Mk2 2500 engine removal

[Shanemill]

Hello, so unfortunately I blew my motor in my 74 mk2 and now finally after 2 years I’ve found my replacement motor.

I’ve never removed an engine out of a triumph but I’ve heard a lot of different Ideas on how to go about it. Everyone seems to like removing them out the bottom but sadly I don’t have a way to get the car high enough for this so it’ll be coming out the top.

 

so my big question is, is there any tips or tricks I should know before starting this? Are the bellhousing bolts easy to get to or do you need to undo some from inside the car, jack the gearbox up etc.

 

cheers

shane 

Edited April 25, 2022 by Shanemill

[RobPearce]

I took mine out the bottom with no way to lift the car high. Put the front of the car on ramps. Get some lengths of studding - about three feet or so - and replace one front cross-member bolt at each end with them. Then remove the remaining bolts, and gradually undo the nuts on the studding to lower the engine onto (preferably) and flat trolley. I think I may then have unbolted the engine mounts to remove the cross-member, and rolled the engine onto its side to give the clearance I needed.

If you have a high lift engine crane, you can use that to lift the front of the body to get clearance. And if you don't, you have no way to lift the engine out the top either.

[Gt6s]

To lift the engine from the top YOU MUST remove the gearbox first.

[Shanemill]

22 minutes ago, Gt6s said:

To lift the engine from the top YOU MUST remove the gearbox first.

So gearbox cannot stay in car and has to been dropped out first? Any tips for getting the top bell housing bolts?

cheers

[Shanemill]

1 hour ago, RobPearce said:

I took mine out the bottom with no way to lift the car high. Put the front of the car on ramps. Get some lengths of studding - about three feet or so - and replace one front cross-member bolt at each end with them. Then remove the remaining bolts, and gradually undo the nuts on the studding to lower the engine onto (preferably) and flat trolley. I think I may then have unbolted the engine mounts to remove the cross-member, and rolled the engine onto its side to give the clearance I needed.

If you have a high lift engine crane, you can use that to lift the front of the body to get clearance. And if you don't, you have no way to lift the engine out the top either.

Thanks for your reply Rob,

Would you happen to remember the thread pitch and size for the studding?

Triumph didn’t make it easy working on these it seems! I’m a Panelbeater but usually can replace gearboxes in an hour or motors in an afternoon but this seems like quite the mission! Maybe after doing it once it will all make a lot more sense 🙂

[Gt6s]

37 minutes ago, Shanemill said:

So gearbox cannot stay in car and has to been dropped out first? Any tips for getting the top bell housing bolts?

cheers

Nope not a Big T expert but from memory not that tricky getting top nuts off. I have only ever pulled them to put in Gt6's or Spits. But as for having to remove the box first it is rare having any bugger tell you that. It is for this reason manuals tell to drop whole front end out the bottom.

Edited April 25, 2022 by Gt6s

[RobPearce]

1 hour ago, Shanemill said:

Would you happen to remember the thread pitch and size for the studding?

Since the fixings in question are nut and bolt, and you're replacing that pair with studding, the exact thread doesn't matter. I think, top of head, the bolts are probably 5/16"UNF, for which M8 studding and nuts will work. If they're 3/8"UNF then you can use M10.

[Gt6s]

15 minutes ago, RobPearce said:

Since the fixings in question are nut and bolt, and you're replacing that pair with studding, the exact thread doesn't matter. I think, top of head, the bolts are probably 5/16"UNF, for which M8 studding and nuts will work. If they're 3/8"UNF then you can use M10.

Top three are studs and nuts 5/16 UNF.

[RobPearce]

I think we're at cross purposes. The clutch housing bolts are, as you say, 5/16" UNF (I've just changed the clutch on my GT6). The studding I referred to was for lowering the front cross-member from the body, and I don't remember what size those bolts are.

[Shanemill]

Awesome cheers guys for the advice, will see how I get on tomorrow 🙂

im from New Zealand and found it super hard to find advice, had people telling me you have to remove the dash, gearbox comes out through the interior etc. left me scratching my head 😅

 

Much appreciated 

[Phil Townsend]

The engine can be removed from the top and there is no necessity to remove the gearbox, but you must support the latter.

It was over 40 years ago when I did it so can't remember all the details, but the top gearbox to engine bolts I recall were tricky, and I think I removed manifolds etc. before pulling.

[RobPearce]

1 hour ago, Phil Townsend said:

The engine can be removed from the top and there is no necessity to remove the gearbox,

Don't you need an absurd amount of space under the car for that trick, on the big saloons? I know the official WSM for the Stag (where dropping the engine isn't an option) says to put the rear wheels on a lift and raise them by four feet so that the engine and gearbox can be tilted enough to come out through the bonnet aperture.

Or did you mean the opposite of what I read your comment as? No need to remove the gearbox from the engine? Or no need to remove it from the car?

[shenderson]

I had a similar problem getting the front of the car high enough to get the engine out from below, so I removed the head and studs first.  This also made engine a bit more manageable to handle.

You need to lower the back of the gearbox to get access to the upper bell housing bolts, and probably also need a socket with 2 or 3 extension bars to reach them..  From memory, I think the 3 top fixings are studs, and there are (or should be) 2 dowel bolts diametrically opposite each other.

Edited April 26, 2022 by shenderson

[Gt6s]

On 25/04/2022 at 13:29, Phil Townsend said:

The engine can be removed from the top and there is no necessity to remove the gearbox,

It was over 40 years ago

Motor MUST be lifted completly vertically first, to get the back plate over the crossmember THIS CANNOT BE DONE WITH BOX ATTATCHED.

[Davemate]

You can remove the engine on its own from the top 

you can remove the engine and the gearbox connected from the top 

you have to loosen the bolts on the crossmember then “bounce” the car which will drop the crossmember a little which will let the sump ride over the crossmember.

ive only ever removed engines from the top 

 

[Nick Jones]

What Dave (and others) said. I’ve done it both ways (quite close together in time) and taking it out of the top leaving the ‘box in place was easier and quicker. 
 

You do have to lower the cross-member and the top few bell housing bolts are a pest (very long extensions for your socket set required), but otherwise straightforward enough. Your crane/hoist does need a fair bit of lift though.

Nick

[Gt6s]

13 hours ago, Davemate said:

You can remove the engine on its own from the top 

you can remove the engine and the gearbox connected from the top 

you have to loosen the bolts on the crossmember then “bounce” the car which will drop the crossmember a little which will let the sump ride over the crossmember.

ive only ever removed engines from the top

AHH I see. You might just as well drop the whole lot out the arse then. Only thing you are gaining is not removing brake pipes. Not the sump that fouls but backplate.

Edited April 27, 2022 by Gt6s

[Davemate]

If your just taking out the engine from the top you can leave the following in place 

the brake lines 

the steering 

all the front suspension 

Most of the exhaust 

 

Not quite getting why you seem to think so much has to be disconnected/ removed to get the engine out from the top.

ive taken the engines out of two cars then swapped them over, put them both back in and got one running in a day and drove it home.

went back the second to finish off then drive that one home 

basically swapped a 2.5 and a 2ltr over.

 

[cheeseball]

When I did mine I just loosened the crossmember bolts just enough for the pan to clear and had no issues at all coming out the top with everything attached including the gearbox

Edited April 28, 2022 by cheeseball
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