Honda Odyssey Forum banner

procedure to remove engine?

46K views 36 replies 19 participants last post by  kernel 
#1 ·
Hi All, This is my first post. My mom has a 2000 odyssey that a friend and I just botched the timing belt replacement on. It now has no compression on the #2 cylinder most likely due to a bent valve.

I see two options at this point.

#1 Pull the head and hopefully repair the damaged valves on an engine with 200K miles. Compression is 145 to 150 on the good cylinders.

#2 Buy a 2001 engine with 88K miles for $700 and install it.

I am leaning toward option #2 with a used engine but after two hours of searching this forum I can't find any posts where someone has detailed the challenges in pulling and reinstalling an engine.

I did see one post where it was estimated at a one to two weekend job with a helper or as little as one day if someone had experience with it.

Can anyone advise on the feasibility of two resourceful diy shade tree mechanics swapping out one engine for another?

Is the factory service manual the best source of instructions for pulling an engine? and is it available in PDF format online anywhere?

Is it silly to do this without first pulling the head off the damaged cylinder and attempting a repair? or should I focus my time and money on where it will realize the most benefit and buy the lower mileage used motor?

Thanks for any input
Karl
 
See less See more
#5 ·
Ha, you guys are brutal. I wouldn't bother repairing the head personally, someone else on here tried it only to have more issues. You could get a used head cheap though. I think the engine swap is similar to the tranny swap, drop the whole cradle down and lift the body high enough to slide it out. Google Odyssey FSM pdf and you might find the manual.
 
#6 ·
Mike, thanks for the input and opinion on engine swap vs head repair.

In one post I ran across information suggesting that not all engines are interchangeable.

Any idea if there are potential compatibility problems putting an 01 engine in an 00 odyssey?

Thanks,
Karl
 
#9 ·
I'm not sure about which ones are compatible. There should be a number on it somewhere. There may also be a number stamped into the head if you go that route. If you do swap the whole engine you may as well change the timing belt on the new one before it goes in.
 
#10 ·
I bought the used 01 engine for $650 and decided to go that route. My buddy devised a plan to pull the engine/trans out the topside rather than dropping the subframe and lifting the van over it.

Thanks for all the input so far.

Both transmission mounts and the rear engine mount had failed. The axle seals on the transmission were also leaking so they too got replaced along with the input/pumpshaft seal.

This was also a good opportunity to clean the screens under the transmission solenoids and add an inline trans filter.
 
#19 ·
remove engine from above

For anyone who is interested, it IS possible to remove the engine from the top in a 99-01 without drilling out welds in the radiator support.

I had to separate the engine and trans in my 2000 Odyssey to fix a bad rear main seal leak. The OE Service manual says to take the trans and the engine/trans assembly out from the bottom. I don't have a 2-post lift, I didn't like the idea of removing all of the suspension parts, subframe, drive shafts, steering, re-alignment, etc. Here is how I did it:

- Remove intake air duct
- Remove battery and tray
- Unhook throttle and cruise control cables
- Disconnect fuel line and return hose at the engine
- Disconnect PCM connectors (to the right of the accel pedal inside the car), loosen nuts holding the engine wiring harness grommet to the firewall, and pull the PCM connector through to the engine side.
- Remove battery cable, and disconnect all electrical connectors that are not on the engine
- Drain oil and coolant. I drained ATF too since it was time for a fluid replacement.
- Disconnect vacuum lines to the engine and radiator hoses and heater hoses
- Remove power steering pump. Disconnect the return hose at the pump. Pull the pump out of the way and secure it
- Remove alt belt and A/C compressor.
- Jack under the subframe near the lower control arm mount and place jack stands at the jack points behind the wheels. Remove wheels.
- Remove exhaust. With 16 years in road salt and 268k miles, I thought this was going to be a disaster. With an overnight soak in PB Blaster and Kroil, they came out w/o breaking.
- Remove the right intermediate drive shaft mount to the block
- Remove TC cover and remove 8 bolts holding the drive plate to the TC. Rotate crank shaft by the pulley to access all bolts.
- Remove engine/trans bolts on the bottom side of the engine.
- Remove front and rear engine mount bolts
- Hook up an engine hoist with a load leveling bar. I used the loop provided on the right side by the steering pump and a chain around the intake manifold inlet. Make sure you take as many links out as possible so the hoist has enough stroke so the engine clears the radiator.
- Remove the right engine mount.
- Remove the VTEC unit (thing that the oil filter screws into)
- Remove the starter and remaining trans to engine bolts, separate the engine from trans and start to lift the engine
- Lift up the engine partway. Remove the alternator, and ignition coils
- I also to remove the front exhaust manifold and the studs. Again, I thought this would be a disaster, but the studs came out very easily with a couple of jam nuts tightened into each other. Honda must use some really good bolt coatings.
- Remove one of the jack stands with a floor jack under the control arm by the lower ball joint and lower as far as you can go.
- Lift the engine high enough to clear the radiator and you're home free.

Hope this helps someone. Auto part Engine Vehicle Car Automotive engine part
Automobile repair shop Vehicle Car Bumper Automotive exterior
 
#35 ·
remove engine from above For anyone who is interested, it IS possible to remove the engine from the top in a 99-01 without drilling out welds in the radiator support. I had to separate the engine and trans in my 2000 Odyssey to fix a bad rear main seal leak. The OE Service manual says to take the trans and the engine/trans assembly out from the bottom. I don't have a 2-post lift, I didn't like the idea of removing all of the suspension parts, subframe, drive shafts, steering, re-alignment, etc. Here is how I did it: - Remove intake air duct - Remove battery and tray - Unhook throttle and cruise control cables - Disconnect fuel line and return hose at the engine - Disconnect PCM connectors (to the right of the accel pedal inside the car), loosen nuts holding the engine wiring harness grommet to the firewall, and pull the PCM connector through to the engine side. - Remove battery cable, and disconnect all electrical connectors that are not on the engine - Drain oil and coolant. I drained ATF too since it was time for a fluid replacement. - Disconnect vacuum lines to the engine and radiator hoses and heater hoses - Remove power steering pump. Disconnect the return hose at the pump. Pull the pump out of the way and secure it - Remove alt belt and A/C compressor. - Jack under the subframe near the lower control arm mount and place jack stands at the jack points behind the wheels. Remove wheels. - Remove exhaust. With 16 years in road salt and 268k miles, I thought this was going to be a disaster. With an overnight soak in PB Blaster and Kroil, they came out w/o breaking. - Remove the right intermediate drive shaft mount to the block - Remove TC cover and remove 8 bolts holding the drive plate to the TC. Rotate crank shaft by the pulley to access all bolts. - Remove engine/trans bolts on the bottom side of the engine. - Remove front and rear engine mount bolts - Hook up an engine hoist with a load leveling bar. I used the loop provided on the right side by the steering pump and a chain around the intake manifold inlet. Make sure you take as many links out as possible so the hoist has enough stroke so the engine clears the radiator. - Remove the right engine mount. - Remove the VTEC unit (thing that the oil filter screws into) - Remove the starter and remaining trans to engine bolts, separate the engine from trans and start to lift the engine - Lift up the engine partway. Remove the alternator, and ignition coils - I also to remove the front exhaust manifold and the studs. Again, I thought this would be a disaster, but the studs came out very easily with a couple of jam nuts tightened into each other. Honda must use some really good bolt coatings. - Remove one of the jack stands with a floor jack under the control arm by the lower ball joint and lower as far as you can go. - Lift the engine high enough to clear the radiator and you're home free. Hope this helps someone. View attachment 92834 View attachment 92842
Hello. This summer I printed off and closely followed your ‘engine above removal ‘ instructions on my 2000 odyssey, that sat outside for 9 years , along with the 9 yr ago bought donor engine( that was garaged) , and it worked! Engine/van (finally )runs great by the way! The transmission ran great as it was rebuilt less than 10k miles prior to the 9’year hiatus and only needed a 1-2 gear shift solenoid replacement and wire repair on a couple of other solenoids due to squirrel chewing! One differing note from your instructions : the exhaust manifold studs on my engine did NOT come out easily as in your case. A couple of them snapped in half on me when attempting to remove them! . So I left them in place on the donor motor and instead I CAREFULLY pried back on the engine compartment radiator housing sheet metal -back about 1/4” to have clearance .Thanks so much for your write up on how to do this ! FYI I started it up with 9 year old gas / 9yr old battery ( was Almost new at the time )and ether … also added fresh gas and LOTS of STRONG fuel injection cleaner too to clean up clogged injectors and clear misfires. After 600 miles of driving 0-1codes now ( intermittent misfire) In short , IT CAN BE DONE! And I did it all by myself being now retired /shade tree mechanic . This december My rip van winkle ody is going to make 1100 mile trip to Florida and I have no doubt it will run just fine.thanks for reading this far!
 
#22 ·
tmallin, thank you!

There are more and more of us battling RMS leaks, and this is one way to get it done. It's great that somebody figures out another way, gives us the details...and pictures, too!

OF
 
#23 ·
nitely2,

I would get the trans out in the same way. Once the engine is out, mount it to your engine stand, then use the hoist to fish out the trans. Of course, you would need to disconnect the shift linkage, pull off the torque converter, disconnect the trans cooler lines, and disconnect the half-shafts.

Mating the engine back to the trans took less than an hour of fidgeting with it. I expected more. Fore-aft and lateral translation by sliding the hoist, vertical by by the cylinder on the hoist, roll by the load leveler bar, yaw and pitch by rotating the hanging engine manually and prying here and there with some wood scraps. I got it close, put the long starter motor bolt in part-way first, then pitched the engine to line up the front locating pin. Feel around the gap between engine and trans to see which way you have to move the engine. When the gap is roughly parallel, put a 2nd mount bolt part-way in under the throttle body. I used one of the bottom-side bolts because it was longer (then switched back to the right one once it is in place). Turn the bolts to put some tension on them. Grab the chains and give them a shake, and the engine jumps into place.

I forgot one step in the procedure, but anybody doing it would surely figure it out when they got there. You need to support the trans from the bottom before you separate the engine/trans. I used a stack of scrap wood.
 
#29 ·
CJ, It has been a while, but having trouble with the black plastic part on the trans where all the wires run through is ringing some bells. I remember it not being immediately obvious how to remove it. I kind of recall finding another bolt on it that I did not see at first, but I can't recall exactly where, and I don't have any pictures. I can tell you for sure that I did not have to break it to remove it. Hope this helps.
 
#31 ·
As for this I ended up finding that bolt you mentioned that doesn't seem to be related but in reality is what holds the thing down haha! So now the harness is off, Ive just loosened all the bolts /mounts and Im just waiting to rent an engine hoist from this local guy. Depending on when I can get that the engine should be out soon!

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Seeing as im almost ready to have the engine come out, Ive been looking for j35a1 with no luck in my area. However, there is a j32a1 i believe for $399. Would the wiring on the 3.2 match that of the 3.5? as for the bolting and mounting points ive researched it looks like on that front eveything will fit. If the j32a1 doesnt work, and i cant find a j35a1 are there any engine that I should look into? Trying to find something that bolts and plugs right in . Hopefully a j35a1 pops up but till then ill have some fun tearing down this one to see what damage the tb failure did.
 
#37 · (Edited)
so what happened?
Did you read past the first post? :unsure: (and karlkarl hasn't posted since 2011!) Looks like he swapped it out.
Pull the radiator and drill out the spotwelds holding the radiator brace on the left and right. Cut the upright supports.

Welding the sheet metal back in is easy and since the van is white, touching up the welds is a lot easier than metallic colors...
[edit]
...Added a magnefine filter, flushed cooler, cleaned solenoid screens and added 8 quarts of new honda atf.
And then tmallin posted how to remove the engine without cutting.
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top