Is the engine possible to swap at home garage?

[RyanHeo]

Hi.
I would like to swap the engine in the 96' infinti i30 128k on it. I guess that it costs about $2000 even more because the special tools should be bought like an engine hoist. The engine will be $600~$800 and the tools $1000 and etc.
However I want to know how to do it. Would you give some advices about what kinds of tools, the tips, or information to me?

Thanks.

 

[Quest]

you'll need some 2 tonne floor jacks (maybe a couple), lots of tools, a cherrypicker, and extra helping hands at all times.

Of course, you'll need to be comfortable in that working environment and be prepared for any potential mishaps such as broken bolts and rusted nuts, broken pieces of electrical connectors, etc.

 

[MrCritical]

Invest in a good shop manual. If the engine is transverse mounted you will need a support for the frame.

If I wasn't going to replace but one engine there's no way you can justify the expense of the tools needed to do the job.

Then you can have even more fun when you button it up and hear that $500 engine knocking.

 

[salvageyardteen]

Its possible, and you can often rent the equipment. It always takes at least twice as long as you think its going to. Defiantly get a shop manual.

 

[nuskool]

For the shop manual, do a search on the net. I found one for a car I did a bunch of word too for $15.00 w/ shipping on e-bay. But you want an orig. Shop manual. not a haynes or chilton.

B4 you go this far, why are you swapping?

I replaced the rings and valve seals on a 93 Geo prizm without removing the engine from the car. Depending on why your doing this it may be cheaper to go at this from a different angle. My cost on that was around $400.00. That included buying a few more tools that I didn't already have.

you can't do it this way in all cars, but it's something to look into.

 

[Gary Allan]

Get the local tech school to install it. Make a donation and bribe the slick student to be extra anal.

 

[ms21043]

If you're only going to do an engine swap one time, why spend so much on the equipment that would be only used for that job?
here is a cherry picker for $59. You can get a full size floor jack for $89. Buy them, take your time doing the job and when you're done you can sell them, give them away or whatever.

 

[ms21043]

Oops, add another $100 to the cherry picker, $59 is for only part of it, but you get the point.

 

[psudaytona]

I would say rent the tools if possible. If this is likely the only engine you will need to swap, why purchase and then STORE all that gear.

And as ms21043 said, take your time doing the job. First time on any complex job will take alot longer than you might think.

Best of luck though, sounds like an awesome project!

 

[alreadygone]

128K engine shouldn't be bad in the first place! What are it's problems?

Bob

 

[nuskool]

Quote:

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128K engine shouldn't be bad in the first place! What are it's problems?

Bob

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That's what I'm saying!

 

[kschachn]

I have done it many times, first off I would say that if you have a friend who has done it and has some needed tools, that would be a big help. That's how I did it the first few times.

Regarding what you need, I've done it with little more than a come-a-long which was attached to the main header beam in the garage (the one directly aboove the garage door) and a cheap Harbor Freight engine stand. You really can't do it with much less than that. Later I bought an engine hoist (also H.F.) that made it easier. I also got a thing that attaches to the hoist which allows the engine to be tilted forward and back as you are putting it into the car. THAT made a big difference. It is a thing like this:

http://tinyurl.com/2mvan6

Those devices are worth their weight in gold.

You will find that like was mentioned before, a manufacturer's maintenance manual is also worth the weight in gold. I would NEVER attempt this without the manual.

Also, you will find that the manufacturer does not utilize every size bolt and nut under the sun, you will instead use a certain 3-4 sizes for 90% of the stuff. But you will need a few other sizes for the remaining 10%.

Be advised though that getting the engine "in" and "out" is only the start. If you want to rebuild and/or repair it, you'll need yet another suite of tools to do that.

 

[kschachn]

I just checked, and a decent engine stand is under $60 at Harbor Freight. A hoist is more, about $200 (but you can get along with out one of those).

Once, I had to remove an engine from the underside of the vehicle. On that occasion I used the come-a-long to lift the front of the vehicle clear of the engine, and wheeled it away. It worked.

 

[andyd]

garage?????? wabbout 2 sections of pipe staging on wheels and a comealong in my drive way. I have R+Red 4 engines with this rig.

 

[sierrascout]

If you were closer to me I could sell you a fol up cherry picker for $149 (USA made)or $128(China) and a engine stand for $30 1000#, $40 1250#, and a load leveler for $12. I have sold these for about 10 years and have not had any fail yet. Ya'll scare me with the use of comealongs.

 

[mazduh30]

Rent the cherry picker. Buy the jackstands since you may want to work on your car (or others) in the future. Look in the local want ads or garage sells. Sears for a good set of tools (or any with a lifetime warranty). Ask your buddies if they or know of some other of their friends if they are willing to help you. Beer, tools, grease/oil smell, and of course swearing when the time comes is heaven.

 

[johnd]

Another good investment is a box of ziploc bags and a sharpie. As you take things off, mark where they went. It really helps on the re-assembly. I use this method all the time.

 

[DriveHard]

I pulled a SBC in my garage using the rafters and a come-a-long ($12 at local farm store). Borrowed an engine stand from a friend (I'm sure you know somebody with one). I bet you could get away with spending MUCH less than you have stated with a little creativity. If its a FWD car, you may be able to take the front clip off and drop the engine out the bottom.

 

[Junior]

Quote:

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Another good investment is a box of ziploc bags and a sharpie. As you take things off, mark where they went. It really helps on the re-assembly. I use this method all the time.

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I use a big piece of cardboard for the same reason. This way you can put things in order and write notes about the parts. Masking tape on wire connectors and vacuum lines helps too.

 

[JakeR22]

Sounds like you'll get in over your head.