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Thread: Tips on pulling the engine...to speed up process.

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    Default Tips on pulling the engine...to speed up process.

    In the next couple weeks I plan to pull the engine up in Ky at my parents' (nice garage). Been a while since I've pulled anything. Have yet to ever pull an engine out of these trucks so was looking for anything to help have this process planned out mentally.
    -hood
    -baggies/sharpie/pics
    -Starter
    -Dust shield
    -Flexplate bolts (bolts only right? Threaded into converter?)
    -Injector harness, dist., oil pressure sender, coolant temp sensor, Iat, alt, coil, ground straps,cps (missing anything?)
    -pull rad/upper support and hoses
    -jack under trans pan
    -bellhousing bolts


    Any quirks to get the motor mount bolts out? Pull it up some. Fought with these in other vehicles before. Take bolts out, chains hooked up, slack taken out and yank forward some?

    Can I leave the downpipes in place and everything clear, just remove headers?

    I may be missing some things, but as I said, it's been a while and first time on these trucks.

    Appreciate any help and guidance. Thanks.
    Last edited by Intense RT; 03-26-2010 at 02:44 AM.
    The Dakota RT is gone... but not forgotten.

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    Pick up Rebuilding your Mopar Magnum by Larry Sheppard...He walks you through pulling the engine and doing the re-install...On a Dakota. Lot's of good tips...

    Other than that, pull the front end off...Radiator, bumper etc, and not having fender liners is sweet.

    Others will say not to, but damn....It sure makes it easy.

    Oh yeah....

    11.27 @ 118.23
    2017 NM Mopar Challenge Series Champion

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    Remove hood first, and levelers are for pussies.

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    bad360rt's Avatar
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    Ziploc baggies and a sharpie, separate and mark all the bolts that come off. Can be a pita trying to figure out which bolt goes where.

    -Dave-
    '01 QC 4x4 33s
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    Yep, all good tips, especially the shepard books, I got 2 from amazon. definitely radiator and upper support. I took my fender liners out, helps w/ the headers and some stuff.
    360 ,52mm F&B, M1, EQ heads bronze valve liners, mpp valve train, KRC Custom Ground Cam, Crower 1.7's, PPH midlength, SCT Hemifever tuning, LM-2, 2 1/2" duals

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    Pick up Rebuilding your Mopar Magnum by Larry Sheppard...He walks you through pulling the engine and doing the re-install...On a Dakota. Lot's of good tips...

    Other than that, pull the front end off...Radiator, bumper etc, and not having fender liners is sweet.
    Remove hood first
    Ziploc baggies and a sharpie, separate and mark all the bolts that come off. Can be a pita trying to figure out which bolt goes where.
    Great tips. I also use masking tape to mark wires and hoses so I know where they went. You quickly forget what is what.

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    Quote Originally Posted by bad425rt View Post
    Ziploc baggies and a sharpie, separate and mark all the bolts that come off. Can be a pita trying to figure out which bolt goes where.
    Baggies and Pics...Lot's of Pics.
    11.27 @ 118.23
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    98Dak408's Avatar
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    Lot's of Pics.
    Yes. By all means Yes!

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    If you are using an intake plate with a cherry picker, you don't need to pull the rad or front cradle, or even the hood for that matter. Just make sure you have someone there to help steady the engine as you lift it straight up and once you will see the oil pan start to clear the front rad cradle, start pulling the cherry picker back and lift the engine as you are pulling and it will come right out. I wish I had pictures of when I pulled my motor but I never even thought of doing that. I was so pissed that I had to pull it, I never even considered taking any. The intake plate is something you might have to modify a little, as the bolt pattern for the throttle body is not the same as a two barrel or four barrel carb, but just use an old throttle body gasket as a template to drill some new holes in one. If you want, I could post a couple of pictures of my plate. Make sure you support the tranny with a floor jack when you separate it from the engine, and after I just put 2 long bolts it the dowel holes and a bar across the frame, the the bolts will sit on the bar and support the tranny while the engine is out.
    Last edited by kota360; 03-26-2010 at 03:58 AM.
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    no need a for a book just to remove n install a motor, it isnt rocket science


    im doin it this weekend and imma see if i can get away without havin to pull the hood off, tryin to keep it a one man job, btw ive pulled 2 motors out and installed 1 in these trucks

    unhook the battery and drain the radiator by the drain cock
    strip the front end, bumper, radiator support, radiator, etc just leave the fender n headlights
    unhook every pigtail on the engine harness to the motor n undo ground straps from the back of the heads passenger side
    pull the alternator n a/c compressor n flip the compressor over to the fender with a thick rag/towel underneath
    if u have a m1 dont worry about this, unhook the fuel line and remove the intake manifold then remove the 2 bolts from the trans to the motor
    hook up the cherry picker to the heads front n back n add very lil tension just so no slack in the chain
    jack up the truck, remove the starter, the dust shield, remove tc bolts, loosen motor mounts center bolts, remove the last bolts from the trans to the motor
    pump the cherry picker up just a lil where theres lil gap on the motor mounts to clear n pull out n figure out the rest

    also bag n label all the bolts u pull, ull be glad you did when reinstallin
    Last edited by Addicted2Blue00; 03-26-2010 at 05:30 AM.
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    Once you have the torque converter bolts out, lightly clip a pair of vise grips on the bell housing to hold the converter in place. Pull the trans dipstick out of the trans before you pull the engine.

    Nolan
    3 Second Margin of Victory How many bullets does that thing hold?
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    Quote Originally Posted by Addicted2Blue00 View Post
    no need a for a book just to remove n install a motor, it isnt rocket science


    im doin it this weekend and imma see if i can get away without havin to pull the hood off, tryin to keep it a one man job, btw ive pulled 2 motors out and installed 1 in these trucks

    unhook the battery and drain the radiator by the drain cock
    strip the front end, bumper, radiator support, radiator, etc just leave the fender n headlights
    unhook every pigtail on the engine harness to the motor n undo ground straps from the back of the heads passenger side
    pull the alternator n a/c compressor n flip the compressor over to the fender with a thick rag/towel underneath
    if u have a m1 dont worry about this, unhook the fuel line and remove the intake manifold then remove the 2 bolts from the trans to the motor
    hook up the cherry picker to the heads front n back n add very lil tension just so no slack in the chain
    jack up the truck, remove the starter, the dust shield, remove tc bolts, loosen motor mounts center bolts, remove the last bolts from the trans to the motor
    pump the cherry picker up just a lil where theres lil gap on the motor mounts to clear n pull out n figure out the rest

    also bag n label all the bolts u pull, ull be glad you did when reinstallin
    Pulling the hood is a one man job....
    11.27 @ 118.23
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    where at in ky?? If im off or can get off i'll come help.

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    Parents live in Rineyville, basically a suburb just outside Ft. Knox, Radcliff, Elizabethtown area. It's about 45 mins from Louisville taking Joe Prather Hwy toward Radcliff off I-65.

    That would be awesome. A couple beers and some food? Other than that, I'ma broke sumbitch right now so no titty bars, lol.
    The Dakota RT is gone... but not forgotten.

    '15 Granite Crystal Metallic SRT 392.

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    Quote Originally Posted by Intense RT View Post
    In the next couple weeks I plan to pull the engine up in Ky at my parents' (nice garage). Been a while since I've pulled anything. Have yet to ever pull an engine out of these trucks so was looking for anything to help have this process planned out mentally.
    -hood
    -baggies/sharpie/pics
    -Starter
    -Dust shield
    -Flexplate bolts (bolts only right? Threaded into converter?)
    -Injector harness, dist., oil pressure sender, coolant temp sensor, Iat, alt, coil, ground straps,cps (missing anything?)
    -pull rad/upper support and hoses
    -jack under trans pan
    -bellhousing bolts


    Any quirks to get the motor mount bolts out? Pull it up some. Fought with these in other vehicles before. Take bolts out, chains hooked up, slack taken out and yank forward some?

    Can I leave the downpipes in place and everything clear, just remove headers?

    I may be missing some things, but as I said, it's been a while and first time on these trucks.

    Appreciate any help and guidance. Thanks.
    take the rad, condensor, trans cooler, stack completely out. Remove the upper support & front bumper. Then just pull it straight out the opening. Also, put a couple of bolt/pin back into the tranny holes after the engine is out. Lay a strong piece of wood acroos the frame rails and let the bolts/pins rest on that to support the trans. It's not a good idea to leave it just hanging there. It's much easier to access header/exhaust bolt trough the wheel wells. Just pop the inner fender liners out, and everything is right there.

    PS, don't forget the ground straps & trans tube are both bolted to the back of the heads. You're going to need to take those bolts out
    Last edited by Hugh Jassole; 03-26-2010 at 01:02 PM.

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    Quote Originally Posted by kota360 View Post
    If you are using an intake plate with a cherry picker, you don't need to pull the rad or front cradle, or even the hood for that matter. Just make sure you have someone there to help steady the engine as you lift it straight up and once you will see the oil pan start to clear the front rad cradle, start pulling the cherry picker back and lift the engine as you are pulling and it will come right out. I wish I had pictures of when I pulled my motor but I never even thought of doing that. I was so pissed that I had to pull it, I never even considered taking any. The intake plate is something you might have to modify a little, as the bolt pattern for the throttle body is not the same as a two barrel or four barrel carb, but just use an old throttle body gasket as a template to drill some new holes in one. If you want, I could post a couple of pictures of my plate. Make sure you support the tranny with a floor jack when you separate it from the engine, and after I just put 2 long bolts it the dowel holes and a bar across the frame, the the bolts will sit on the bar and support the tranny while the engine is out.
    I had the hood off and thought I could get it out w/ out removing the rad. Had a friend who replaced the motor in a dak helping. We punched a hole in the rad and I had to buy a new one.

    Quote Originally Posted by Nolan View Post
    Once you have the torque converter bolts out, lightly clip a pair of vise grips on the bell housing to hold the converter in place. Pull the trans dipstick out of the trans before you pull the engine.

    Nolan
    I had no problem w/ the torqe converter staying in place, the trans dipstick has not moved, why remove it?

    Quote Originally Posted by Adobedude View Post
    Pulling the hood is a one man job....
    I got my hood off by myself, and hung from the rafters in the garage, wasn't easy though. I didn't mark the hood first and wish I would have. Marker or scratch awl to mark where the brackets line up on the hood as it is. I might have trouble adjusting it to close just right.
    360 ,52mm F&B, M1, EQ heads bronze valve liners, mpp valve train, KRC Custom Ground Cam, Crower 1.7's, PPH midlength, SCT Hemifever tuning, LM-2, 2 1/2" duals

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    Complete part out 99 Durango w/ 5.9


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    Quote Originally Posted by Intense RT View Post
    Parents live in Rineyville, basically a suburb just outside Ft. Knox, Radcliff, Elizabethtown area. It's about 45 mins from Louisville taking Joe Prather Hwy toward Radcliff off I-65.

    That would be awesome. A couple beers and some food? Other than that, I'ma broke sumbitch right now so no titty bars, lol.
    Sounds good, I have to work this weekend but I will be off next weekend (sat,sun,mon). I'll send ya a pm.

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    I always take the cables loose from the battery and the alternator, then unplug the a/c harness, then take the entire accessory assembly off with both the alt and a/c still attached to it, then you flip it over onto the passenger side wheel well and bungee it.
    I also never remove my radiator or radiator support, but I do put a thick piece of cardboard on it to protect the cooling fins. You will have to remove the balancer and also, the hood gasket at the firewall to get it out that way though.
    Alan Short
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    Quote Originally Posted by grapejuice1998 View Post
    I always take the cables loose from the battery and the alternator, then unplug the a/c harness, then take the entire accessory assembly off with both the alt and a/c still attached to it, then you flip it over onto the passenger side wheel well and bungee it.
    I also never remove my radiator or radiator support, but I do put a thick piece of cardboard on it to protect the cooling fins. You will have to remove the balancer and also, the hood gasket at the firewall to get it out that way though.
    That's a good idea about just flipping the whole accessory assembly off as one unit. I do the same thing with cardboard and the radiator - especially with the power steering pump pulley wanting to lay against it.

    Don't forget the grounds on the back of the heads or the crank sensor plug.

    I don't remove the balancer or the bottom pulley. I just lift the engine enough to clear the mounts, pull it away from the transmission and turn it sideways in the engine bay. It will spin just fine if you remove the driver's side valve cover and point the front to the drivers side while still under the cowl lip. Since it's narrower than it is long - it clears the radiator just fine. I also don't remove the hood - but just remove the attached grill from the hood and attach as low to the engine as possible with the cherry picker.
    Duner
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    White Turbo's Avatar
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    All good tips....

    I never had to remove my front bumper though. Just went up and over it with the block.

    You should carefully remove the CPS from the back of the block as well. I didn't see that mentioned yet. (I could've missed it though if it was posted).
    You dont want to accidently hit it on anything. Keep it safe till your ready to re-install it. They get fucked up easy.

    Good call on marking the where the hood brackets line up on the hood. Also,, mark with a pencil where the hood latch mechanism lines up on the rad. crossmember support. That will save some headaches re-aligning the hood and latch later.


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    Quote Originally Posted by White Turbo View Post
    All good tips....

    Good call on marking the where the hood brackets line up on the hood. Also,, mark with a pencil where the hood latch mechanism lines up on the rad. crossmember support. That will save some headaches re-aligning the hood and latch later.

    Before I remove the hood I drill Two 1/8" holes, one near each bolt, through the hinge into the hood (be very careful not to punch through too far and mark the outer skin of the hood.)

    When you put the hood back on, just stick a couple of 1/8" pins through each hole and the hood will be aligned exactly as it was before removal.

    Nolan
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    Quote Originally Posted by Nolan View Post
    Before I remove the hood I drill Two 1/8" holes, one near each bolt, through the hinge into the hood (be very careful not to punch through too far and mark the outer skin of the hood.)

    When you put the hood back on, just stick a couple of 1/8" pins through each hole and the hood will be aligned exactly as it was before removal.

    Nolan
    yeah, where were you two months ago, huh?
    360 ,52mm F&B, M1, EQ heads bronze valve liners, mpp valve train, KRC Custom Ground Cam, Crower 1.7's, PPH midlength, SCT Hemifever tuning, LM-2, 2 1/2" duals

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    Complete part out 99 Durango w/ 5.9


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    Really good advice all! It's greatly appreciated. I'll have to write this down.

    Haven't use one before but did any of you use a leveler to do this in conjunction with some of your suggestions? Do they loan/rent these if I should use one?
    The Dakota RT is gone... but not forgotten.

    '15 Granite Crystal Metallic SRT 392.

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    Quote Originally Posted by Intense RT View Post
    Really good advice all! It's greatly appreciated. I'll have to write this down.

    Haven't use one before but did any of you use a leveler to do this in conjunction with some of your suggestions? Do they loan/rent these if I should use one?
    The hoist I used on the way out didn't have any chains at all, I got a leveler for $40 at advance, worked great. Picking up a hoist for the way in tomorrow morning.
    360 ,52mm F&B, M1, EQ heads bronze valve liners, mpp valve train, KRC Custom Ground Cam, Crower 1.7's, PPH midlength, SCT Hemifever tuning, LM-2, 2 1/2" duals

    EQ heads

    Complete part out 99 Durango w/ 5.9


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    Quote Originally Posted by Nolan View Post
    Once you have the torque converter bolts out, lightly clip a pair of vise grips on the bell housing to hold the converter in place. Pull the trans dipstick out of the trans before you pull the engine.

    Nolan
    OH! That reminds me!
    I use a 3/8" round metal dowel to span from the lower control arm bolts and under the front of the bell housing. Then I use a ratchet strap and cinch it tight. That way it holds the front of the transmission up where it needs to be.
    Alan Short
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