Move engine down or not?

[Edward Swearingen]

I’m getting ready to do the water pump and timing belt on my “90 Integra. Still waiting on parts and tools. I bought Eric’s video and have seen a number of others.

All the vids I’ve seen are with later model Tegs. Many lower the engine, Eric’s doesn’t. I realize there may be no way to know until I get at it and of course you have to take of the upper engine mount to put on the new belt.

Just wondering if anybody might have an opinion on this. I do have a 90 degree Ingersoll/Rand coming. That might make the difference.

Topic

[college man]

You should not have to move the engine down.

[Edward Swearingen]

I expect with the correct tools and determination, you are right., but on my ’90 LS, the distance from the harmonic ballancer and the inside of my fender well is 1-5/8″. That’s a pretty tight space to get tools into.

[Jake]

Even if you do have to move the engine, it’s easy enough to do.

[Edward Swearingen]

I’m mostly worried about the oil pan. I don’t like putting a jack on it at all.

[college man]

[quote=”90TegLS” post=177853]I’m mostly worried about the oil pan. I don’t like putting a jack on it at all.[/quote]

Use a block of wood or support it on the trans where it mounts to the engine with wood/jack

[Edward Swearingen]

I’ll have to get underneath and look at the trans. I’ve seen many videos of people using wood under the oil pan, mostly on newer models. Mine is a bit different then later models. I would have to put wood on one end or the other. A small area of rigid support. So I’ll look at the trans and see if there’s a good spot.

The ’90, being the 1st model year of the DC2 was slightly different than even, the next year. Acura started changing things immediately. It’s a great car, no matter what they did to the next ones.

….and I’m still waiting on the water pump from Acura in Florida. It’s shipping today.

[college man]

Keep us posted. 🙂

[Edward Swearingen]

Ummm, I just realized, where the trans mounts to the engine is on the other side. It won’t help me to support it there. I have to take out the engine mount just above the harmonic balancer….the other side of the block. If I need to lower the engine any further, the mount on the front side will have to be undone. That one is in the middle/front of the block. Supporting the trans won’t take any of the load. Wrong side of the engine.

[terry]

Dude, you are to nervous. Just put the block under the oil pan and the jack. You may not have to lower ur engine. You lower it only if you cant get anything out – like the belt or the crank pulley. And even if you lower it, it may be just a little bit. The front mount stays. Dont you have the Haynes manual for your car? If not, go to the library.

With my car, the instruction said that i have to remove the engine mount. But when I did the work, engine mount stayed. Just get the block and jack ready. Also make sure you are working on a level surface, not uphill or downhill. It’s a must.

Can you show us picture of your engine mount, in very close view. Some need only to loosen their mount so it slide up and down. That way you wont be worried about your engine collapsing.

Also, when i did my timing belt, i used two supports (block and jack). i put one under the engine and one under the tranny. Lol, i was very worried too back then. But i never used it (lowering the engine).

[Edward Swearingen]

I have the original Honda Service Manual, issued for my specific car. It does not have much info on this specific procedure. Not much of an index either. I am also doing the timing belt, so the driver’s side mount has to be detached….considering it mounts dead in the middle of the timing belt.

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