Hey guys, I've got an 00' Expo and I've just found out that my timing chain guides shredded themselves and my timing chain has been eating at my timing chain cover sending a whole bunch of schrapnel through my engine. My question is, how many of you have actually changed the engine out? I've got an engine hoist and all the necessary tools, and have done plenty of swaps on cars many of which have been small imports with very little working room, but as far as the expo, is there anything I should be worried about? Any special circumstances I should be aware of?
Thanks in advance guys

 

You got to take out the radiator and everything else up there that prevents the engine from coming forward. another helpful tip is to R&R the motor with the intake off for extra clearance from the firewall.

 

Okay, cool, thanks for that tip. Do you guys pull the engine and tranny? I'm thinking of pulling just the engine. And it's a 4X4, will that throw any curveballs my way?
Thanks guys.

 

No, don't pull out the tranny with the engine. There are clearance issues, plus the issue of dealing with the transfer case.

 

Awesome, thanks for the heads up. Anybody else have any little tidbits of knowledge?
Thanks again guys.
Oh, and is the torque converter a pain to line up again? or do you disconnect it and leave it on the input shaft as you pull the engine?

 

Leave the TC with the tranny. During reinstallation, if you have the TC bolted to the engine you will with almost 100% certainty damage the internals of the TC or damage the tranny input shaft. Plus you need about 6" more clearance when pulling the engine if the TC is attached to it.

 

As far any additional tips go.

1. Get some of that spray-on engine degreaser and clean up the engine and engine compartment real well. This helps keep your tools, clothes, and hands a lot cleaner, making the whole experience less unpleasant.

2. Stop at a sporting goods store and grab a dozen or two golf tees. Due to their tapered design, they're awesome for plugging vacuum lines, fuel lines, tranny cooling lines, etc which helps keep the dirt out.

3. Then go to a place like Home Depot, Lowes, etc. and go into the electrical section. Buy one of those pads that have the strips of sticky numbers like 1-35. These are great for tagging each side of wire harness plugs and vacuum lines so that when it's time to put it all back together, no mistakes are made.

4. Completely remove the battery from the vehicle and get it way out of the way, don't just disconnect it. I've seen more than one get cracked during and engine R&R, spilling acid all over the place.

5. If you have a digital camera take lots of pictures of the engine compartment before you start from all angles. Then take more as you progress. These pictures are sometimes invaluable reference material if you forget how something was before you started. Examples are wire harness, heater and vacuum hose routing.

6. Take a marker and draw a circle around the washers for the bolts holding the hood on. When it's time to reinstall the hood, simply center the bolt washers in these circles and your hood will be lined up just the way it was before you started, without having to play around with it.

7. While everything is apart, take a garden hose and power back flush your heater core (or cores) as well as all the water jackets in the engine you're dropping in (if it's used.)

8. (optional) Change the tranny input shaft seal. If you don't and it starts leaking in 6 months you'll never forgive yourself.

 

Thanks for the tips guys, they'll make all of this much easier and faster on me

 

O don't forget chilton book and patients a must my friend lol