Removing Explorer 5.0 engine?

[ootdega]

I recently went to a walk-in junkyard to get a new cap for my power steering pump.

They charged me a dollar for it.

So out of curiosity, I asked them how much they'd charge for a whole Explorer engine.

They told me about $180, with core charge. However, I'd have to remove it myself.

So how do I remove it? I know I can refer to Google and YouTube for general guides, but you guys probably know the specifics of it.

[LithiumCobalt]

Unbolt it from the mounts and transmission. Unhook the fuel lines, exhaust and electrical stuff. Use an engine hoist to pull it out.

[ootdega]

Unbolt it from the mounts and transmission. Unhook the fuel lines, exhaust and electrical stuff. Use an engine hoist to pull it out.

Somehow that sounds deceptively simple.

[LithiumCobalt]

That's the simple gist of it. There's obviously more details to it than that.

[VicCrownVic]

I've never pulled an engine but I have done a few transmission swaps and the last one I did was a couple of years ago.

To unbolt the engine from the trans you'll want a couple feet of extensions and a swivel and I believe the bolt heads are 16mm. There are either 4 or 6 bolts, I think it was 6. Two bolts at the top of the trans and two on each side, iirc, otherwise it would be two at the top and one on each side.
From under the vehicle you'll go from rear of the trans toward the front since the bolt heads face the rear of the vehicle. The top bolts can be fun to find and get on, but my arms are skinny enough I can reach up and make sure the socket is on the bolt.
The other option would be to pull both the engine and trans then separate them after they have been removed from the vehicle if you don't plan to buy the transmission. That would require unbolting the trans mount at the cross-member (I assume the explorer is setup similar to the panther) and may or may not require removing the cross-member. Edit: and disconnecting the trans cooler lines from the side of the trans, and disconnecting the shift linkage, and disconnecting the electrical connectors.

For the fuel lines you will need a special fuel line disconnect tool, they come in sets and can be pretty inexpensive like the examples below.
http://www.harborfreight.com/6-piece...ool-97576.html
http://www.harborfreight.com/4-piece...set-96834.html

For the electrical it's just a matter of finding all of the connectors.
I've never done anything with motor mounts so I would be no help there.

[mcninetyone]

It's simple and it's not.
Basically you have to remove or unbolt just about everything and anything that isn't part of the engine.
There are ways to go about it that will make it easier, ways that come with experience.
Things like knowing what to take off first, second, third and last.
In an order that will make getting to other parts much easier.
One problem with removing the 5.0 is that the engine is a tight fit in the Explorer.
If you've never done it, it can be frustrating and appear to be a very hard job.
But it can be done with a little common sense, a lot of patience and a good assortment of tools.
Also, how much you're willing/can cut instead of unbolting/unplugging will make things go faster.
It may be worth it to have the JY pull it for you, depending on what they would charge.

[pantera77]

Even I won't pull an engine at a junkyard. It's $50 here for them to pull it, and that's $50 well spent IMO.

[RyPow]

Even I won't pull an engine at a junkyard. It's $50 here for them to pull it, and that's $50 well spent IMO.

^^^ this! I did it in a shop on concrete and it was still inconvenient, I can't imagine attempting such a feat in a wrecking yard. The main thing if you have the yard pull it, is to confirm what on the engine you do and don't care about damaging. Depending on the yard, those guys can be real butchers.

Nothing too crazy about the pull. We didn't remove the front wheels, so the cherry picker had to go pretty high for the oil pan to clear the rad saddle, but if you pull the wheels and drop the nose of the truck - or cut out the rad support - it's not bad. If I did it again with the engine/trans still together, I'd chop the rad support and pull everything straight out the front. You pretty much need to pull the rad since yes, the 5.0 is a tight fit in those trucks. Plus, removing any of the accessories prior to pulling the engine is tough with the rad in there. The ECU is mounted in/below the cowl, so the wiring harness is relatively easy to disconnect. It's best to just cut the exhaust below the manifolds with a recip saw. Be prepared for a good laugh when you see how ridiculous the factory manifolds look!

[ootdega]

I didn't ask about them doing it. They gave the impression that they didn't. I don't think the cylinder heads, pistons, and intakes are in any danger of being damaged though.

But I was thinking the same thing RyPow was saying. It'd make a lot of it much easier if I could just cut things out instead of unbolting them. It's a wreck, who cares?

But when I asked them about it, they asked me if I would need any of the other components, like the power steering pump and such. So I think they expect me to remove everything else. I dunno.

I'm just trying to gather information at this point.

[gadget73]

If they will pull it for a fee, get them to do it. Yanking one yourself without a hoist and such is bullshit. The 50 bucks or whatever is definitely money well spent IMO.

[DerekTheGreat]

Of all the HO motors I've come across I never thought to ask if the yard would pull it for me and what they'd charge for the whole deal. I feel like such an idiot, looks like I could've had an HO already for ~300 bucks.

[ootdega]

If they will pull it for a fee, get them to do it. Yanking one yourself without a hoist and such is bullshit. The 50 bucks or whatever is definitely money well spent IMO.

I can borrow an engine hoist and cradle from my mom, no problem there. I can remove the radiator and just cut a hole in the front of it with a Sawzall. Cut the wires and hoses, tear out the wheel wells if I have to. If any of the bolts become a pain I can just cut those too.

I don't like the prospect of pushing a 450-pound engine up that hill, though. And I'm pretty sure they'll want me to remove all the auxiliary components like pumps and pulleys.

[GM_Guy]

But I was thinking the same thing RyPow was saying. It'd make a lot of it much easier if I could just cut things out instead of unbolting them. It's a wreck, who cares?

The yard does. It might be a wiring harness they can sell, or a part they can resell. Imagine if you will, you want a clear corner mercury box headlight assembly, but some joker taking the fender decided to just rip the header panel off and in the process cracked your precious clear corner headlight assembly in half...

The wanton destruction is usually what turns yards from serve-yourself to higher priced-you are not allowed back there yards.

Alex.

[slack]

The yard does. It might be a wiring harness they can sell, or a part they can resell. Imagine if you will, you want a clear corner mercury box headlight assembly, but some joker taking the fender decided to just rip the header panel off and in the process cracked your precious clear corner headlight assembly in half...

The wanton destruction is usually what turns yards from serve-yourself to higher priced-you are not allowed back there yards.

Alex.

I wish we had serve-yourself yards here on LI... only "you're not allowed back here" yards.

As for pulling the engine, I 2nd what everyone said. If they will pull it... let them. I've done engine swaps before in my driveway and took me a while. I wouldn't want to be dealing with that amount of work racing daylight at a junkyard.

[miamibob]

Unless you REALLY know what you are doing, have the tools and a strong back I'd let the yard do the work. Also less chance of an issue if there is any guarantee on the motor. You pull it, you own it! Just NOT worth the grief!!!