Replacing Engine

I'll see if I can do the complete walkthru. Here's some overview: I didn't take notes! I was surprised how easy it was. I have a lot of tools, but the only special one needed is the engine hoist, which I hired.

There was a writeup in Practical Classics several years ago, and I have a reprint of it. I didn't need or refert to it though.

SAFETY: the engine is very heavy. If it moves uncontrollably, it will break whatever is in its path, including arms, legs and heads. So don't put them in the way, and DON'T try to stop it!

Take it all slowly and carefully, and think before you act.

1. Get the manual, and follow it. I won't reproduce the details here. Whatever you do, be well organised, and have lots of containers for all the bits you remove.
2. You need a hoist that can lift 322 Kg (about 6.5 cwt, or 750 lbs) (Jaguar's number). The engine is HEAVY. You also need a jack on rollers (to support the back of the gearbox when pulling it out) and a way to remove the rear engine/gearbox mount without dropping the engine on the ground. The Jaguar way is using the Engine Support Bracket to hold the back of the engine/gearbox up while you remove the mounting.
3. You can strip off lots of parts (manifolds, water pump etc.) to reduce the weight before removing the engine. It also makes the remaining parts smaller and less likely to break or be broken if the engine sways. However, having done it once, I wouldn't bother again. You can control the engine's movement when it's hanging from the hoist. See next item. If you take the engine out complete, you have the advantage that you can follow one set of instructions in the manual, so you can work back when you replace it; if you strip it down, you've followed several sets at once, and it's harder to follow them all backwards without missing something. Remove the water and engine and gearbox oils, of course.
4. The Jaguar manual for my '81 XJ6-III says to remove the front lifting bracket (on RHS front two cylinder head studs), and put a different bracket ACROSS the engine on the second row of studs. This new bracket turns out to be the same part number as the old, so I bought a spare one (about o1) and bent it to the required width with hammer and vice. Lifting by this ensures the engine hangs vertically, so it's more easily manouvred. Also, on the hoist I hired (o30 for a week) as I lifted the engine, the front of the cylinder head rose under the lifting arm until it actually stopped the engine swaying. Not sure it's what Jaguar intended, but the resulting lift was much more controllable as a result.
5. You have to raise and lower the jack to ensure the deep bit of the sump clears the steering rack as you hoist it all out. This is fairly clear as it comes out. You ALSO have to RAISE the jack as you lower the engine back in. This is NOT obvious, and I spent an hour trying to see how to get the engine over the rack!
6. Once all the bits are out, you split the gearbox off. You should have a trolley to roll it back; don't just lift it off, you may damage the seals between the gearbox and the torque-converter drive shaft. Ditto when replacing it.
7. When it's out, get the gearbox overhauled; you had to take it out, so unless you are confident of its state, it's a false economy to ignore it.
8. New engines come VERY bare: no breather cover, no water pump, no oil filter housing, no flywheel/drive plate, no crankshaft damper, etc. So strip all these bits off, and keep very careful track of where they came from (in particular the pipe and cable clips).
9. Expect a new engine to be very shiny, and show up all the bits which aren't new. I've used a couple of cans of spray black paint and several evenings cleaning! It's a very good opportunity to clean the engine bay.
10. Removing the engine took perhaps 1 day, with just 1 hour for the actual lift. Putting it back took 2 hours for the lift, and more like 2 weeks for cleaning everything up (such as distributor, fuel injectors (take them to a Lucas or Bosch agent for ultrasonic cleaning and checking)).

Check the Jaguar prices for an exchange engine; you may be pleasantly surprised! There are several other sources, of course.

PS About the bellhousing to engine bolts ...

• The bolts with nuts on are about 1/4" longer on a 3" bolt, so it's easy to try to put a long bolt into the short blind holes on the engine; they're about 1/8" too long!

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