Yanking a motor out of a fox body, any prep work or suggestions ???

[FESTER665]

I have a bunch of oil leaks on my 93 cobra that are driving me nuts. The gaskets are all 15 years old at this point so Im not pissed that theyre leaking, just dont want to deal with them. The motor is at 66K miles right now.

Im thinking the best way to pull off fixing all my seals is just to yank the motor, get everything taken care of, and then tossing it all back in. Is there anything I should do as a "prep" to doing this ??? Soak a ton of stuff in zepreserve, get some specialty tool, set aside an entire weekend, etc... ???

Anything that I should do while its apart ??? I was planning on junking all the emissions junk while it was out as well. I got the EGR cover plate and the plugs for the back of the heads, is there anything else I should be looking into ????

Any tips would be appreciated as I plan on doing it next weekend if the weather is decent....

Click to read more...

 

[Maniak]

while its out, i would put a cam in it and maybe change out or port the heads. then some long tubes.

i dont think there is any "prep" work to be done other than the normal steps to pull a motor.

 

[FESTER665]

I guess I should have clarified.....

Car already has TFS stage 1 cam, TFS TW heads stage 2+ ported and polished, intakes have been gasket matched, etc... I already have shorties on there and dont want to spend the moey on new longtubes and a new mid-pipe.

I already have a complete gasket set to replace all the gaskets. My biggest leaks are valve covers, oil pan, and rear main seal.

 

[FirstWorldProblems]

If you're going to pull the motor, wait and save up some cash to do more than just replace gaskets.

 

[FESTER665]

If you're going to pull the motor, wait and save up some cash to do more than just replace gaskets.

Like ???

Im probably going to end up slapping a vortech onto it since they can be had for so cheap, so I wasgoing to put a return bung in the oil pan while it was out as well.

 

[1MEANGT]

It is not hard to pull a fox motor. Just bag and label all your parts. Makes things much easier going back together. And I always pulled the motor and trans out together. If you need a hand let me know. Should only take a few hours to do.

 

[batman]

Shouldn't be a problem

 

[FESTER665]

I have an engine hoist, engine stand, and intake plate for the hoist.... Anyone know if im going to need any fancy tools other than that ???

Ive heard I need one for the fuel lines ???

I figure this way I can track down where the coolant/oil smell is coming from when I beat on the car as well....

 

[Maniak]

I have an engine hoist, engine stand, and intake plate for the hoist.... Anyone know if im going to need any fancy tools other than that ???

Ive heard I need one for the fuel lines ???

I figure this way I can track down where the coolant/oil smell is coming from when I beat on the car as well....

yea, u will need a fuel line disconnect tool, i totally forgot about that.

 

[FESTER665]

Should I go to ARP head studs while im at it, or will reusing the ARP bolts already in there be okay ???

Can I just go to Napa or somewhere to get the fuel line disconnect tool ???

 

[ChromeCobra]

Cake

 

[batman]

Should I go to ARP head studs while im at it, or will reusing the ARP bolts already in there be okay ???

Can I just go to Napa or somewhere to get the fuel line disconnect tool ???

reuse the studs

i have the tools if you wanna stop by

 

[FESTER665]

Theyre just bolts currently. Would you still re-use them or go to studs ???

 

[batman]

Theyre just bolts currently. Would you still re-use them or go to studs ???

studs/ bolts samething


its still a stock block so just the h/c/i combo, add a gear and it should move out

 

[Pressure Ratio]

Theyre just bolts currently. Would you still re-use them or go to studs ???

If it is in the budget buy studs. Also look to check the deck surface of the block and heads. A machine shop will do this for cheap if you don't have a machinist's strait edge. With boost you want good head gasket seal. And if a quick pass to clean the head surface up saves a head gasket issue you will be glad you did.

Like Mike said label everything that comes off the car. Label vacuum lines and other connections if they are not clear. And clean all gasket surfaces real good so they seal well. Also be careful with the electrical connectors as they are older and brittle.

If you are pulling the emissions stuff off make sure to get the extra lines and solenoids on the passenger side as well. Cleans up the area behind the passenger shock tower area. Maybe look at putting the wiring in the fender well. It looks so much better and is not a huge deal to do. I redid mine last week and I am so happy I did. But now you will see all the holes in the engine bay then. That leads to wanting to fill the holes and repaint the engine bay. haha

Fuel line discnnects are available almost anywhere that sells auto parts or tools. Check this link out so you have an idea what you are looking for.

 

[FESTER665]

studs/ bolts samething


its still a stock block so just the h/c/i combo, add a gear and it should move out

It has a 3.73 in it already.....

Im planning on yanking the motor this winter to fill and smooth the entire engine bay, so Ill re-route all the wiring then. This is just because im sick of seeing the drip spot on the driveway getting bigger.

One of my friends is a machinist, Ill see if he has a sqaure... Do you know what the max difference would be ??? If not Opel engineering is just 5 minutes away, That shouldnt be a big issue... Hopefully it wont be too expensive to have done.

 

[Mean Mr Mustang]

Before you yank the engine did you try snugging the bolts a little to see if the oil leaks go away? On alot of those old engines the bolts are barely past being finger tight. On my 86' that leaked like the Alaskan oil spill a 1/4 turn on the oil pan and valve cover bolts took care of the leaks.

 

[batman]

Before you yank the engine did you try snugging the bolts a little to see if the oil leaks go away? On alot of those old engines the bolts are barely past being finger tight. On my 86' that leaked like the Alaskan oil spill a 1/4 turn on the oil pan and valve cover bolts took care of the leaks.

Thats true, check the oil pan plug gaskets too..

 

[FESTER665]

Well, I found more coolant puddling up on the timing cover AGAIN.... somethings obviously not right. Ive tried a new thermostat housing, new therostat gasket multiple times, new hoses, etc.... It just wont go away.

I think im shutting the car down for the year at this point... Pull the motor and smooth the entire engine bay like I was wanting to.....

 

[zenriddles]

Dude. I'm sorry.

You need to sell this car.

Hack up something a little less important historically, please. Every hole you fill de-values the car a little bit more.

I KNOW, your name is on the title and this entitles you to run it through a car crusher if you want.

PLEASE, get a 91 5.0 notch or something ELSE they made 4 million of.

You are f*****g up a very rare bird here and the thought of this act makes me throw up in my mouth a little bit. Don't change THIS car. It will be worth a killing some day if you don't let it get too far from stock.

 

[FESTER665]

If youre so worried about it, go and buy one.

Im going to be buried in this car so Im not concerned with it.

It looks 1000x better with the engine bay smoothed out. If god forbid I have to sell it some day I'll worry about it then.... I already modded it and its not like Im hacking half the car apart... Im making it look better.

I got rid of a notchback for this car anyway, why the hell would I go back ??

 

[raresvt]

Pics

 

[REN#4106]

^^^^

this is who you should talk to about prepping a teal 93 cobra.....that thing is sick:headbang:

 

[FESTER665]

Thats exactly what im talking about though... That engine bay looks phenominal, I definitely dont tihnk it will detract THAT much from the value of the car....

Thankfully he's in Indiana, I dont want to be copying too much. HAHAHA

Looks great Rare SVT.... If you have more pictures can you email them to me at [email protected] ????

 

[raresvt]

for sure when i get some free time ill send some pics, shes almost back together cant wait to hear it run. Just did cams,heads and long tubes