Engine removal advice

[sammyhale30]

First time doing an engine swap on the Octavia.

Removing an ARX engine from a four wheel drive model and replacing with my tuned AUQ engine from my VRS.

Could do with some advice from someone who has done this before because there must be something I have missed somewhere.  I have removed pretty much every bolt I could locate apart from the 4 down pipe nuts, they are rusted on solid so I decided to unbolt the entire turbo from the engine and turbo manifold.  Removed all bolts from transmission and unbolted upper engine mount and dog bone mount.  I`m lifting the engine and using a crowbar to help pry it away from the transmission.  I can see a gap growing between the transmission and engine.  But when I get it pryed so far the other side the lower section of the upper engine mount is pushed up tight against the chassis... so the engine cannot move any further, its like jammed between the chassis and gearbox...  I really am confused as to how I am going to get this engine out?  I lift with my engine crane and it gets to a point where it starts to lift the entire front of the car.  :(

I have attached some pics.

top of gearbox  - 1st pic

bottom of gearbox - 2nd pic

upper engine mount side where the bracket is coming into contact with the chassis. - 3rd pic 

 

Edited 13 May, 2018 by sammyhale30

[niceyellow vrs]

The input shaft will still be engaged with the transmission, you need to pull the gearbox quite a long way off to give the shaft enough clearance to get around the clutch.

 

You'd be better off leaving either removing the gearbox on it's own first or just leave the engine and box bolted together and removing as one complete unit.

[sammyhale30]

ARGH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I HATE GERMAN ENGINES... ARGH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[sammyhale30]

So the driveshafts and hubs have got to come off before I can remove the engine.. great.  What a stupid design.

[niceyellow vrs]

Shafts out yes. Hubs can stay on but It's worth undoing the track rod and the lower ball joint so that you can swing the suspension leg across to pull the inner end of the shaft far enough away from the box to give you room to work the engine and box out. 

[Mankee]

I have this task to carry out, although I'm planning on taking the engine and box out as one. I've got a PDF guide of a clutch change and it only mentions the need to unbolt the driver's side ball joint and both shafts can remain in the hubs. However, this is a gearbox-only removal job and removing the engine/box as a complete unit might mean that both ball joints can stay as they are and all you'd need to do is unbolt the inners from the drive flanges. The guide also mentions removing the flanges to help with chassis clearance.

[sammyhale30]

I don`t really want to remove the transmission though.  I am only swapping the engine.  I want to keep and use the transmission.  I wish I knew how darkside developments did my clutch change a while back.  They told me they didn`t have to even remove driveshafts to do that.  So the engine must be able to come out of the bay without removing all the driveshafts and gearbox.

[Mankee]

A clutch change only needs box removal and the engine stays in place.

[niceyellow vrs]

10 hours ago, sammyhale30 said:

I don`t really want to remove the transmission though.  I am only swapping the engine.  I want to keep and use the transmission.  I wish I knew how darkside developments did my clutch change a while back.  They told me they didn`t have to even remove driveshafts to do that.  So the engine must be able to come out of the bay without removing all the driveshafts and gearbox.

 

Once the engine and box are out, just remove the gearbox and bolt it onto the new engine and drop that in as a complete unit. I've always found that a lot easier as the space to split the engine from the box in the engine bay is too tight, but if you are totally intent on leaving the box in situ and making it really difficult then I wish you the best of luck.

[sammyhale30]

It's not a straight forward as just removing the gearbox unfortunately, this car I`m pulling the engine from is a 4x4 so has haldex, so I have got to remove all the angle/transfer box too.. and that is not an easy job in itself I`m sure.

[sammyhale30]

Ok update, I got the engine out without removing drive shafts or gearbox.  It is possible... but my god it was a pain in the ass!

When the bracket below the upper engine mount is completely removed and the gearbox mount is removed there is enough room to wiggle the engine off the gearbox.  But in future I will definitely remove the two drive shafts and remove engine + gearbox together!  

 

Samuel

[Mankee]

Great effort! What's it going to be like putting the engine back in?