987687 Posted November 28, 2011 Share Posted November 28, 2011 Weird question... Me thinks yes, but here goes. 89GL with ea81 swap. Can I pull the engine with the radiator attached? I'm 1100 miles from home living somewhere I can't work on my car, really. I need to be discreet about it, not make messes, etc. Or do it at work. I need to replace my clutch, so I'll just beg, borrow, rent an engine hoist. BUT, would it be reasonable to pull the radiator still attached to the engine? If I don't have to deal with draining/disposing of coolant it would make my life much easier. It's due for a change, so if it comes out, it's not going back in. Alternate option... If I got ahold of a floor jack, would it be easier to disconnect the driveshaft and slide the transmission back to get to the clutch? Thanks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2K4 STI Posted November 28, 2011 Share Posted November 28, 2011 You would still have to disconnect the heater hoses going to the firewall so you are still going to lose some coolant. On the flip side, sliding the trans back is not a very discreet way to do it either as you are going to be dealing with the gear oil from the trans. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
987687 Posted November 28, 2011 Author Share Posted November 28, 2011 AH! heater hoses. right. So I may as well just do it right and put in new coolant while I have it apart. It's been over two years, so it's due. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
987687 Posted November 28, 2011 Author Share Posted November 28, 2011 So, just to make sure I'm getting this right... Ea82 clutch. 4wd. 24 splines, 225mm or 8-7/8". Correct? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
man on the moon Posted November 28, 2011 Share Posted November 28, 2011 (edited) No need to pull anything or move the transmission. Moving the tranny involves a simple but not so discreet series of movements. The clutch is fairly simple and relatively discreet if done as follows: You will need: a 14 mm socket/ratchet, a 14 mm box end wrench. Something to hold the crankshaft. A big screwdriver/flywheel holder will work; I have also used a 22 mm socket/ratchet/extension on the crank pulley and braced it against something solid. Keep a 12mm socket on hand. I don't remember if you need it, but I don't recall the size of the pressure plate or flywheel bolts offhand. I believe a couple wires in my harness are grounded to a 12mm bolt, but a lot of those are "sh*t I lost a nut, but this one has the same thread" replacements. Use the above to do the following: Tag and undo the heater hoses and maybe remove one/both (sorry...just tell people something burst and you're fixing it ASAP if you have to be discreet) and electrical harness. This is all fairly simple, and the connectors are unique--you can't screw up putting them back together. Do the same with both gas lines--one is in, one is out. Mark upper/lower/whatever helps you remember. Undo the wire from the coil to the disty. Undo the radiator hoses, and remove the clutch fan. The electric one, too, if you get a chance, it will greatly reduce the number of choice words you issue while doing the clutch itself. Below the motor are two 14 mm nuts holding it to the cross member. Remove both. While you are downstairs, there are four 14 mm nuts holding the exhaust manifold to the motor. Undo the nuts. You can let the exhaust hang with string so it's not on the ground if you need to. There are five 14 mm nuts and/or bolts holding the motor/bellhousing to the transmission. Three bolts up top--two fastening the bellhousing assembly together, one holding the pitch starter. Two nuts down near the motor mounts, directly below the upper pair of bolts. These nuts connect to studs that won't come out. You may have to remove the starter for easier motor replacement when you're done--there is a nut hidden at the bottom of the starter if you need to do this (also 14mm). Jack the whole get-up up with a floor jack under the transmission, just a few inches. If you have a hoist, hook that up to the motor, otherwise just get a few muscles and a lot of caution lined up. Jack it up until the motor mount studs clear the crossmember, then inch the motor forward. I've done this by myself (and I'm a whopping 120 pounds/5foot something) by inching the motor forward an inch or so, then lowering everything until the studs rest on the crossmember, then inching the motor the rest of the way forward. Continuing inching the motor forward until you have five or six inches gap. The motor may or may not roll forward as well. Do the pressure plate, bearings, and clutch; flywheel if you need to. On an EA82 you can use a spark plug as a clutch alignment tool--better (for me at least) than even the one that comes in the kit! Finagle the motor back onto the transmission and get the bolts/nuts in place enough to hold it all together. Lower the motor mount studs back into their holes. The order of these first replacement steps may vary depending on your muscle, leverage, and tools on hand. You may have to re-align the clutch and/or spin the flywheel a bit if it doesn't go the first time. You can also leave it all loose and tighten the pressure plate bolts via the starter hole (starter removed, of course). I don't like that method, but it works for some. Once the motor/tranny are mated up, tighten it all down, then replace/reconnect the heater hoses, coil wire, electrical harness, radiator hose, clutch fan, etc. Electric fan if you removed it. Top off the coolant (oil doesn't need to come out). Start the car. Drink a beer. Unless your driving right away, in which case don't drink a beer. The biggest item you actually remove from the engine bay should be the fan(s). Then any hoses, wires, and serpentine belt. The rest can all stay put. You may opt to put a piece of wood or cardboard against the radiator to protect it--I just lean the power steering/ac pump against the top edge of the rad (avoiding the fins) and make every effort to NOT LEAN ON THE MOTOR with your body weight. Also--I based this on doing an EA82 clutch. The EA81 is similar, but may use different size bolts, or have studs in places I listed a bolt, etc. You have eyes and a brain! Edited November 28, 2011 by man on the moon Spelling and grammar Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
man on the moon Posted November 28, 2011 Share Posted November 28, 2011 If you're really in a bind, you can do this (carefully) without even draining the coolant. You'll lose a few ounces from undoing the hoses, but the bulk of the fluid can stay inside if need be. Not that I recommend it, but it's possible. If you do decide to drain it, there is a drain plug (also 14mm) on each head, between the exhaust port and the leading/trailing edge of the head. On one side of the motor it will be on the radiator side of the manifold, on the other side it will be 'buried' behind it and a real p.i.t.a to undo. There is a small chance one or both won't be fully drilled into the water jacket, don't be surprised if one or the other doesn't come out with a gush of water. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zukiru Posted November 28, 2011 Share Posted November 28, 2011 beware of jabbing the fan-studs into your radiator. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Loyale 2.7 Turbo Posted November 28, 2011 Share Posted November 28, 2011 I've Changed the Clutch on my BumbleBeast without removing the Engine; I Just detached the Gearbox and axles, and it Slides enough to do the Job. Mine is a 1985 EA82 with the Small Clutch diameter... 2WD. Kind Regards. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wallaby Posted November 28, 2011 Share Posted November 28, 2011 as MOTM said i have done this on my brat changed the clutch without removing the engine i did remove the radiator but thats about it, not a lot of room but it worked and only takes a couple hours good luck Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
987687 Posted November 29, 2011 Author Share Posted November 29, 2011 Thanks for the advise/tips MOTM. I'm gonna try for a hoist, or find somewhere with a tree or whatnot to lift from. Otherwise, I'll get a floor jack and inch the motor forwards. Very good suggestions, hopefully this weekend I'll have time to rip it up. I guess I'll go buy a beer on my test drive, then drink it when I get home Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
987687 Posted November 29, 2011 Author Share Posted November 29, 2011 I just went outside with my flashlight to take a look at it. The pitch stop bracket on the engine is sheered off on the pass side. eek! That might explain some weird banging of late on accel and decel. I'll definitely weld that back together! Where are the hoist points on the ea81? There's one obvious one right above the crank pully, but where's the one on back back? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
man on the moon Posted November 29, 2011 Share Posted November 29, 2011 I believe the pitch stopper mounts can be used as a hoist point, or the flywheel observation hole. I just wrap the motor with two loops of webbing (like you would use for rock climbing) or chain and make sure both sides are even (I use one loop on each side, rather than one continuous loop). Get it cozy with the lip of the oil pan underneath to avoid putting unnecessary pressure on the heads. When I pulled my motor last time I put both bars from my roofrack through the loops, made sure the loops were even, and then had a friend on the end opposite me help me lift it out. The motors weigh what...150lbs, maybe? Not much, just cumbersome. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kayakertom Posted November 29, 2011 Share Posted November 29, 2011 Tell us where you are; I'm sure someone nearby would help. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
987687 Posted November 29, 2011 Author Share Posted November 29, 2011 So you're saying you actually just tie ropes around the engine and hoist it that way? Cool. On an EJ I just use the intake manifold, but something says that's a bad idea on the ea81. I'm in Beaufort, NC.... Subaru dead zone. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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