Engine Removal

[HuskieMobileMan]

I will be attempting to remove my engine from my '89 GMC van and I need to know how to get at it. Is it possible to remove the grille, radiator, front end fenders, etc. and get a cherry picker in there to get it out, or will I need to drop the front suspension to get it out? Any help is appreciated!

[ken1mod]

Assuming your van is the standard one that has been made for 30 years, it is quite easy. You remove the radiator and grill, not the fenders and between the inside access and front access the engine is easily removable from the front. If you are rebuilding, which is what I did, consider doing an in-frame rebuild. You can replace all bearings rings, timing set cam,etc without removing the engine. Heads remove easily. We did not even unbolt from the trans. when mains are unbolted, the crank hangs on the timing chain and trans dropping enough to change main bearings.

 

i never saw any wear at all, all of my engine rebuilds were caused by overheat and stuck oil rings. One might even be tempted to clean old rings and reinstall, we never did this of course. I never saw a cylinder ridge and pistons slipped right out the top. These were 170,000 mile engines in severe trailer towing in the hot weather of Phoenix, az with dino oils changed at 6000 mile intervals.

 

The block can be lifted out by two strong guys after the heads are removed from the inside or the whole thing can come out the front. These trucks are surprisingly easy to work on. We could remove the pan without even loosening the mounts.

 

We had a couple of fords that self-destructed (oil pump failure) that were miserable to work on but the engine was removable out the front also.

 

By the way, unless you find cylinder damage (we never did) do not hone the walls. You will make a mess and accomplish nothing. We did numerous engines and oil consumption on the new work was zero. Perfect circle piston ring company recommends not honing as the "glaze" (polish) is desirable and takes many thousands of miles to develop

 

Your project is not as bad as you think, access is quite good.

 

Ken

[HuskieMobileMan]

Thanks for the great info Ken. My crankshaft nub has developed a gouge in it and no longer accepts the balancer and pulley. I have talked to a few people about replacing the crank and they said it is a complicated process and advise against replacing it in favor of getting a remanufacured engine. Ever replace the crank?

[snoman]

Thanks for the great info Ken.  My crankshaft nub has developed a gouge in it and no longer accepts the balancer and pulley.  I have talked to a few people about replacing the crank and they said it is a complicated process and advise against replacing it in favor of getting a remanufacured engine.  Ever replace the crank?

 

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Replacing a crank is not hard to do with engine out of vehcile but in truck it would be a challange to do and you would have to disconnet converter and you might be able to sneek it out with tranny still in. I am not sure what you damage is that you cannot clean it up and install a new dampner.

[ken1mod]

In my experience there is lots of room. I would definitely replace it in the vehicle. biggest problem is putting the heavy thing back in the engine. Two guys can do it. Worst case, you cant do it for whatever reason, then take the motor out. So what? Very little waste of time. I would have the crank out in 90 minutes, new one in in 30. Just remove the timing set and unbolt the converter. undo middle mains and all rods. finally undo the end mains and it is in your hands. Probably can slide converter a half inch into the trans for clearance. I have done this on small blocks. Too bad you have the crank damage. All you need is gaskets and crankshaft kit (crank and bearings). Two guys make it easy, on a dare I will do it myself. Make sure all caps are marked for exact reassembly. there is no option here. they must go back exactly as originally installed with new bearings, of course. If your van has clearance like mine had, this is no big deal. Two good guys, full saturday's work, 1 sixpack after engine is running.

 

Ken