Engine lift support

[tucsonsx]

I just ran across this list I made years ago of various sizes of wood that I purchased and put together using wood screws to make a fixture to raise and lower the engine for a timing belt change using a floor jack and only contacting the engine where the oil pan bolts to the block ( similar to the fixture shown in the service manual ). Going from memory all the pieces were stock sizes of Poplar that I had the Home Depot cut to length and the pieces can only be put together 1 way for all of them to touch ( the thicker piece is the base ). Now if I can only find the fixture itself I won't have to build another one, but if I do at least I won't have to go through the brain damage of figuring the whole thing out again.

1 ea. 5 3/8" x 10 3/8" x 3/4"

1 ea. 1 1/2" x 9 3/8" x 1/2"

1 ea. 7 1/4" x 9 3/8" x 1/2"

2 ea. 5 3/8" x 7 1/4" x 1/2"

 

[dalybo]

Great...thanks for this posting

 

[shawn110975]

Im always scared the floor jack is gonna slide off the oil pan.

scary having the car balanced like that.

great post

 

[sylcurt]

When I bought my NSX last year, I took it to the dealer for a complete "go through"..all was just fine, except for a small dent in the oil pan....

they figured it was likely from when the timing belt was changed previously and had the weight of the engine resting on the oil pan....so now I am trying to get the nerve to change the oil pan (I have a brand new one ready to go) but the headers and a cross beam are in the way...

My point, is that I would be cautious about having wieght on the oil pan....

 

[myhui]

But how do you lift the engine up in the first place?

I suggest using either of the following:

$200 Foldable Shop Crane

$800 Telescoping Gantry Crane

The above has 94" distance between posts. Is that wide enough? I think just barely.

 

[tucsonsx]

When I bought my NSX last year, I took it to the dealer for a complete "go through"..all was just fine, except for a small dent in the oil pan....

they figured it was likely from when the timing belt was changed previously and had the weight of the engine resting on the oil pan....so now I am trying to get the nerve to change the oil pan (I have a brand new one ready to go) but the headers and a cross beam are in the way...

My point, is that I would be cautious about having wieght on the oil pan....

The problem of having too much weight on the oil pan is exactly what this fixture addresses. In actual use the bolts holding the pan to the block are the only contact points - the oil pan is basically untouched.

 

[TANTO]

I'd love to find someone who has the honda cradle and will give me detailed dimensions on it so i can build one, or more, to those specs. Anyone out there? TIA

What is the porta-crane for?

 

[ftuhy]

I see no need for the crane for the TB job. All you are doing is removing the left & right mounts, leaving the front and rear mounts to suspend the motor, and tilting it slightly.

I could almost tilt it enough by hand by leaning on the transmission end. I used a couple pieces of 1 x 6 in a simple L shape that contacted only the pan bolt heads, placed on top of a scissors jack that I cranked by hand without even using the jack handle. The 5 piece design by tucsonsx is more stable and I may build that the next time I do my TB.

But even if the support slips off of the jack, all the engine does is go back to normal. It can't fall. However, I would still not simply put a block under the oil pan. Its too easy to crank it up too much and dent the oil pan. Using a support that only contacts the oil pan bolts is the way to go.

 

[Larry Bastanza]

Guys,

Let's not make a mountain out of a molehill. A piece of plywood the size of the pan in between the jack pad and the pan to distribute the pressure is all you need. I have tested this 100+ times. The problem is the jack pad typically has high points that will dent the pan, have fixed that over 20 times, but who's counting

Regards,
LarryB

 

[ralph cerbone]

forget wood ,the best support between the jack and oil pan is a old motors manual . Never failed in 40 yrs :smile:

 

[ralph cerbone]

LOL that brought back many memories , we used to have a salesman for Motor Manuals named Lou Lovello out of NYC.He would come into our shop every year and want us to buy the new manuals ,I would break his chops and tell him there only good for spacers when jacking eng. or trannys . However i always bought the new manuals .:biggrin: