How high do I need to raise car to get the engine out?

I have a 2002 996 C4 Cab. If I use a lift table (Its range is 11" to 34") to lower the engine on can some tell me how high I need to raise the car to clear the lift table/engine? I need to figure out how use jack stands as I do not want to purchase a scissor lift.

I needed at least 24.5� between the floor and the bottom of the engine (oil pan) - this can vary depending on the height of your lift table, but it should give you a general idea. Good Luck

Thanks, dporto.

I did a 964 in my garage and found I was a few inches off when I got it dropped. I ended up hoisting the back end of the car up to finish the job with a come-along. I guess you could rent an engine crane or maybe jack the tail up if it gets down to it. The shell of the car is much lighter without the engine.

FWIW, I used heavy duty(1.5 ton) jack stands on top of 8�x8� landscape timbers/rr ties to get the height I needed. It was super stable and the car probably spent around a month on the stands while I worked on the engine and took care of various other things under the car.

We use Liftbars https://liftbars.com/ . Haven't yet dropped the motor but sure it will provide the height (might have to add a spacer to high-lift jacks).

Your tape shows about 23-24 inches off the floor. When allowing for the height of whatever you are lowering the engine onto, what is the actual height of the engine. In other words, if I am lowering the engine onto a lift table that is 11 inches off the floor, how high do I need to raise the bottom of the engine off the floor?

I raised mine 29� on my quick jacks with some additional wood under the rubber pucks. I was on a Harbor Freight hydraulic trans jack and the engine barely cleared.

I use a long-reach low-profile floor jack with a cross bar and a couple hockey pucks (stacks up to 5-6") to drop my engine. Needed floor jacks set to 22" when the engine had the standard sump. So with your 11" lift table I think you'll need to be 29" at the jack points. https://rennlist.com/forums/996-foru...l#post16425191

11� seems awfully high for a lift table - Is this just a guesstimate or is your lift table actually that high off the floor? IIRC my lift table (Harbor Freight 500 lb model - *I recommend the 1k lb if you haven�t bought yet) is in the 6-8� range, and I also used the Harbor Freight transmission jack on the tranny end�I was able to roll the engine attached to the transmission out from under the car with 3/4� to 1� clearance (it wasn�t a difficult fit - same getting it back in).

Harbor Freight lists the minimum lift heights on the 500 and 1000 lb tables as 9 1/4" and 11" respectively.

^^ I suppose my memory is a bit foggy (nothing strange/new about that!) 😉 Thanks for the clarification�

Thanks, dporto. This is a big help. I haven't bought the lift table yet.

I recommend the 1000 lbs lift, and no need for the tranny jack, the table can handle the engine and tranny combo no problem, only needed a 2X4 to support the tranny. you will need to remove the stops on the lift handles and then used pins to put back in place to move the lift.

The advantage of the tranny Jack is its low profile. It does take some finesse when moving the engine to it doesn�t come off the jack Engine on the HF tranny Jack. This shows the CG of the engine and trans.

I used a lift 550 lb lift table that had a min height of 11" under the engine and a floor jack on the trans. Car was on Quick jacks with the truck adapters and the thicker rubber blocks. I think around 27" was the most clearance I was able to achieve between the highest part of the car and the floor. I wasn't able to cleanly get the engine out from underneath but it was really close. I ended up removing the intake on the way out and installing the intake just before I raised it back up.

Little late to the party but just dropped my engine and wanted to offer a data point. Quickjack 5000TL plus truck/suv adapters and Harbor Freight 500lb lift table At the second lock point on the Quickjack, rear bumper reinforcement was 35�. This is with bumper cover and heat shields removed. Sump about 26� high. HF table 9.75� fully collapsed. Engine cleared with about one inch, did not need to remove intake manifold. Could have gotten the Quickjack about 3/4� higher if I�d needed it. No trouble with 500lb table, able to lift just fine from lowest position. The entire proposition was easy and drama-free.

Anyone know the weight of the combined engine and trans? It seems as if a 500 lb lift table would not be strong enough.

Quotes source post: 19173295

It�s about 570 combined for a 6 speed without cats/muffler. I mean, I�m not crawling under it. Others have used the 500lb table, in my case the clearance was worth the trade off. Should add, it�s got a mechanical stop about halfway up so if the cylinder leaks it�s unlikely to be catastrophic (hopefully).

Kind of a follow up to this. I was planning to use Jack stands that go to 23 inches under the rear jack points and use a HF 1000lb table. I was planning to use an engine hoist to lift the rear of the car higher when actually moving out the engine after it is dropped and then lower it on the stands again. Is there somewhere to attach a chain to the rear body once the bumper is removed that would be solid to lift the car? Would it be just easier to use railroad ties under the jackstands to just have more height anyway? Thanks