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| 1986 2.5 R&R where to place lift? (Page 1/2) |
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Falstaff
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OCT 19, 05:29 PM
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I am new here and this is my first post. I have been a technician and auto tech teacher for 18 years, so I have a lot of experience working on cars, but not so much with Fieros. I wanted a Fiero when I was a kid (when they were new) and just got around to buying one. I picked up a clean 1986 2M4, with a blown engine. I know I need to remove the engine from the bottom, by removing the the cradle, but where do I place the arms of the lift? The online manual I use shows the rear lift points to be on the cradle. If I am removing the cradle I can't put the lift on the cradle. I have read some online posts in various groups about R&R of a Fiero engine, but they always involve somebody doing it with floor jacks in their barn/garage. I would like some advice from somebody who has done the job on a lift. I am not interested in putting another type of engine; I want to rebuild or replace the stock 2.5.
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Gall757
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OCT 19, 05:44 PM
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Make sure you know where the cooling tubes are....a common problem with Fieros and lifts.
 [This message has been edited by Gall757 (edited 10-19-2017).]
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Tony Kania
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OCT 19, 05:47 PM
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Falstaff
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OCT 19, 06:10 PM
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| quote | Originally posted by Gall757:
Make sure you know where the cooling tubes are....a common problem with Fieros and lifts.
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Yes... I have known about that problem for years. This Fiero has excellent looking tubes so somebody has been careful with it before I had it. I have heard stories about guys taking their car to the tire shop and come out overheating.
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straws
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OCT 19, 08:24 PM
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Most people on this forum have done this on the ground, so using a super high fandangle lift is foreign to us.
On the ground...disconnect the engine harness near the battery. Disconnect the two radiator tubes and drain cooling system. If auto, disconnect trans cooler lines and attach to one another; manual or auto disconnect cables (be careful they are brittle mounts). Disconnect air filter. If AC, remove compressor from brackets.
Not much else. The engine cradle pivots on the forward cradle, so remove the two rear cradle bolts and slowly lower engine/trans/exhaust. Then remove forward two (horizontal bolts).
The key is getting the rear of the car high enough. Most use a cherry picker to lift from the trunk latch about 6' in the air. Removing the struts helps a lot.
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Tony Kania
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OCT 19, 10:38 PM
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Please do not use the trunk latch! For what it is worth, your life, remove the tail lights and rear fascia, and strap up by the frame.
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OntarioKev
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OCT 20, 12:18 AM
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I think this is the best picture I have with my Fiero on my hoist while removing the cradle
I like to put the front arms as far to the front as I can on the cradle, and then as far to the back as I can on something solid frame, while avoiding the coolant tubes, and brake lines.
It takes some experimenting, raise it a little bit and see how stable it is. Sometimes you have to reposition a couple of times to get it in a place you feel its stable.
Have 4 axle stands (one under each corner of the read cradle), drop the rear bolts, and carefully remove the front bolts. Watch for the car shifting when removing the cradle, its a big weight change. Then raise the car nice and slow, and watch out for any weight shift.
When reinstalling, I like to get the cradle lined up before installing the drivetrain, then raise the car, and drop in the engine/transmission. Hopefully you don't shift it too much as it can be a ***** to re-install if you move it. Last time I moved it too much and ended up having to grab the engine from the top with a cherry picker, and between moving the hoist/cherry picker eventually get it lined up.
Also, as soon as you get the four bolts back in for the cradle, I like to put the car on axle stands front/back, and re-position the rear arms on the cradle. The car is far more stable that way.
You will likely have an easier time with installation then I did, as I have a 3800 swap.
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Falstaff
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OCT 22, 01:16 PM
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I successfully dropped the cradle yesterday. Everything came apart easily.
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theogre
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OCT 22, 06:09 PM
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Please lower car while cradle is out. Later don't lift so high to put cradle back for same reason.
Why?
Beside car can fall w/o help and jack stands... (side note: many stands are only load rated for pairs. Not singles.)
Lost weight will unbalance the lift and can cause failure of lift mounting points at/in the floor w/o warning. Higher the unbalance is lifted, the more stress at the base and mounting hardware. This is something to avoid for most or all lifts.
Yes... Never use trunk latch to lift the car.
See my Cave, Jacking to Clear Engine
Image above is a "copy" w/ very minor changes from my Cave, Safe Jacking
How to tell? For one, Root image from GM does not cover 2 jack stands in back that overlaps yellow frame hoist points.
Many have used large (~ 18"x30") "moving dollies" to move compete cradle around.
Problem is some cheap dollies from HF et al have crap casters and lockup steering or the wheels while loaded. Look for casters w/ 2 sets of BB at top. 1 at very top and 1 between "ears" to wheels at same pivot. Many cheap units only have 1 bearing at very top and very hard or impossible to steer under load.------------------
Dr. Ian Malcolm: Yeah, but your scientists were so preoccupied with whether or not they could, they didn't stop to think if they should.
(Jurassic Park)
The Ogre's Fiero Cave
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darbysan
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OCT 23, 11:01 AM
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Too late for me to post, but had no difficulties using a lift on mine. Just be careful as mentioned.
I did use a Harbor Freight hydraulic cart. You can raise the vehicle on the lift, slide the cart under at full height, and then lower the car to the cart ( I added a couple of 2x6 boards bolted to the top of the cart to match up with the cradle). Unbolt the cradle, then lift the car back up. Cart rolls right out, and makes it easy to work on the engine while out. Makes a great addition to the shop. Just have to watch for sales, or use one of their 20% coupons.
https://www.harborfreight.c...able-cart-69148.html------------------
SCREW PHOTOBUCKET. All my pictures are now available at https://www.flickr.com/photos/156871275@N07/albums
'87 GT , '00 3800 Series II SC, 4t65e, Vue Power Steering.
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While a V6 write up, it is informative.
