with the motor still sitting in the car with no problems. But come to think of it, I also had access to a lift to make it easy.
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Old Oct 31, 2005 | 01:01 PM
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Default Re: Is it possible to change piston/rods without taking engine out of the car? (11psiTurboSI)

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by 11psiTurboSI &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">

Not really, I did pistons/rods and honed the block with the motor still sitting in the car with no problems. But come to think of it, I also had access to a lift to make it easy.</TD></TR></TABLE>

Do you have to drop the transmission?
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Old Oct 31, 2005 | 01:04 PM
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Default Re: Is it possible to change piston/rods without taking engine out of the car? (elpiar)

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by elpiar &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">

Do you have to drop the transmission?</TD></TR></TABLE>

No, just remove the head and oil pan.
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Old Oct 31, 2005 | 01:08 PM
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Default Re: Is it possible to change piston/rods without taking engine out of the car? (11psiTurboSI)

What are the special tools I need?

Anyone has a write up on changing piston/rods/bearings?

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Old Oct 31, 2005 | 01:51 PM
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Default Re: Is it possible to change piston/rods without taking engine out of the car? (elpiar)

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by elpiar &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">What are the special tools I need?

Anyone has a write up on changing piston/rods/bearings?

</TD></TR></TABLE>

You might want to have a friend with you that knows what they are doing. You don't want to mess up on installing rods/pistons.
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Old Oct 31, 2005 | 05:01 PM
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Default Re: Is it possible to change piston/rods without taking engine out of the car? (beerbongskickass)

you need a torque wrench gauge type, ring filer, and ring compressor... use the ball type hone tool if your going to attempt that yourself...
plus the regular tools to pull the head etc...

oh but your going to have to turn the crank so you need to completely remove timming belt, which means take off the crank pully, and to do that you need a crank pully holder...

get some plasti gauge to check bearings...

that should be all you need
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Old Oct 31, 2005 | 05:19 PM
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Default Re: Is it possible to change piston/rods without taking engine out of the car? (turbosi03)

I just did rings in an integra with the motor still in. It saves a lot of work and its a pretty problem free way unless you need to hone it...then its a little more tricky but still doable if you are careful. I didnt take off anything but the upper timing cover and the plug for the tensioner bolt. Its pretty easy get lined back up even if you cant see the bottom half on a B or D series so theres no reason to take it off. I stuffed the open top of the timing cover with rags while I was working on it. probably a good idea.
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Old Oct 31, 2005 | 06:32 PM
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Default Re: Is it possible to change piston/rods without taking engine out of the car? (Bailhatch)

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Bailhatch &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">I just did rings in an integra with the motor still in. It saves a lot of work </TD></TR></TABLE>

I don't get that. Pretty easy to pull an engine and put it on a stand, pretty easy to work on an engine once it's on a stand. Must just be me, but I hate lying on my back on a shop floor with oil and **** dripping in my face.
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Old Oct 31, 2005 | 07:00 PM
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Default Re: Is it possible to change piston/rods without taking engine out of the car? (Dr Pooface)

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Dr Pooface &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">I don't get that. Pretty easy to pull an engine and put it on a stand, pretty easy to work on an engine once it's on a stand. Must just be me, but I hate lying on my back on a shop floor with oil and **** dripping in my face.</TD></TR></TABLE>

I feel the same way.
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Old Oct 31, 2005 | 07:24 PM
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wtf....WHY?
it takes less than a hour with hand tools to pull an engine, why NOT do it? i mean...****, there's no way you're gonna put the engine togehter right if you're too lazy to even pull the engine and get it checked/machiened correctly
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Old Oct 31, 2005 | 09:47 PM
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Default Re: Is it possible to change piston/rods without taking engine out of the car? (elpiar)

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by elpiar &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">What are the special tools I need?

Anyone has a write up on changing piston/rods/bearings?

</TD></TR></TABLE>

If you need to remove the crank your going to have to take off the transmission as its bolted to the flywheel. If you find the journals to be scratched up and it needs to be polished your going to kick yourself for leaving to motor in...

dont forget you need to plastigauge the rod bearings...

also when installing new pistons, the proper piston to wall clearence needs to be set and you should have the cylinders checked for out of round also as you may need ot go oversized...

you really should take the block to a machine shop for the hone and get a honda service manual

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Old Nov 1, 2005 | 05:55 AM
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Default Re: Is it possible to change piston/rods without taking engine out of the car? (D@nnY)

Thanks for all the replies guys. Really appreciate it.

The reason is that I don't have an engine crane and engine stand. Budget is a little tight, so that's why I'm considering to do it on the car.

I do have helms it's just sometimes the special tools they list is not needed in practicality although some are non-negotiable.

How much should I look to spend on an engine crane and engine stand?
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Old Nov 1, 2005 | 07:45 AM
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i did my first 4 swaps in my backyard
135 piece tool set from sears
scissor jack out of the civic
no jack stands
no cherry picker


pretty much, there's no point in NOT pulling the engine. if this is your only car,and you don't have money in the first place...why do you wanna do it half assed which will more than likley end up in a trashed engine in the first place? take your time and pull the engine, it's NOT hard at all, and doesn't take hardly any time either.
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Old Nov 1, 2005 | 07:55 AM
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Default Re: (rhd)

Will this engine stand and crane does the job for our motor?

http://www.harborfreight.com/c...TAND
http://www.harborfreight.com/c...35915
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Old Nov 1, 2005 | 08:05 AM
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yes and yes

good thing about them....you can use them over and over and over and over

i started to borrow a friends cherry picker after about my 10th swap here at the house...and after 15, i said expletive it and bought one. Now i use it all the time! one of the best investments i've made thus far. Use it to do all kinds of sutff...from moving around my WRX trannies, to putting IN my WRX trannies, engines in customers hondas and engines in customers fox's...hell, i've moved a mower with it one time, haha.

but, yes...those will work, perfectly
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Old Nov 1, 2005 | 08:17 AM
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Default Re: (rhd)

One question though, do I need a special adapter plate for the motor stand? where do I bolt it down to hold it?

Another question, where do I strap the engine to lift it up?
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Old Nov 1, 2005 | 08:43 AM
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to use the engine stand, go to hardware store and find some long bolts that match up to a tranny bolt. just take it wiht you and compare threads. on the back side of the tranny, where the bellhousing bolts on, use 4 of those holes

and as to lift the engine....just take a bolt and run it into the top power steering bracket bolt, and attack the other side of the chain you use to the gold braket that's on the tranny
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Old Nov 1, 2005 | 09:10 AM
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theres a threaded hole in the back of the head on the driver side just put a 14mm bolt in that and then one into the gold bracket on the front of the transmission...it will make the motor less likely to tip backwards
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Old Nov 1, 2005 | 09:29 AM
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oops, forgot about that bolt......my bad

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Old Nov 1, 2005 | 09:46 AM
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Default Re: (rhd)

Thanks for the tip guys.
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Old Nov 1, 2005 | 01:04 PM
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Default Re: (elpiar)

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by elpiar &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Will this engine stand and crane does the job for our motor?

http://www.harborfreight.com/c...TAND
http://www.harborfreight.com/c...35915 </TD></TR></TABLE>

I bought both of those when I did my engine swap, and returned them back when I was done... Didnt have money back then, but now I'm looking into getting both again so I dont have to keep borrowing from a friend.

If you dont have the money to get the right tools then wait. It's a pain in the *** working on the car with half assed ****, and having to run to the store every five minutes because you're missing a tool.

Goodluck with your project.
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