Can you remove just the motor from the top, leaving the t-case and trans in the car? I am going to be doing this soon, I don't have a lift and my jack stands are not big enough to get the car up high enough to go from the bottom. Thank you in advance for your help.

 

You can removed the motor with the transmission still in the car, but you need to unbolt the T-case and remove it or move it out of the way to get a little clearance for removal. Also in the service manual check out page 11A-23. Good luck

 

I made this thread a while ago....might answer some of your questions.

https://www.evolutionm.net/forums/ev...e-removal.html

 

Buy bigger jack stands and pull from bottom. So much better in every way. Pull engine and trans together.

 

In other words... buy a hoist.

You would need 3+ foot tall jack stands to pull it from the bottom.

Its easy to pull from the top. I did 2 last week.

Disconnect the t-case and use rope or a bungee cord to hold it away from the block/trans.

You will need to support the engine with the cherry picker and chain. Use a ratchet strap to support the trans and link it to the chain. Then remove all the engine and trans mounts. Once all the mounts are loose, slowly remove the ratchet strap so that the transmission is angled down. Once the trans is angled down, move the trans side towards the front of the vehicle so that the engine is going towards the firewall. This will allow clearance for the shifter linkage to slip past the trans mount on the frame. Also, you will need one person on either side to guide it out and make sure that nothing hits.

The alternator will be close to hitting the cown when pulling the engine. For ease of removal and damage, you can remove the alternator prior to pulling the engine since this is your first time pulling it.

Make sure that you drain the trans fluid or it will go everywhere with the trans angled down.

 

You don't need 3 ft tall stands. The block is only 20ish inches tall. I used the 1.5 ton jack stands and had them close to all the way up and could have brought the motor up but we just let it down.

What you need to do is find a way to progressivly get the car higher. I used 2X4 and made a platform of them a few inches high. Move to the other side, jack it up, build the platform, then place the lift on the 2x4 and then jack it up even more. I easily had the tires a foot off the ground. Takes more time to do it but it worked perfectly fine.