The Triumph Dolomite Club - Discussion Forum

According the the repair manual for my sprint, it states to lower the rear subframe to give clearness when removing the engine & gearbox from the engine bay - my question is can the engine / gearbox be removed from the engine bay without dropping the subframe.

Paul

Not easily, but yes. Getting it back in again is the difficult bit!

I had no problems removing mine from the donor shell. The only issue I had was I knocked the sump on the front panel because I let the hoist down too much. You do need to pull it out at a silly angle. I used a tilter device but you do lose a lot of height this way. I had to really jack up the rear and then I took the wheels off the front and dropped it right down on the subframe. When I put the engine back into the new shell I might not use the tilter because of the loss of height. I'll also plan on using a different type of engine hoist. Most are hydraulic which is handy but you do lack control. My Dad has one which is a screw type and this will give me more control.

See my resto thread for the crazy angle pics.

It can help to raise the rear of the car on axle stands a few inches if you swing them both together...

Jonners

You need to get the engine at a crazy angle with a load leveller, and have the car level but it comes out with a bit of a shove just fine, make sure you protect the front valence with thick carpet or something similar.

Many thanks for the replies

Paul

Everything above describes how to remove it; this is easier than refitting because it literally drags the tail of the gearbox out. If refitting without dropping the rear of the subframe you need a willing assistant who has basic knowledge of what needs to go where to guide the tail of the gearbox back in, or else you'll find yourself doing it a half inch at a time flitting from the crane to the inside of the car and back!

Putting it back in, you just need a trolley jack, in line with the crane to support the back of the gearbox as it goes in. This will take some of the weight off the load leveller and automatically alter the angle for you.

Steve