steve93101 wrote:
Engine Removal Anyone !>
Hi,
I am trying to keep my class C 20' Dodge Sportsman "Travette" Rv away from the crusher. Engine main seal leak got worse; from an occasional drip to a small stream. Also uses quite a bit of oil ( even before the leak was going through a quart every 200 miles !) It has 135-140 compression all around and no excessive smoke. With that half decent compression I am guessing the valve guides are gone
So I am considering rebuilding the engine, maybe replacing with a "crate" engine. Q. How do you remove the darn thing ! I have spoken to two shops ... one says they will remove the heads, oil pan, etc. and finally walk the block out the passenger door ! Basically remove and reinstall it in pieces . Another shop says you can remove the grill and some front end cross members and take it out the front !?
I have yet to take a close look ... but I think the bottom of the front grill cross member is spot welded. Any one know what the standard, recommended way to do yank the old mill out is !?
Thanks in Advance
135-140 psi is good compression, especially if all cylinders are close to each other. (10% or less difference between highest and lowest reading.)
Not valve guides ... valve stem seals. The valve stem seals are notorious for wearing out on older Mopar engines. (They are usually the first things to cause oil consumption.) The good news is they can be replaced without removing a lot of stuff ... you can even do it without removing the heads.
It's also possible to replace the main seals without removing the engine, which is what I'd recommend in your case.
Both shops are right. The most common approach is to strip the engine down to the short block and hoist it out through the passenger door. This is the approach I've always used because you don't have to dismantle any of the body. On the downside, you run the risk of damaging the cab carpet or upholstery due to wayward fluids.
Taking it out through the front
may be possible but, at a minimum, you'll have to remove the hood, grill, and radiator. You may also have to remove the front bumper and crossmember.
A third option is to remove the front axle and drop the engine down through the frame and out the bottom.
You're lucky (??) because you have a Class C. On many Class A's, the coach is built such that dropping the engine out the bottom is the only option.
Like I said, you should consider just replacing the valve stem seals and main seals, without removing the engine. You probably should also replace the seal on the timing chain cover, in which case I'd replace the timing chain and gears while I was at it.
