Raise your hands, how many have removed the drivetrain by raising the body off? That's what I thought - no one. I'm contemplating performing this amazing feat of home garage dexterity. Given an 8 ft ceiling, is it possible to get the body up high enough and the drivetrain low enough to clear each other? Anyone with experience, please respond. The rest of you bleacher mechanics can make bets and jokes at my expense, but feel free to chime in.

I've taken the engine out through the front once and replaced cylinder heads twice without removing the engine. A whole body lift is about the only mechanical task not undertaken with this van.

 

the math doesn't add up.

 

Maybe with 10 ft ceiling..

 

Currently, I have the front end 16 inches up on jackstands and rear wheels on the ground. If I attempt a body lift by leaving the rear wheels down, I will have approximately 34 inches of rise left before hitting the ceiling. The engine cradle measures roughly 32 inches if the extreme upper components (dipstick/vacuum tubes) are removed.

If I build the lowest dolly I can, theoretically there should be enough height to roll the entire engine and transmission out from under the van.

What I am pondering now is how to contruct a device to SAFELY lift and hold the body at the extreme angle that would entail. Thoughts?

 

why must you do it under a 8ft. ceiling? i.e., why not just move it outside to remove the engine and then just push the van inside the garage?

I would also remove the fiberglass hood, the grille, radiators, bumper cover, antenna and anything that could get damaged by unexpected accidents. Crap happens you know.

 

Because it snows here and I have a nice heated garage to work in. Maybe outdoors in summer but never in winter.

 

Maybe you want to remove the front springs to allow the suspension to collapse, so the front cross member can sit a little lower on your dolly before you start lifting. I'm also curious as to what you want to lift with.

Also, since you've already removed the engine through the front before, why do you need to do this now?

 

Yes, been there, done that in an 8-foot garage. Unfortunately that was long ago before I got camera savy.

Step one, unbolt the engine and lower it (and cradle?) onto a dolly.

On either side, a pair of 2x6's forms a column secured to the rafters at the top. Each pair sandwiches the ends of a 4x8 beam that runs under the van. The columns are drilled at intervals to accept bolts. The method is to raise 12" using a floor jack, reset the bolts, then repeat. Balance is maintained by rigging and/or jacks at the rear.

Very dangerous, not recommended, you could die or at least make a big noise.

 

Mine has been removed on a body lift.

It is much faster and easier than going through the front. But it requires that you have a body lift. Trying to use other methods to raise the vehicle are neither as safe as a proper lift, nor as effective.

If you are trying to do this yourself, in your own garage or driveway, it is better and safer to come out the front. There should be a nice write up on how to do that in the stickies.

 

As mentioned, I've done it through the front and it is a big PITA to dismantle nearly the entire engine to get to come out that way. It's been sitting at angle on front jack stands for 6 weeks now (rear wheels down, front end up) and that angle and how much room is gained, is what made me start to consider dropping the entire drivetrain from underneath. There are certainly far fewer items to disconnect than from the front, plus I can pull the transmission and transfer case at the same time - a big time and effort saver.

From the normal working position it is in now, I only have to get the front engine bay area up another 16 inches to clear everything. I had already decided to drop out the front springs as xlt4wdr has suggested. It appears I can even leave the exhaust pipes intact back to the flex connector as the pipes sit just slightly above the front and rear crossmembers which will be supported by the dolly.

I am hoping some basic fulcrum and lever physics principles will assist my dubious plan. As it currently sits, I will disconnect all required lines, hoses, wiring, etc, then jack up the rear to bring the van level and settle the drivetrain onto the dolly. Removing the front crossmember bolts and transmission crossmember bolts will take a huge amount of weight off the van.

I have the extended version, giving me 3 ft of distance behind the rear axle. Considering that 3 ft as a lever, if weight is loaded onto that lever, it will tend to offset the same amount of weight on the opposite side of the rear axle. I'm guessing the now 'empty' area in front of the rear axle to weight approx. 1200 lbs. If I offset 400 lbs by adding weight to rear compartment, I only need to lift 800 lbs, or your average size gorilla. A pair of floor jacks located midway along the van should provide sufficient lift. It will of necessity, have to be lifted in stages.

As the van sits right now, the frame members on the two front jack stands are holding all the empty forward weight plus the weight of the entire drivetrain. So, there should be no problem moving the jackstands progressively rearward increasing the lift angle until the required 32 inches of clearance at the front is achieved. The entire effect is similar to a teeter-totter. My one big concern is the increasingly severe angle of frame member to jackstand wanting to kick the jackstands outwards or simply topple the jackstands. I will need to devise some safety framing to support the body at all stages of the lift. My ceiling is finished drywall so I don't have the open floor joists to fasten column pairs as mentioned by another poster.

Quote: "Also, since you've already removed the engine through the front before, why do you need to do this now? " Answer: To go where no Aerostar owner has gone before. No real reason other than to try something different this time around. (Kinda reminds you of that internet picture of a car tipped way up on one side supported by a tree branch while a guy works underneath.)

 

This one?

 

That's the exact one! Thanks for posting. I shudder everytime I think of this looney tune.

 

Did your decision to try to attempt this have anything to do with recent legislation that was passed in Colorado? Decisions like these are best made whilst not under the influence.

After doing the fuel injectors and heads on my '95 on separate occasions, replacing the F22B1 in my '97 Accord with an F23A and now just getting done with the intake manifold and a myriad of other tasks on my '97 Aerostar, I'm about ready to find better ways to use my time. I say this now, but once the pain has faded, I might find myself doing similar foolish things again.

I have no real advice to offer other than you might be better off with some engine dis-assembly (such as removing the intake and maybe the heads) prior to dropping the engine to reduce the engine assembly height, but I wish you well in your endeavor.

Keep us posted on your progress.

 

errr, what legislation passed in Colorado? you can't do oil changes to your car in your house like they did in Ohio?

 

I was referring to the recent legislation that legalized the recreational use of marijuana. Unless I'm mistaken, I thought that it had been signed into law in Colorado like it had passed in Washington state. It's no longer the mile high state just because of the altitude there. Anyone attempting removal of an engine from an Aerostar must be under the influence. Or just plain crazy. Or a masochist.

Disclaimer: No political statements for or against intended.