I am going this summer to a you pull it junk yard to nab my self a 5.4l engine

now my questions are

aside from the standard sockets, wrenches, and engine hoists what other tools should I take?

What should I look for when looking for an engine?

Do I need to remove the intake manifold when pulling an engine out?

Here is the process I have figured so far,
1. disconnect transmission if not already removed
2. Remove intake manifold (if necessary)
3. Disconnect wiring from firewall/battery/hoses from radiator
4. Attach engine hoist somewhere
5. Disconnect engine mounts
6. Lift engine out of engine bay
7. Load engine on engine stand and load up on truck and go home

How does that sound

 

I just did mine about a month ago.

You will need to remove the intake manifold (I suggest covering the intake ports with tape or rags so no debris gets down into the cylinders) and throttle body, along with fuel rails in which youll need the disconnect tools for that (forget which size, theyre these type that work best and are cheap...

If it has AC, just disconnect the pump and lay it off to the side. Youll need to reach around back and disconnect the exhaust and 02 sensors on both sides. Remove the clutch fan and alternator. Attach the chain with a bolt at one of the alternator mounts then the other one to the back of the block with a short bolt that matches the bell housing bolts, it will thread in from the back like this..if you kitty corner them like the pick, its balanced out very nicely.


Hopefully you have an adjustment arm on the picker because the first pick you do needs to be almost straight up and down to get it out of the mounts, once it clears the mounts youll need to grab the picker and pull it backward away from the tranny. It helps to have a jack under the tanny and lift it as high as it will go. Keep it there or the tranny will fall and sag once it breaks away from the motor. Make sure the tranny is fully unbolted, including the starter and torque converter (access through the inspection plate, 4 bolts... remove, rotate remove etc) Once the motor has broke free from the mounts and tranny, the angle needs to change dramatically. Like this...

Unfortunately I didnt have the adjustments and had to lay the motor down and re pick it from a different angle to pull it out.

Other than that, more hoses (power steering, trans cooler, radiator etc... few basic sizes like 7, 8, 10, 12, 13, 14, 15 and a few other with lots of extensions (at least 2' worth) and wobblies and you got it. It helps to take the fender lining out of the front wheel wells. No need to remove any tires.
Hmm what else... Ohh, the dreaded top 2 tranny bolts.. once the intake mani is off, you can reach from right on top with a wrench

As far as what to look for... Low mileage would be the first thing. Make sure it turns over easily. Look for rust, pitting.. broken exhaust bolts, missing parts (that may have already been removed)
Check the coolant passages around the thermostat or once you get the intake mani off. Make sure theyre not full of rust. Also will have a chance to see the back sides of the valves when the intake mani is off, check for any large amount of build up or broken pieces. They should look fairly clean. Maybe pop the water pump off and look behind there for large amounts of rust. Check the oil, look for rusted fitting, connections or any breaks or cuts in the engine harness... I duno, check everything you possibly can. I would. Expect to be there with 2 guys and all the right tools for the whole day. I was in a nice shop with smooth floors and the pull took us around 4-6 hours if I remember.

If your truck is 97 (that would be non PI) I would look for a 99-03 motor (PI) woohoo. No extra work involved really, quite minimum to throw a PI 5.4 motor in there.

 

I got a tactic for the top two bolts, it involve a few extensions and an impact wrench
I will probably wind up keeping the AC since my current one does not work

and as for an adjustment arm, I am not to sure what that is

so as it stands I need to get one of those quick disconnect kits

 

I would not try and transport the engine on the stand, it will make it unstable and probably topple over. Just bring an old tire to set the engine into

 

ok I guess I can yank off the spare tire off of my truck or the spare from my project corvette or even better just rip one off of one of the vehicles there at the junk yard

 

you want a tire off of the rim

 

yea I know it cant be that hard to get one off if you have a good sharp knife and a good pry bar<----if I find one at the junk yard or it might just be easier to go to a tire shop and ask for a bald tire

 

It attaches to the hoist like this piece here
http://www.findmymerchant.com/images/engine-hoist.jpg
See the handle on the end? when turned it changes the pivot point, allowing you to tilt the motor. Very handy, you should get one or borrow one.

As for the top to tranny bolts, I was just saying, once the intake manifold is off you can reach right from the top of the motor and crack them loose with a wrench vs fighting them with 4' of extensions from down below. Get them loose before you lift the tanny up or put any tension on it. Theres just enough room for a wrench from on top. Good luck.

Tire shop should give you a spare nasty tire for free. It cost them money to dispose of them or recycle them.
That motor will probably weight in around 5-600lbs. You don't realize the shear size and magnitude of them until they are out. Because of the block/head design, they are very wide.. A BEAST i would say. Make sure you have help.

 

I'm surprised they'll let you pull your own engine. Even the you-pull-it places around here won't let you do hoisting, for safety/insurance reasons.

I would take whatever they'll let you have for free (included with the engine price), i.e. mounted accessories, hoses, vacuum tubes, PCM, etc. Spare parts are always useful, and could be a godsend if your existing parts are broken or don't fit. Definitely look for a 99-03 PI engine.

Also, bring masking tape and a marker to label as many wires and tubes as possible. This will make reassembly much easier. Double check that all connectors are unhooked before jacking away. Last thing you want to do is break an electrical connector.

If you can remove the radiator, condenser and support from the front end it'll make pulling the engine out easier because you won't have to lift it as high. The AC system should have already been drained of refrigerant by the junkyard so you don't have to worry about disconnecting lines.

As for the tire, you could go to a shop and ask them for a junk old tire, or you might even go to your local landfill and pull one out of the recycle pile.

Have fun!

 

Are you going to rebuild this engine that you're getting from Pick-A-Part? How many GOOD engines do you think are in cars and trucks at PAP ? I think your odds are better in Vegas that PAP. Especially in Texas. Those trucks get a million miles a year put on 'em there. In looking on E-Bay I have never seen so many late model, high mileage trucks in my life. Good Luck, I think you're gonna need it!

 

Yea I am gonna rebuild it, no way am I gonna put one I pullout from a PAP into my truck, but I am gonna rebuild it at my own pace in my garage while leaving my 4.6 in my truck and when I am done with the engine I am gonna take a couple of days to just swap them out and get the proper tune and make everything work and as for the whole try and get as many things as possible included in the engine price I plan to, like hiding a headlight switch (with fog lamps) in the throttle body, probably wont fit :P) but really I plan on leaving as much hooked up as possible and try and get the most bang for my buck

 

Oh yeah, along with masking tape and a marker, bring lots of ziploc baggies to put bolts and fasteners, and label each bag for where they go.

 

Good call, forgot about that. Definitely want to keep track of your bolts as some of them to one particular part will vary in length and need to be reinstalled correctly. Like your bell housing bolts, throttle body elbow I think has a few diff lengths, intake mani.. etc.

As far as labeling hoses and wire harness. I think with these trucks its not that big of a deal. There is a main harness clip at the passenger firewall that disconnects, other than that, its 2 heater hoses, radiator upper and lower, tranny cooler, power steering... and thats about it for hoses. Wire/harness clips, there are only the 02 sensors, EGR stuff, A/C , alternator and maybe 1 or 2 more that needs disconnected. Vacuum hoses are almost self explanatory, theyre all pre bent/molded to go where they go and if laid on top the motor, youll know right where they plug in. Up to you. I take pictures a long the way and if ever need help, look at them. Havent ever once labeled parts other than maybe bolts.

 

I usually bag my bolts up when I dissembling something but it is usually when I am about half way done hopeful I wont forget the baggies and think I can use cup holders and my mind to keep them organized

also does anyone know how much the compression will be lowered should I bore the cylinders out .030 over

and also are both the rods and pistons forged like I have heard or is it just the pistons and if so would they need to be replaced or could I just reuse them if I wanted to keep the cylinders stock in size

 

Unless there's something different with the modular engines and their aluminum block, you should be able to reuse any undamaged parts for a stock rebuild. Just clean everything up and replace the piston rings. But the last engine I rebuilt was a carbureted Chevy 305, so I may be out of date here.

I do know, however, that the pistons are jacketed to protect the aluminum block and you may have trouble boring (if it makes the jacket too thin). Just my $.02; I'm sure others here know better from first-hand experience on these engines.