Can any of you 4.9L experts help me out here? I have a 95 F150 with a 5 speed manual, and the 4.9L. Due to a cracked water jacket, I am pulling the engine to replace it. I have unhooked all the efi stuff, the serp pulley brackets, removed the radiator, fan & water pump, the a/c condensor, the starter, engine mount bolts, and the bell housing bolts. I went to pull the engine this past weekend, and the thing will not separate from the bellhousing. Is there a step I am missing here? Any help is greatly appreciated!

 

The tranny input shaft could be bound up on the clutch, have a helper push the clutch in while your pulling and give it a good shake

 

Yea, I'd try rocking it around while tugging on it slightly forward with the hoist. But, once you can get it unstuck and it starts to move forward, try to keep it straight going out, to avoid binding on the tranny shaft, etc. Should go...Mine slid right out when I did mine. BTW, when you replace, take your time, and eyeball the engine and bellhousing real close. Get everything lined up as close as you can, and try to keep it straight going in. Go real slow, and slowly push it towards the bellhousing. When you get up next to it, eyeball all the sides again to make sure all are even, and the same distance on both sides. Have a socket on the balancer so you can turn the engine slighty. When you think all is perfectly straight, slowly nudge it together. If the tranny shaft doesn't fit into the pilot bearing, and you hit a stop, slightly turn the engine, while nudging it together. It may take a few times, but it will eventually drop together. Don't try to manhandle it into place, or you will be there all day. You have to use finesse... The reason I know this is because I had two other friends try to help me put it together the first day with no luck. Too many chefs in the kitchen, and one kept trying to manhandle it into place. We finally gave up that night. The next day I went out by myself, and dropped it into place in 10 min, just using the slow precise finesse method. You can't force them together. If the shaft ain't going into the pilot hole, it's because you are going in crooked, or need to turn the engine a tad. MK

 

Dumb question: Obviously you got all six bellhousing bolts!?

 

5

 

did you support the tranny with a jack or a stand

 

I did slightly support the tranny in my case. "floor jack" I also tied a rope around it, and tied to a short 2x4 going across the tranny access hole on the floor. That helped keep it from tipping side to side. But not all trucks have that hole in the floor. BTW, if you remove the tranny only , you should support the engine. MK

 

Hey BroncoBilly, what are you doing for a new engine????
Junkyard, re-man, or different type engine. I would like to hear the story because my 4.9L is about to die and I'm in the market for a replacement. I will be pulling/installing it myself and am wondering what it will cost me. Are you getting a new water pump, oil pump, oil pan ,etc. etc. or will you salvage all the old bolt-on stuff.,

 

Hey
I actually just pulled my six this weekend and had the same problem. After messing w/ it for about twenty munites i just got a crobar and gave it a rip, luckily i didnt hurt anything. But if it makes you feel any better the engine went in like a charm. It was almast scary how easy it slid into the splines. But if you odnt need the other block, give her a rip.

 

>>>Junkyard, re-man, or different type engine.

I went for a re-man myself. Mine spun a bearing on the freeway, and it wasn't exactly at the time I was planning to get a new engine. I didn't really want a junk yard engine, as you don't really know what you are getting, and I plan to keep this truck for a while. I didn't want an engine half wore out. But, I was on a pretty tight budget for a rebuilt engine. The low end I found here in town was 770.00 for a long block. You get the oil pump, but I had to buy a new water pump. They required a new water pump to satisfy the warranty, and my old one was encrusted on the inside anway, even though it was only a year old. I used all the same pans, etc. Repainted them with "old ford" blue. That particular paint is pretty good. It has ceramic particles in it. Pretty tuff, and covers well. You'll need an engine stand, and it helps to have the hoist around the whole time you are doing the job. You have to strip the old engine, take it off the stand, and then lift the new one on the stand. I got a new clutch also. It was a good bit over 1k$ by the time I was done. Took me 8-9 days to do it. I was taking my time. Started right up. I broke it in at about 2000 rpm for the first 20 min to break in the camshaft.
Then fairly normal breakin after that. I've still only got about 3800 miles on it, so it's still in the break-in period. After about 5k, I'll consider it fairly broke in. So far. so good. No drips, runs, or errors. Doesn't burn oil at all that I can see so far. Checked the plugs just the other day, and all looked normal, and even burning. No signs of oil at all. Just hope it holds up over the long haul. It's a lot of work, and sometimes it will seem like it will never be over, cuz there are many details you have to pay attention to. You can't just slap one in and out without being careful about details. And expect to end each day filthy as a pig in grease... But you'll save a lot of $$$$ on labor, and you'll know how it all goes together. Best thing to do is take your time, and if you have ANY question about what you are doing, ask around. You don't want to find out you goofed up after it's already in. Keep track, and label all parts. Keep all nuts/bolts etc, with the parts they go with. You will forget how some go back if you don't. A week will do that to you... P.S. Don't be a dim bulb and forget the back engine flywheel cover plate when you install the engine. You'll have to pull it right back out. Ask me how I know this... You'll need a manual. You'll need torque specs, etc...general info. Course, if you got a junkyard engine, the pans, etc would probably be on it. Pretty much just a swap in that case. MK

 

Hey,
The most important thing to label has to be the vaccume hoses, those things are a pain. We got our engine in there in a weekend starting on Friday afternoon, but the only thing that has completely run us around is the vaccume hoses on the vaccume stem. What a pain. If anybody you know has the same year truck it would help you out a lot. Also abou the engine, I found a salvage yard tyhat had an engine out of a wrecked truck. It was compression checked and the oil pressure was checked. It made me feel a lot better about buying a used engine.Try-www.usedengines.com they come with a warranty, and shipping is included. The six I saw had 56k on it and was only $650. Good luck