How to Remove a Car Engine
Here's how to remove a car's engine and transmission.
This my first time removing an engine from a car. It was an
amazing learning experience, and I did (most) of it myself! I documented some of the major steps in the video below:
The engine and transmission were removed from my 2001 Toyota
Corolla. I opted to disassemble major components off of the engine in the car before removing the assembly. If your doing a straight engine swap, you can skip those steps.
Disassembly
Here's what the engine bay looks like, untouched.
Alternator removed
Lower radiator hose, water pump and thermostat
Radiator
A/c Compressor
Air intake, battery and air box
Exhaust manifold
Now the engine bay should look like this with a lot of components removed. Much cleaner!
Now remove:
A/C condenser
Power steering pump
Starter
Now for the more technical bits, wires, hoses, fluids and axles
Transmission shift cable and linkage
Hoses, fuel lines and wiring harness. Note, the manual says to remove the harness from the ECU inside the car.
Drain fluids
Axle nut
Remove axles
BF pry bar
Engine Mounts
Engine has four engine mounts, front, rear (under the
steering rack), transmission and engine side
Support engine
Rear mount bolts
Front mount bolts. Mine was stuck in the bushing
Tranny mount will have to come off the fender to be lifted up
Engine side mount
Now everything is resting on the jack stands below
Strap Up the Engine and Lift!
Strap it up. I used a big chain and seat belts to stabilize
it.
Once its high enough, I rolled the car backward
Engine Stand
Check out that wheel gap with the weight off the front wheels!
Finally installed the engine on its stand so I can work on it.