Got to use my new P 254 Engine Support Bar for the 996 yesterday

It makes pulling the trans alot easier. Beats using a floor mounted screw jack. You can tilt the engine/trans to get clearance to pull the brackets out and replace them, move the lift up and down for bolt and slave cyl access etc. Also enables engine tilt to match trans during installation. My friend liked it so much he bought it from me to use in his shop. Oh yeah we were pulling the IMS because it was drooling so much. 53k on 2003 C2, Polish bearing, looked and felt perfect no play, no grease just Motul 8100 5-40.

Nice action shots! How to tilt engine though? Have to loosen the engine mounts also?

Thank you. Once you remove the trans mount through bolts you can raise or lower the the trans end of the engine /trans with the bolt in the middle of the tool. It has a saddle (where the rag is) that a lug on the engine fits into. That supports the engine (and trans if still attached) and when you turn the bolt it raises or lowers the assembly. It only has ~1.5" of movement at the bolt/saddle but the engine is cantilevered so the net effect is ~2" at the engine /bellhousing and ~3+ at the trans end. *It made relieving pressure on the long trans mount bolts pretty easy. Then when removing the "horse shoe" top mount we were able to lower the rear of the trans to get more room. We never touched the Engine mounts they don't have to swivel much at the rear to allow movement at the other end. *still used a trans jack to help support and remove the trans.

I always wonder how effective that saddle bolt is. Now that you've explained it, it all makes sense to me now. I will definitely get one when I need to remove my trans. Thanks for sharing

Frank, since you actually saw the bar in use, does it look like its a little too HD and could be made a little more light? Especially the thick flat bar part on each end?

The thick vertical hangers are way more robust than you need for support strength. The weight just hangs from them, although the bar might twist if you use the center bolt to crank things up and down. It looked like the thickness is also for ease of use. They hang from the sway bar mounts, are the same thickness as the sway bar caps and use the sway bar bolts. If you make them thinner you would have to space the support bar away from the mounts so the saddle lines up and adjust the mounting bolt length. The bar itself would have be stiff enough to resist twisting and sag when the engine sits in the center support , especially if you use a center bolt to adjust height. If you are a DIY guy that is only going to do one or two of these you could use a support bar without worrying about center adjustability or a board under the engine like Shark Attack did with his imported German Mahogany 4x4. The mechanic that helped me (I was actually the helper but pride gets in the way of any statement to that effect) thought the support was worth about 1 hour and a lot less frustration by allowing the lift to be raised/lowered to help reach hidden bits. Being able to tilt the engine also helped when aligning the engine during trans replacement.

Where's the best place to buy one of those?

I found mine on EBay for $159. There is one on EBay now for $179+$20 ship. If you search you will see them up to $300+. These guys list them for $179 + shipping. http://www.costplustools.com/Sir-Too...g_176-3-4.html Costplustools 2900 Delk Rd, Ste. 700, PMB 65 Marietta, GA 30067 Phone: [phone removed] on page 4 of the SIR Tools section SIR-P254 Sir Tools P 254 Engine Support Bar for the 996 $179.86

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Very nice, thank you. I'm local to them.

i know this is an old thread, but as i was searching the web and thinking about fabricating the tool, i came across this: http://www.coastaltoolsupply.com/product/SIR-P-254.html just in case some other are i need, as the previous link posted doesn't work, and for me it was a no brainer for that price.

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Thanks! Just ordered mine. That's a good find.

Some action shots. My bar is black so you have to look carefully. It does make the job easier on the lift.

I like your lift table/trans jack tower. How much clearance can you get between the table handle and the sump?

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Thanks to your great reco of the bar I get about 1" clearance. That handle can be unbolted from the hydraulic table anyway. I used the same combo to drop the engine and trans in one piece (with the trans jack on the floor obviously) on my other 996.

Any thoughts on a non adjustable DIY version of this? Could you use a 4" piece of angle and drill holes to mount it to the cross member?

Sure, you could drill a hole on center and use a nut and bolt to support/move the engine if you wanted. 4" might be overkill, the original is ~2.5". Slakker, See post #7 here for some dimensions. https://rennlist.com/forums/996-foru...pport-bar.html

Awesome. I'm going to give this a shot.

Ghetto engine bar using 3" iron. Definitely not near as cool as the real thing though. photo359.jpg

Will the Sirp254 fit a 996 turbo? Thanks!

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I think so. Let me go take a look. Yes. I haven't had to pluck the turbo's trans yet but the swaybar mounts look the same. They both measure the same across the bolt holes. There is a bolt-on anti-sub tooth that might get in the way of the saddle. Looks very easy to remove.

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OK, thanks please let me know. I was thinking about fabricating my own, but materials are about $75, and I can purchase one for about $175. Plus the saddle would take some time to make.

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Love your custom made support under the engine lug. Just keep a stack of partially used ones for adjustability.

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It fits. I edited my previous post.

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Thank You!