GenVibe - Community for Pontiac Vibe Enthusiasts

Today I removed my 1ZZ-FE attached to the 4-speed auto transaxle using the smallest shop crane Harbor Freight carries with no problems. Removing the front bumper cover and leaving the bumper bar on gives plenty of clearance to get in there and get everything out with the arm of the crane at the 1/4th ton mark no problem. So yeah, $130 crane can get the job done.


Pictured: Awesome engine, untrustworthy Harbor Freight product.

Sweet! Not knowing much about engine hoists, I assumed a small/cheap one would do an aluminium 4cyl no problem!

I thought most of these engines needed to be LOWERED out of the car instead of raised? The wife's G8GT needed a new camshaft in the 6.0 litre engine and it needed to be removed from the bottom! Maybe it can be removed either method. Hope it's a long time before I have to do this. Looks good so far. Keep us updated on all repairs and fill us in with specific details

Good information! Thanks, But that engine looks too clean to have just been removed???

tpollauf wrote:I thought most of these engines needed to be LOWERED out of the car instead of raised? The wife's G8GT needed a new camshaft in the 6.0 litre engine and it needed to be removed from the bottom! Maybe it can be removed either method. Hope it's a long time before I have to do this. Looks good so far. Keep us updated on all repairs and fill us in with specific details

I thought about dropping it out the bottom but am too chicken to try raising the front end that high. You drop engines out of Siennas and tCs, but Toyota's manual only listed taking this engine from the top.

Chiadog wrote:Good information! Thanks, But that engine looks too clean to have just been removed???

The driver's side of the transmission is splattered with CV axle grease! So I'm also replacing CV boots all the way around

tpollauf wrote:I thought most of these engines needed to be LOWERED out of the car instead of raised? The wife's G8GT needed a new camshaft in the 6.0 litre engine and it needed to be removed from the bottom! Maybe it can be removed either method. Hope it's a long time before I have to do this. Looks good so far. Keep us updated on all repairs and fill us in with specific details

Pick your poison, remove just the engine and nothing else from up top, or remove EVERYTHING attached to the K-frame from the bottom.

tpollauf wrote:I thought most of these engines needed to be LOWERED out of the car instead of raised? The wife's G8GT needed a new camshaft in the 6.0 litre engine and it needed to be removed from the bottom! Maybe it can be removed either method. Hope it's a long time before I have to do this. Looks good so far. Keep us updated on all repairs and fill us in with specific details

I was wrong, the manual says to drop it from the bottom. Dropping it into the top and lining up the mounts is really painful.

I did several drop-ins on the vibe and as long as you have a few things out of the way, like the radiator, it's not too bad. The only mount to line up is the front mount on the engine. The trans housing bolts are a little tricky but doable. What worked for me was to loosely attach one of the starter bolts, then rotate the engine back as you line up the alignment pegs on the trans. Also make sure you have the torque converter seated completely into the trans. My biggest battle was the power steering pressure line to pump connection.