5.0L engine removal

[MustangOP]

Hey guys. New here and Im about to remove the stock 5.0 engine from a 97' Explorer I aquired through a trade. The engine has a bad oil pump and will be getting another engine from same year Explorer. I'm a 5.0L Mustang guy and no stranger to building engines or even doing radical swaps, however, looking over the Explorer I noticed that it looks like it would be easier to just remove the entire engine and trans together but I really did not want to go to that extent. The bellhousing bolts look really tough to get to for just engine removal.

Has anyone ever just removed the engine and left the tranny in or and I better off just removing the whole 9 yards together?

This is an AWD car too.

I looked over the Ford shop manual on engibe removal and points you in the direction of removing the engine, leaving the trans in the truck but like I said, looking at the setup, the bell bolts look really hard to access.

Any pointers?

Brian

 

[Electrohacker]

from what I know about my truck you cant remove the whole thing without removing the core support.

usually you lift the engine out the top and drop the trans out the bottom

 

[MustangOP]

from what I know about my truck you cant remove the whole thing without removing the core support.

usually you lift the engine out the top and drop the trans out the bottom

I understand the proccess. I just wanted to see if there was anyone that had a good tip to getting to the bellhousing bolts easier.

 

[techieman33]

You can remove the upper intake manifold and get to them from the top with a ratchet wrench.

 

[MustangOP]

You can remove the upper intake manifold and get to them from the top with a ratchet wrench.

Yea, thats what I am doing now. Looked like the only way. I figured there would be someone on here that had some good pointers much like I could give on 5.0 Mustangs. I own 2 and I can have an engine tranny swap done in less than a day with the car driving the next. Not so with this Truck.

BTW: I'm looking foward to getting the GT40 heads off the old motor and getting my head guy to give them a full port. A GT40 headed 5.0 with supporting mods and cam is a proven 300 RWHP combo.