190E Engine Direct Swap
 

Hey all,

I am going to be swapping a good used engine (under warrenty) for a lady into her tired 5-speed 190E. Do I need to know anything special about this job? Labor cost?

I'll be doing it over this weekend so any advice would be great. If anyone has a link to another thread (I did some searching but direct swap across threads are few) that would be excellent.

Thanks!

just be careful
 

unhooking all the hoses and wires. they are old and brittle, ..and when you start pulling keep looking areound for that hose or wire that you forgot to unhook! otherwise, it sholdnt be a problem.

tom w

I assume you have a good "balance beam" for your hoist so you can tilt the engine/trans severely as it comes out/goes in.

I love the Peter Egan tip: Put a big post-it note over the ignition switch that says "Hey Stupid, Did You Remember To Put the Oil Back In?" :D

Since you'll have the engine out, I would replace the motor mounts and consider re-doing the firewall insulation. Change the shifter bearings in the shifter assembly as well.

once i had
 

a brand new rebuilt caddy motor for my 52. we eased it down into the car, and after several beers and lots of swearing started it up. i kept saying "hey! the oil light is on! " finally i shut it off, thankfully, and after milling around a bit i checked the oil. ooops! no oil. my buddy then started pouring oil into the water hose fitting that sticks out the top of the old caddy motors (course, couldn't wait til i had water in it to fire it up). i said "hey numb nuts, (or words to that effect) that is the water thingie!". i then realized that he had been drinking rum and coke while i was drinking the beer. and he was worse off than i was.

luckily when my buddy rebuilt the motor he used really good white lithium grease and we did no damage.

after that i refrained from mixing alcohol and mechanics work. this was back in about 1989. or so.

'course, now i rarely mix alcohol and anything.

tom w

Yeah, it's a typical situation, you spend hours getting the thing in and buttoned up and that's when the "testosterone poisoning" kicks in and all you want to do is hear the thing crank . . . :D

A good pre-start checklist is a lifesaver. I'm sure many of us have fallen victim to the unbolted ground strap . . .

BTW its an auto not a stick.

Can the engine/tranny be seperated in the car? I just wondered how particular this body style is to having both pulled together (space limitations).

Thanks!

usually it can be done either way.
 

do you have a tranny with the new motor?

if so put them in as a unit.

tom w

If you're pulling out a 5-speed, then don't forget it's a fairly rare pile of parts.

No new tranny...just engine.

Doing it for a friend of mine...not me :)

When you install, I think you would have an awful time lining up the mainshaft and clutch/pilot bushing if you left the transmission in the car.

personally i
 

dont think it would be any easier laying on the ground. in general if the trans is ok i would leave it in. if it needs to be sealed then take it out.

tom w

But it's easy if you take the engine and trans out as a unit.

Its an AUTOMATIC guys... :)

So all I have to line up is the flex plate and bolt her up.

I have it in the driveway...boy that old engine is tired...

Sorry, but I think the misunderstanding comes from your original post which did say tired 5-speed, which is the manual trans, the automatic is a 4-speed.