Engine out!

[Matt P]

Within the next few weeks i`m looking at replacing the clutch on my 88 car.
I will be doing the job at home and need to know what sort of height i need to get the car up in to the air in order to lower the engine and box to replace the clutch?

Also i will be replacing the rear oil pipes ( the ones in rear offside wheel arch between engine and regulator and oil tank) and have been told that they can be pretty tight to get off .Any advice on the best way to get them off?
Thanks for any help!
PS Why do i come up as non member when i am (honest!)?

 

[Laurence Gibbs]

As no one has replied yet here is a basic rule of thumb. Measure the height of the engine complete with exhaust etc (not easy i know) from top most to bottom of exhaust. Aim to raise the car by at least that amount plus the height of your jack and a bit more to aid removal. actual height at a guesstimate is about 2-3 ft but depends on your type of jack. the correct method is to have a fixture in the jack that supports and craddles the crankcase and heat exchangers. If you are doing nothing else it's possible to split the box whilst the engine is sitting underneath the car but it's probably an awful lot easier to pull engine and box out from underneath and work in free space.
The oil pipes can be a pain to remove, try to obtain the correct size 34mm 32mm and poss 36mm spanners in open end and ring formation. cut the rubber to get the ring end on if poss (it's a long time since i have done this so memory is vague on what exactly works) if all else fails hacksaw very carefully across the nut in order to remove. don't forget to clean the area well before you remove the pipe so as to stop possible ingress of dirt.
Hope this helps a little

 

[Matt P]

Thanks for your help Laurance
Best i get myself a bigger jack!

 

[Guest]

Matt,
Take the whole G/box & motor out as one unit -easier.
Make a jig to support the pair with provision for trolley jack to site in centre - like a " H" pattern?
Good luck.

 

[Laurence Gibbs]

easier than ?? I hope you did not miss read my post. What I said was engine underneath car , not still attached to the car!!!! i.e. you dont pull the engine and box out from underneath the car, you leave them laying underneath the car and remove the gearbox fit the clutch and bolt back up.. This means you do not have to raise the car by so much. Also if you site the jack in the exact center between your engine and box combo the assembly will not balance and may tip of the jack as the center of weight is not in the center if that makes sense. The factory manual shows you exactly where to place the fixture.

 

[Guest]

Hi Matt,
I don't know if this is of any use but when I had my SSIs fitted the garage used a Dremel power tool to split the oil pipe nuts. They split the nuts length ways and managed to do this without damage, this was instead of the brute force method which can damage associated/connected assemblies or pipes. The Dremel tool is not expensive and can be used for many other jobs later on.
Good luck
Ian

 

[Laurence Gibbs]

nice idea and saves arm work[] just be carefull not to damage the inner threads.

 

[Matt P]

Thanks everyone for your replies!
This is the last thing i need to do and hope to get it done before the summer !!!I would`nt mind but i brought the clutch and oil pipes last year but thought that i would save the job for the winter .
I have the Bentley manual so hope this will now come to some use.
Anyway thanks again and will post how i get on!