oldscutlass Posted September 17, 2004 Report Share Posted September 17, 2004 3.1 Cutlass Engine removal difficulty? I'm going to have to help my brother pull the 3.1 out of his '94 cutlass. Some say its a real pain in the ass and to farm the job out. Is it really that hard. Any of you here got any advice before I do it? Seems to me, I pull the motor and trans out together is the way to go........ ?right? I glad to find this site looks to be a good and active board. Thanks for any advice on this mater. Tim Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
digitaloutsider Posted September 17, 2004 Report Share Posted September 17, 2004 Pulling the drive shafts is pretty easy if you don't care about the CV boots.. just cut them and pull the shafts straight out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest TurboSedan Posted September 17, 2004 Report Share Posted September 17, 2004 it's a surprisingly easy job. remove the hood and pull the engine/trans together out the top. i use a hydraulic cherry picker like the type you can rent or the ones you can buy at Checker etc. like Davis said, the hardest part will probably be pulling the axles out, which really isn't hard at all; it's just the most time consuming part of the whole ordeal. i always pull the entire engine wiring harness and ECM out still connected to the engine....i just unplug the bulkhead connector from the firewall and unbolt the ECM from the fender...then raise the engine out of the bay with all of the wiring harness still attatched to the all of the sensors. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest TurboSedan Posted September 17, 2004 Report Share Posted September 17, 2004 I always find it hard to pop off the Tie-rod ends...... i've never actually had to pull the tie rod ends off the knuckle when removing the engine/trans...but a 2-jaw puller should work good if you need to (it does on my GTS anyway...never have done it to my CS). i hear you on the boots tho...my balljoint boots are FUBAR from pulling the 3.1 out of my CS numerous times, swapping axles, wheel bearings etc. is there some kind of tool you can use to prevent balljoint boot damage? my balljoint fork/BFH method always trashes the boots no matter how careful i am. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phantomshado Posted September 17, 2004 Report Share Posted September 17, 2004 You can undo the ball joints to gain some real estate in the half shaft moving. Make sure that you either plug the ends of that tranny or get a bucket for both sides, or else its going to look like a crime scene, blood everywhere, err, not blood tranny fluid. lol. my mom freaked when I swapped my tranny in June. good times were had by all. Scale of 1-10 hard.....about 5-6, remember slow and steady wins the race. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
digitaloutsider Posted September 17, 2004 Report Share Posted September 17, 2004 sure its easy and fast if you cut and ruin parts.........and if it was a GP or Lumina thats good to do..... Since its a CS you must take extra care..... @CS Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
5speedz34 Posted September 17, 2004 Report Share Posted September 17, 2004 Why not just pull it out the bottom with the cradle. Everything come in one piece, I've always found that alot easier. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oldscutlass Posted September 17, 2004 Author Report Share Posted September 17, 2004 Thanks all for giving me an idea of how much work its going to take to get this motor out. He drove the motor hot until spinning the bearings. It still starts and runs, but hopefully its rebuildable. Most places want $900 labor to remove/install.(I think we can do ourselves and save, he doesn't have much money) Looking at http://engineinstallation.com/home/ Remanufactured Motor American Engine Installation They will sell for $800 which is about $400 cheaper than a rebuild. Has any one had any dealings with this company good or bad? They are nation wide. Tim Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slick Posted September 17, 2004 Report Share Posted September 17, 2004 Since its a 94 cutty, it should have the 3100 in it. Tell him to get on ebay or to a local JY and get a 3400. Few extra ponies, and you won't have to worry about a rebuild. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
5speedz34 Posted September 17, 2004 Report Share Posted September 17, 2004 Since its a 94 cutty, it should have the 3100 in it. Tell him to get on ebay or to a local JY and get a 3400. Few extra ponies, and you won't have to worry about a rebuild. Well, if he doesn't want to mod it slick, and it seems like he's a novice to working on cars, I would just put a 3100 back in it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oldscutlass Posted September 20, 2004 Author Report Share Posted September 20, 2004 I now am toying with finding a good used motor to replace the bad one. What other years will be a direct fit (for a '94 CS). I do want to stay with the 3100. So I guess that means '94 up to ?.. What car/model's will work . The reason I'm asking is that I have located a 3100 out of a '97 chevy monte carlo, but I dont know if it would be a direct exchange ? Any body able to help me out on this. Thanks Tim Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cutlsp Posted September 20, 2004 Report Share Posted September 20, 2004 you could go 3400 the wiring harness is the same its plug and play :? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oldscutlass Posted September 22, 2004 Author Report Share Posted September 22, 2004 Just found a anwer to my question about year range 3100 engine swaps for '94 CS at this link. http://www.60degreev6.com/index.php?name=PNphpBB2&file=viewtopic&t=1592 Tim Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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