It's definitely easier to disconnect the transmission first; less stuff to deal with. Ford installed the engine and transmission into the van as a unit, but they did it from underneath.

Not having done this before, I'm sure about the steering rack. I would say that anything that looks like it will be in the way should be removed.

My Chilton's manual talks about removing the engine through the front. I don't think my Haynes manual said anything about it. I see there is about 8" of grill height that adds to the available openning. Does the engine have to be tilted backward to be pulled up and out? If that's case, maybe the steering rack should be removed first. On the other hand, my 4wd model has the rack enclosed in the front cross member, so removing it won't really help.

 

The steering rack stays in both cases, AWD or 2WD, 3.0L or 4.0L.

 

Gentlemen,

If you remove the heads, the block comes out easily from the front. However, consider that you can replace all bearings and remove pistons while the block is still in the frame. This is what I did and had good results a year ago. The concept of an in-frame rebuild is completely valid. Consider this. Virtually all wearing parts can be replaced with the engine block in the frame. Once the front components, accessories, are removed, there is very good access to the engine. We did this many times in chevys with great success and economy. I am not sure I would spend 3,000.00 on a new engine but replacing bearings, rings and having the heads rebuilt can be done for less than a grand.

Ken

Ken

 

Sicdefused:

Yes and No...........

Yes it is easier to pull the engine with the Transmossion loose.

No you don't take loose any steering, rack n Pinion, or brake lines.
You also can leave the A/C lines hooked up too.

Here is how I did it.
http://jthill.herringtontech.net/aerostar/index.html

Before I did my two engines I spent a few days at the wrecking yard taking apart the front of the Aeros there finding out how to do it from the front.

Good Luck,
JaY

 

Since the subject is engine removal. I replaced a 1.8 mazda engine in a 97 KIA last year and it really wasnt that hard, I left the auto tranny in the car. Many people think ricers are hard to work on,they really arent

 

When I did mine I left the tranny in the van, but dont forget to support it under the bell housing. As for the steering rack, leave it in, just unbolt the pump and tie it off to the side somehow. Another tip I could offer is to lay a rubber mat or an old piece of carpet over top of the bumper after you have the rad support / grill etc removed. I found the clearance to be fairly tight and the harmonic balancer put a little scratch in mine. Also, as Im sure you read in the links from the other replies, there is no need to remove the AC condenser, just remove the mounting bolts and gently swing it counter clockwise until it rests on the right hand fender this way you wont need a recharge.

 

Aerocook:

Did you take off the Intake Manifold before you pulled the engine?
If not it is tight taking out but if you remove the IM it slides out with plunty of room to spare.

JaY

 

just thinking out loud.... somone mentioned placing a rubber mat to protect the bumper... well that got me thinking.. why not place a board from the crossmember to the bumper to bridge the gap... now placing the puller in frount of the van atach the puller leaving some slack in the chain..... now go under the van with a good floorjack and place it under the oil pan and slowly lift and slide the motor over the crossmember wile taking up the slack with the puller sliding the motor on to the board and now fully suported by the engine puller you can finish the pull ......i feel this will alow enough room to pull the motor with the manafold and heads all intact........ just a tought

 

Or if a board is too thick to allow clearance, how about a piece of sheet metal?
Ray Mac

 

Yes. I took the plenum off. My issue with clearance had more to do with the angle of the engine on the hoist when I was putting it back in.

 

Anything is possible, but its really not difficult using an engine lift. The plenum can be removed in about 5 minutes. I question the head removal technique, as I think it would take a lot longer to do, theres plenty of room to get the engine in and out without removing the heads. BTW I used a hoist with wheels, not the stationary overhead type.

 

Hey thanks everyone im definately going out the front of the van to pull the motor, thanks for the sheet metal tip i think i will tack weld it to the crossmember so it wont slide around. But i still have one more question my van is a 1986 aerostar 3.0 litre and the motor I just pulled from my 1991 ford tarus 3.0 with coil packs to go into the aerostar and the aerostar has a old school distributor will the aerostar wiring harness hook up to the coil packs? Will the computer on the aerostar plug in and run the coil packs without any problems? Or am i going to run into some computer errors and wiring plugin problems on the coil pack.

 

Hey, MPV, I suggested the sheet metal but don't know if it will work. Maybe better to try it out using clamps or other temporary method first!
I've counted 5 Aeros in my town, just in the course of normal driving around, that are non-op for one reason or another, without making any effort to look for more. Easier ways to do swaps would sure be good to know. Some of these might have potential.
Ray Mac

 

mpg,
new coil pack engine and old ECU computer will not work together...old ECU is designed for TFI dist. ignition....

may work by installing old dist. in new engine and using old ECU and all sensors off old engine on new

mate Aero tranny to new 3L before install to make sure they fit...check TC shaft fit to crank bushing

old ECU is needed for proper 3>OD and TC lockup shifts

 

The weather has been very cold lately so ive had limited time to pull the motor but ive made much progress with the aerostar motor and taurus motor. Thanks for the tip with the air conditioning unit ive put it off to the left side and as of now im working around it. I tried to get the exhaust donuts loose without much success, can i just drop it from the cat convertor? I think i may havto drop the steering rack the front tires are up on blocks if i dropped it would there be a safety problem with my wheels folding in?