Pulling the 5.9 with the at 545 still bolted on

[Rivetboy]

The engine and transmission only have to move fowar a few inches and canbe lowered right in to your dolly underneath. Going to strap the at 545 to a harbor freigt trans jack and use a cerrpickr to lift the 5.9 at its cg
Here are some pictures next weekend we will pull it out
Hmm pictures in a bit

 

[cadillackid]

is your 5.9 defunct? or are you doing a power-plant swap?
-Christopher

 

[Rivetboy]

Hi Christopher

Bad oil leak from the lifter cover which is behind the Bosch pump the air compressor and the power steering pump. The frame rails are right there also it is just easier to pull the engine instead of fighting it. I received the overhauled 545 today and moved it into the shop.
My plan is to go through all seals front and rear oem replacement for water pump, thermostat, new idler bearings, belts,rebuild the starter with HD parts and a new alternator. Am also going to replace both a/c compressors.
Hoses, all new SS clamps and a shop rebuild of the turbo filters and fluids and down the road hopefully by Christmas.
Also, when I took off the gear cover today, the killer dowel pin had not been repaired and i it was poking out an eigth of an inch!!!

 

[Rusty-SKO]

Also, when I took off the gear cover today, the killer dowel pin had not been repaired and i it was poking out an eigth of an inch!!!

KDP

Engine will be much easier to work on once out. It's a bit tight in there, no?

Looking forward to pics. How high did you have to lift the bus to slide engine out?

 

[cadillackid]

is this an FE bus?

with all you are doing deinitely makes sense to go ahead and pull the engine rather than mess with the frame rail clearance issues.. I didnt realize you had the dreaded tappet cover leak. id KDP a big issues? I realize in your case it sounds like yours was on the way to falling out but did it affect many engines? or is it just luck of the draw whether that pin drops safely away from the gears vs going through and doing damage?

a friend of mine wants a bus .. and swears by the 5.9, he is looking at short conventionals.. I think he has been looking at 00+. which shouldnt have the KDP issues?

-Christopher

 

[Rivetboy]

The dreaded KDP

My understanding is that it is only an issue in the 12v engines. As for how High did the bus have to be lifted to get the engine out it is currently on HF 12 ton jackstands with the front tires a couple of inches off the ground for disconnecting everything. I probably will set it back on the tires to pull it. The front engine support rests on a steel frame rail that has 3 bolts on each side; when removed it is a straight pull out. I have pictures on my phone but forgot said phone at the hangar.
This is a 1991 Bluebird 28 foot Handy bus front engine 5.9 and a AT 545.

 

[Rivetboy]

Pictures 5.9 fe bluebird

1000 words. Etcb

 

[Rusty-SKO]

1000 words. Etcb

Thanks for photos- is a big job. Engine looks so clean.

 

[cadillackid]

wow!! thats stuffed in there!.. so theoretically you can lower the front of the engine down with the cross member still attached then roll forward? what do you use the cherry picker for?

also i can say that yes the Harbor freight trans jack will hold and articulate a 545.. I used that jeck to do my 545 to 1000 swap.. the bolts on the little hold arms though did slightly indent the pan on the 545.. try to leave the converter and adapter ring with the transmission.. with the trans tilted neutral or slightly back the converter wont go anywhere. and you'll want the jack as far forward as you can get it on the pan.. as the transmission is definitely front heavy.. the jack wheels are small and I used a tire iron as a lever against the floor to help move my trans.. my surface was asphalt and a bit rough to roll on.. you have a nice smooth garage floor so hopefully no isses there.

-Christopher

 

[Rivetboy]

545 continued

The engine is supported with a chain front to rear in the existing
chain loops bolted to the engine. The HF transmission jack has a piece
of plywood with carpet that will be strapped to the AT 545. I upgraded
the wheels on that jack the first time it was used.
Then to unbolt the bellhousing ears and lift the engine/ trans up with
the cherry picker and the HF jack enough to roll it forward a few
inches.
Finally, remove the front engine mount support bar and lower it into a
wood cradle equipped with 4 inch steel wheels and roll it out and away
The cradle is built out of 2x6 and 2x10s and bolted together with 3
5/8 inch structural fasteners.
Pictures coming on that one still waiting for the wheels to start building it.

 

[cadillackid]

heck yeah!! you got thisd thing licked!!

what wheels did you put on the HF jack? the jack did my trans swap well except those &*^%&^* wheels..
and like you, I strapped my trans on.. the worthless safety chain that comes with the jack is just that.. worthless..
-Christopher

 

[Rivetboy]

My wheels on that jack were all drilled an 1/8 to 3/16 off center.(steel wheels) When you rolled it was more like a clown car going up and down . Not exactly an ideal situation when your trying to line up a transmission! Do not remember what wheels but they were ebay and rated for the load and rolled fine. I will take a picture next time I visit the bus.

 

[Rivetboy]

The whole bus is that clean. My wife informed me when we looked at it that was the "cleanest" schoolbus that she had ever seen and that is why she "let" me buy it.
As for the PIA of the oil leak it was also dripping trans fluid front and rear , just a little, but knew when we bought it that the transmission would have to be replaced. Pulling the engine is really the easiest way to go and it allows the establishment of a baseline plus all of the other happy issues that will be addressed.

 

[Rivetboy]

This post was to Rusty

 

[Rivetboy]

new HF trans jack wheels

My wheels on that jack were all drilled an 1/8 to 3/16 off center.(steel wheels) When you rolled it was more like a clown car going up and down . Not exactly an ideal situation when your trying to line up a transmission! Do not remember what wheels but they were ebay and rated for the load and rolled fine. I will take a picture next time I visit the bus.

So, these might have come from HF but possibly ebay.
What a difference.

 

[cadillackid]

yes!!! i need to make that mod to mine!!! its a great little jack but frankly the wheels SUCKED.. ha!! time to get some nice casters like that
-Christopher

 

[Rivetboy]

maybe not the 545

OK but I think I am going to go the mt 643 route.
Mt 643 plus a SAE 2 bellhousing and a 398160 flex plate
And of course a crossmember and a mount for that heavy sucker.
What am I forgetting?
Trans cooler in the future and instrumentation too.
Christopher?
Tango?
Bueller?

 

[cadillackid]

make sure you can get the proper center hub wit hthe right offset.. and then the adapter ring if needed to go from the converter to the flexplate.

im assuming you have air brakes so no parking brake on the trans to deal with? you'll likely need to shorten the driveshaft and make sure your mount carries the trans at the right height so your pinion angle isnt wrong
-Christopher

 

[Rivetboy]

5.9 /mt 643

So the diameter of the converter where it goes into the crank and the depth it sits at has to be not to long and pushing the converter back or to short where mega stripping failure would occur.
What is the adaptor ring ?

 

[Rivetboy]

Yes, airbrakes.

The plan for pinion angle is to clamp a reference block on the shaft and measure up.