Crossover engine removal

[The Monkey Bus]

Hi Guys,

On our way to the North Devon final fling the flywheel oil seal finally rolled over and died after a few months of leaking (one of many oil leaks we've been chasing around). Thankfully we still made it to Woolacombe and slowly made it home again yesterday by putting in the oil faster than it came out.

So now it's in the drive waiting for us to drop the engine. Do any of you fellow crossover guys know how high I need to jack up the van to get the engine under the non-removable :evil: valance? I suppose this also depends on what you are dropping the engine onto. I was thinking of using the trolley jack, what do you guys usually use?

I've got standard axle stands but I'm worried they won't go high enough. The trolley jack is ok I think. Any other tips appreciated.

Thanks
Sprouty

 

[Clem]

Get the bus as high as you are able to, but dont balance axle stands on stuff and take risks!
If you cant get it high enough you can always lean it back to drag it out (on some cardboard etc)
Worst case scenario remove the fan housing whilst under the bus?

 

[Tofufi]

As above, don't take risks balancing the bus on jacks supported by bricks etc.

The van will have to go fairly high - which is a right pain.
It is easiest if you can get the engine onto a bit of cardboard/wood/carpet etc and slide it out from under the van at ground level. You won't get it out when it is on a jack.

Good luck

 

[Loxy]

Something I can answer :shock: (took the engine out of my crossover this weekend).
I am using halfords 3ton axle stands (£15??)

My method:
1. Jack up the van a little and place on axle stands, just enough to allow access for undoing bolts, cables, hoses etc etc.., chock front wheels with bricks/wood.
2. Remove/undo everything so that engine is ready to be removed.
3. place trolley jack under engine with 1ft square piece of wood to protect underside (slightly nearer to gearbox than crankshaft pulley end so that weight is evenly distributed front to back).
4. Place 2 planks of wood that are higher than your min jack height running front to back just wider than trolley jack wheel width on floor under engine (it may be easier if you have the brace bar still fitted).
5. Pull engine back off studs using jack handle & hand on top of fan shroud (engine should now be balanced on trolley jack). You may want help here if unsure, but I managed it myself.
6. Lower engine until it sits on wood, and roll trolley jack out.
7. Use jack to raise van (you may need a scaffold plank under jack to get high enough) and use axle stands to hold it up (Halfords 3 ton stands on top hole work without extra wood/bricks etc).
8. I also then placed large planks under rear wheels just in case.
9. Engine can then be slid backwards on wood.

Job done. If you actually want to know the height required then I will measure tonight.

 

[Justin & Muttley]

Something I can answer :shock: (took the engine out of my crossover this weekend).
I am using halfords 3ton axle stands (£15??)

My method:
1. Jack up the van a little and place on axle stands, just enough to allow access for undoing bolts, cables, hoses etc etc.., chock front wheels with bricks/wood.
2. Remove/undo everything so that engine is ready to be removed.
3. place trolley jack under engine with 1ft square piece of wood to protect underside (slightly nearer to gearbox than crankshaft pulley end so that weight is evenly distributed front to back).
4. Place 2 planks of wood that are higher than your min jack height running front to back just wider than trolley jack wheel width on floor under engine (it may be easier if you have the brace bar still fitted).
5. Pull engine back off studs using jack handle & hand on top of fan shroud (engine should now be balanced on trolley jack). You may want help here if unsure, but I managed it myself.
6. Lower engine until it sits on wood, and roll trolley jack out.
7. Use jack to raise van (you may need a scaffold plank under jack to get high enough) and use axle stands to hold it up (Halfords 3 ton stands on top hole work without extra wood/bricks etc).
8. I also then placed large planks under rear wheels just in case.
9. Engine can then be slid backwards on wood.

Job done. If you actually want to know the height required then I will measure tonight.

A contender for most useful tech post of the year? (If you're a Crossover owner!)

 

[james_stan]

PLUS !

Don't forget to support the gearbox or it will vbe a PITA to align things on the re-fit (I did this once) or worse summat might break.

Cheers

James

 

[pete nice]

Its piss easy with 2 jacks.

Jack the engine up enough to get the second jack & a big lump of wood under the gearbox. Jack the van up as high as you want to get everything undone, then lower it back down so the wheels are just off the ground. This is the perfect height to pull the engine. Place the jack under the sump plate & pull it out & lower it down.
Use the second jack which is still under the gearbox with added wood to jack the van clear of the engine. You can then just pull the motor right out.

I think the gearbox is bolted in a later bay so won't have to support it. This also makes it a whole lot easier to get back in.

It is quicker to change & engine on a later bay than early!

 

[Clem]

I think the gearbox is bolted in a later bay so won't have to support it. This also makes it a whole lot easier to get back in.

It is quicker to change & engine on a later bay than early!

Yes its bolted solid, and makes it much more stable.

I also agree on the second point. Id actually rather jack a van up than remove rear bumper, splash guards and rear valence.

 

[pete nice]

It's quicker, trust me! I have done 2 early bays this week & they are a pain in the arse! They designed the later setup for good reason. Once that big bit of tinware is out of the way, it's game on!

 

[The Monkey Bus]

Thanks for all your replies guys and thanks for the tips.

Loxy I agree with J&M about the most useful tech post of the year, thanks for the great step-by-step instructions. I had been a bit concerned that my axle stands would be too short and I didn't really want to discover this with the bus in the air and the engine on the trolley jack.

I'm going to our local wood suppliers this week to see what bits I can get for the job. Hopefully we'll be dropping the engine this weekend, once I've cleared some space in the garage to work on it. I'm going to prep the engine this week so that it's ready for me and Mike to drop it on Saturday.

pete nice - So can I check, are you saying that you lift the van by jacking under the gearbox? We've been toying with the idea of buying a second trolley jack anyway and from what you've said it will make the engine drop easier, hmmm, another nice shiny trolley jack.
I read somewhere that they also changed to a non-removable valance because of structural weaknesses caused by having a removable one. It's good to hear that engine removal is easier on a late bay. I love my crossover!

Cheers dudes
Sprouty

 

[pete nice]

Yes, use the jack under the gearbox with a big lump of wood. You may need to jack the van up a bit under the engine to get it in.

You will then have total control over the height for dropping it out & height for total removal.

Check your clutch isn't contaminated with oil from the engine, as it may slip when driving. You will need a good quality German black oil seal & an inner flywheel O ring. I grease the O ring just to be safe. There are a few methods of fitting the seal itself. I have the proper tool which normally gets it in square. You can tap them in carefully with a piece of wood. Just don't push it in too far.

You might want to check your endfloat too as this might be an ongoing problem.

Hopefully you will be back on the road soon. It can be done in a morning when you are on a roll...

 

[The Monkey Bus]

The clutch was slipping on the way home so I think we'll have to replace it. While the engine is out we are going to check and maybe replace whatever we can. We may as well use this as an opportunity to do some preventative maintenance.

VW Heritage and Cool Air both do the seal tool so I'll be getting one of them, I'll probably never use it again (hopefully!) but I can always maybe flog it on.

Cheers for all the advice. No doubt I'll be back with more questions once it's out.

H :wink:

 

[Araon]

if you do consider flogging it on :wink:

 

[The Monkey Bus]

if you do consider flogging it on :wink:

If I do I'll give you a shout :wink: