Hi all, If the weather is good then I am going to try and get my engine out this weekend. I replaced the spark plugs a wile ago and find one of the old plugs was covered in engine oil (No.4 back left?) so I want to investigate and find out what's causing the problem. I will also replace my breather hoses behind the firewall wile the engine is out and do a few other jobs. Iv never done anything like this before so all advice greatly appreciated. Engine pic is shown below.
Disconnect battery before you even get started. Most of are too eager to get started that we sometimes forget to do the obvious things. Crank shaft oil seal is about a fiver so prepare to do that (easy job). Check your clutch but make sure you have the alignment tool (very cheap but you could use a socket extension wrapped in gaff tape instead) Check the throw out bearing on the gearbox bellhousing. Paint rear tinwear as its not eas to get at with engine in situe. Don't forget to disconnect: Throttle cable, Pipes connected to heat exchangers. Wiring Fuel line. A 17' ratchet spanner makes life easier to disconnect the engine - gearbox bolts behind the fan Take LOADS of pics of wiring to remember where everything goes.
It's straightforward to drop the engine (remember to disconnect throttle cable etc). Trickiest bit is getting it out from underneath. You have to Jack the bus up quite high so make sure you have good high jacks and axle stands.
Start by giving all the screws and bolts you think you will need to undo a spray with plus gas a few day before. Disconnect battery -. Remove air filter, Remove rear tin, throttle cable, small loom to oil sender, carb dizzy and alternator. The nearside top engine fixing is a bolt from the gearbox side, The offside top fixing is a 19mm nut, a ratchet spanner is the best tool to do this. If you are to remove the heads plusgas all the exhaust bolts over a few days.
You may find it more secure to drive the bus up onto ramps as they are more stable than axle stands. And dont forget the cables going to the control flaps on the heaters. Get a bright work lamp or head torch for looking into dark corners.
