Quick Engine Removal

[chipstick 382 1 Cars]

I need to get the 1.9 engine out of my 205 sharpish. Everything electrical and plumbing wise is disconnected.

 

Usually I would just take the subframe, shocks hubs and everything off in one go and then just pull it out, but I want the job to be done in a couple of hours of an evening with the car still rolling as it has to be taken away on a trailer. Minismising taking things off that aren't needed to be removed.

 

I am hoping that I will be able to move the hubs forwards and drop the shafts off and remove the long shaft from the lower mount.

 

Is it then just a case of remounting the hubs and having it rolling with no shafts?

 

Bottom ball joint removal obviously, and track rod end? Or will I be able to get the shaft out by turning the hub with the wheel on opposite lock?

 

Easiest way appreciated

[M@tt 77]

you dont want to roll the car around with nothing holding the wheel bearings together.

 

Even a short distance but with several turns is enough to damage the wheel bearings, as the weight of the car is enough to start to pull them apart. You're best off refitting the shafts and supporting them with some zip ties before moving it

[chipstick 382 1 Cars]

That is something I never knew! Thanks for that.

[pugpete1108 62 1 Cars]

you can split the long shaft and leave one end in the box, sure you will have the remove the pass hub to get that shaft out tho.

 

i puit my engine back in about 45mins the other day but that was pulling it out the front (easy as i have no rad or lower crossmember)

 

if you have a crane though it should be easier. but as said i wouldnt roll the shell without the shafts in the hubs not just for damage but the bearings can come apart and the hub will just fall off along with the wheel.

[brumster 135 1 Cars]

Should be no need to undo anything more than the bottom BJ (or inner mounts of the arms if you prefer - this is actually easier for me because of the Grp.A arms but in your case the BJ is probably less hassle). edit: Oh, probably an ARB drop link will need to come off, sorry.

 

If you're happy to remove the battery tray the engine and box will come out together provided you let it tilt at an angle (gearbox pointing down) and then lift it up and out with a rope/chain on the block.

 

Matt makes a very good point about the driveshaft outers - I have a pair from some old driveshafts that I split at the UJ and keep just for this purpose. If you don't have any driveshafts spare to butcher, then a complete pair can be put back in place and zip-tied around the subframe exactly as Matt suggests.

Edited August 1, 2011 by brumster

[chipstick 382 1 Cars]

I have a crane, and was hoping to remove the box and engine together. I have a cargo sling I use, and will pop a longer chain on the gearbox so it tilts down and I don't hit the inner wings lifting it up.

 

Battery tray, that's an interesting thing. I flicked through the haynes and it states you can take the tray out. I presume they mean on base models, as I took the top two 13mm bolts out and it looks to be spot welded to the mount. I did give it a tap with a mallet incase it was rusted on, but just assumed it was fixed in place after it didn't move.

 

I have a few pairs of GTi6 shafts knocking about, but rather than cut them up for the sake of it, I would rather use those tied to the subframe incase they got damaged instead of the 205 ones.

[Tom Fenton 1,548]

Easiest way for the time it takes is to remove the shafts from the hubs, rather than struggle with them in place. Split the lower balljoint and that will give you enough movement to get them out. You don't need to disturb track rod ends or drop links.

As others have said you need to have something in the front hubs to clamp up the bearings.

[S@m 156]

 

Battery tray, that's an interesting thing. I flicked through the haynes and it states you can take the tray out. I presume they mean on base models, as I took the top two 13mm bolts out and it looks to be spot welded to the mount. I did give it a tap with a mallet incase it was rusted on, but just assumed it was fixed in place after it didn't move.

 

 

Just FYI, the battery tray is removable on a GTI, its held on by 4 bolts iirc. Two go down into the top, and two underneath that go horizontally into the chassis leg.

Sam

Edited August 1, 2011 by Sam306

[brumster 135 1 Cars]

I've just re-read my reply after reading Tom's post, and realise the implication may be that you can leave the driveshafts bolted into the hubs. This wasn't my intention; like Tom says, it's not worth the fuss, take them out. It might work on the passenger side but there's no chance you're getting them out on the drivers side without undoing them out of the hubs, or taking the hubs of completely!

[chipstick 382 1 Cars]

I'm hoping to remove the shafts from the hubs and gearbox, lift the engine out and then refit the shafts. I just hope I have the right sized impact socket now. 306 hub nuts are 35mm but a 36mm socket does the job. Hoping it is the same with this.

 

Is the battery tray not part of the engine mount then? I didnt want to remove the two underneath going horrizontal as I was under the impression the mount fixed into this.

[brumster 135 1 Cars]

The battery tray is held in with 2 bolts at the top and the 2 horizontal ones that go into the chassis leg from the side.

 

I find it easier to undo the gearbox mount nut, lower the box and engine and then, as part of the final steps of lifting the engine out, reach under and undo the 2 horizontal bolts at that point in time - it's a lot easier as access is better. You can then take the tray out of the way for lifting the engine and box out together. I think in the past I may have managed to squeeze/shove the combined engine and gearbox past a battery tray still in situ, but it wasn't pretty afterwards and in hindsight it's like Tom says - not worth the faff for the sake of undoing 4 bolts.

[chipstick 382 1 Cars]

The reason it is going on a trailer is because I am taking the car to get blasted. The tray area has surface rust on and around it so will need to be removed anyway. I agree the tray removed will add more room making it a lot easier to lift out.

[smithy 1]

When I have had mine out recently I left both shafts in hubs as I could not be bothered to drop car off stands to slack hub nuts.

N/S just pulls out and swings behind subframe once bottom arm popped.

O/S I just undone the bearing bolts and rear mount bracket then pulled shaft out of box and rested on subframe.

Once ready to move car just rest them on foam on subframe with a cable tie around shaft and bottom arm so they don't drop.

In position your in with battery tray off lump can be out in 20 mins just do as suggested above get all mounts undone when crane supporting weight lower down so you can get battery tray bolts then whip it out.

 

When I have had mine out recently I left both shafts in hubs as I could not be bothered to drop car off stands to slack hub nuts.

N/S just pulls out and swings behind subframe once bottom arm popped.

O/S I just undone the bearing bolts and rear mount bracket then pulled shaft out of box and rested on subframe.

Once ready to move car just rest them on foam on subframe with a cable tie around shaft and bottom arm so they don't drop.

In position your in with battery tray off lump can be out in 20 mins just do as suggested above get all mounts undone when crane supporting weight lower down so you can get battery tray bolts then whip it out.

[chipstick 382 1 Cars]

All sorted now. Cheers chaps.

 

Went suprisingly well and undid without breaking anything concidering the age of the thing.

 

Managed to loosen the BJ, get a bar on the back of the wishbone and prise the BJ down and out without using a splitter and ruining the boot. Move the hubs round and then the driveshafts popped out.

 

1 hub nut was so tight that even with the brakes on and tyre on the floor I managed to make it slip round with a breaker bar. After I strained my ribs I got an impact gun on there and it was off in seconds.

 

Someone did the oil filter up so tight that a remover failed, screwdriver failed, crowbar failed. In the end I had to beat it around with a large screwdriver on the bottom lip. That was probably the most time consuming part All because I was unsure how the oil cooler pipes were attached and they didn't want to budge either!

 

I was expecting hassle beating the shaft bearing out, but that was nice and easy too.

 

All unplumbed, and was lifted out in a few minutes. Decided to take the rad out to prevent putting a hole in it.

 

So now she is ready for blasting. I may do that next week, but have another GTi6 to dismantle and get rid of in the meantime.