All in - pulling the 4.6 engine and trans to fix oil leaks once and for all

[stunt]

Had a productive day today!

I was determined to get that right side axle out come hell or high water. I ended up resorting to using the 10 lbs sledge and out she came. Now I know why it was being such a pain. Turns out the bearing was stuck to the axle shaft, so I ended up pulling it and the seal along with the axle to finally get it out.



And here's the housing. At least I don't have to worry about getting the seal out as a separate step...



Next came what has probably been the easiest step about this whole project so far, removing the shift linkage.



Time to drain the transfer case and transmission oils.



The is the transmission fluid after only 800 miles since a complete drain and refill. It smelled burned as well. Guess the transmission is getting rebuilt once I get it out.



Next up was removing the rear cross member.



With that gone, and the transfer case separated a little from the back of the transmission, I was able to pull out the front drive shaft. It was stuck in there good.



Back of transmission after dropping the tcase. Rear seal has a slight leak. With the rear of the transmission lowered slightly, I was finally able to pull out the front sway bar.



Tcase and cross-member.



Next I put the front suspension back together and brakes and wheels, so that I could take the truck off the lift and back it up to have room to pull the engine. I wasn't sure if the bearings in the knuckles rely on the axle shafts to keep the in place, so I used dolleys to minimize the stress on them.



Finally it was time to hook up the engine lift and get ready to pull the engine. In this pic, the engine has cleared the motor mounts but I'm unable to pull it forward due to steering rack interference. Clearances are unbelievably tight...



That's it for this weekend. I'll need to study that youtube video some more where they pulled the engine and tranny out as as unit as I just don't see how there is room. I think I can get away with not removing the hood.

[stunt]

Hmm, maybe I will just drop everything from below after all as a wise forum member suggested near the start of this thread.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7DfXmfUE7c8

[admranger]

Quite the project, stunt!

Love the little Ford tractor. We have one on the family farm (older model, grey, not blue). I think it has some value as it isn't used at all now so I should try to sell it!

Since you have so much access now, I'd sure change the motor mounts (forgive me if they were in your parts list, I missed them).

Basically, on the race car (sold), when the motor came out, anything that touched the motor that was a wear item (made of other than metal), got replaced. Coolant hoses, fuel lines, belts, PS hoses, etc. Too much of a mental kick in the head if it fails right after you had easy access...

[stunt]

Yes, I love that little tractor Kirk! It's a Ford 1700 from 1982. Little 2 cylinder diesel. Only has 400 hours on it! Picked it up for a song at the local John Deere dealer (I have a larger John Deere tractor also).

So with the decision made to drop the engine/tranny from below, I reversed back to where I was before putting the wheels back on.

With the truck back on the lift, I loosened the steering shaft bolts at the locations indicated by the red arrows and used a small pry bar to spread the clamps.



But even with those loose, I don't seem to be able to separate the shaft on either end. I really need to get the lower one off before I can drop the whole assembly. Here's a closeup of the lower end attached to the rack. Maybe I need to pry it off somehow? It sure is a mess with oil and hard to get too....



Anyway, I decided to move forward and placed my lifting table under the assembly. I used several 6x6 blocks to get everything supported.







Satisfied that I had good support, I got up on a step ladder and removed the engine support bar. I then removed the 6 bolts holding engine sub-frame to the main frame. I was then able to easily lower the whole assembly a few inches.



This is as far as I can go without the steering shaft hitting the frame. Once I figure out a way to get that shaft pulled out of the steering rack, it should drop right down!

[LVP]

If it's like the one I recently did on my E36, you need to pull the bolt out completely. There is a groove in the shaft the the bolt sits in. With it in there, you won't get it off. If you get the bolts out and still can't, then it's separation of the two halves and penetrating oil.

Check the joint when it's out too. Easy to replace now. A royal pita to replace later. Not cheap though

[stunt]

Originally Posted by LVP

If it's like the one I recently did on my E36, you need to pull the bolt out completely. There is a groove in the shaft the the bolt sits in.

Aha, I bet that's it! Thanks!

[stunt]

With the steering shaft out, the engine dropped right out with no issues at all. That's definitely the way to go.

So here's the whole assembly pulled out from under the car.



And various shots from different angles.













Some close ups of the oil leak areas:







Rear is actually quite leak free



Engine bay will be easy to clean up with everything gone







Transmission badge. Trying to decide if I should attempt the rebuilt myself or take it somewhere...



Oh, and the plastic surround on all 4 wheels came apart when I started rolling the table. I guess that is what sitting for 13 years will do to plastic like this.

[e30cabrio]

Wow!

Congrats!

[Gurjit]

nice!

[StephenVA]

The great news is the back side of the block and heads are dry of oil. Thanks for all the images as it shows the rear side with the CCV mounting bolts and all the connections perfectly. That alone will please a few owners looking to do a spring time clean and replacement of the system after this hard winter.

Thanks for the effort to keep this one up and running.