Corvette

Some of us hate to bring our vehicle to the auto shop. Most hate it because it is expensive. But some hate to because they love their cars and they like to fix it up themselves. For those of you who are trying to improve their engine in their C5 Corvette then you need to know how to properly remove the engine.

But pulling the engine on the C5 is a little different than what most enthusiasts are used to doing. That’s because the best way to do it is to lift the body off the engine, torque tube, transmission, and front and rear suspension units that make up the “spine” of the C5 Corvette. While the idea of doing this to your baby might sound much more daunting than “just” pulling the engine, removing the drivetrain unit is actually quite straightforward. So let’s begin!

As always, whenever working on your vehicle, disconnect the battery cables first. this is especially important with this process as it involves removing the Powertrain Control Module (PCM), the alternator, and most of the underhood electrical system. Handling any of these components or systems while powered could be dangerous on many fronts. Today’s new vehicles often have their drivetrains installed in the vehicles from below the body structure when originally built, and the C5 Corvette is no different. Because of this, the easiest way to remove the engine/drivetrain is by lifting the body off the drivetrain with a two-post, four-point lift.

To get the shifter unbolted from the interior, remove the two 10mm nuts that go on these studs. They are located underneath the trim bezel that contains the traction control button. To get to this area, you must remove the three Torx-15 screws holding the ashtray in place. Using a radiator hook tool, carefully pull up on these fastener closeouts to access the 10mm nuts. These show “pry” damage easily, so be cautious as you pull up on them. Remove the 10mm nuts that were under the closeouts.

Now you can pull up on the shifter boot and then place your hands on each side of the console and peel its edges out while pulling up. You need to peel the edges out to release the small tangs on the console. Carefully maneuver the plastic cover past the shifter arm and parking brake lever to gain access to the fasteners holding the shifter in place. Remove the three Torx-40 bolts holding the shifter closeout plate in place. Remove the four Torx-25 bolts holding the shifter on the transmission.

Now remove the shifter mechanism from the interior by wiggling it off the shaft at the rear of the shifter arm to release it. a tip: lock the transmission in neutral by pushing down on the little tang in the transmission opening. The legs of the two-post lift should be placed in these locations on the bottom of your C5. Notice the wood blocks being used to shim the mounts off the body-these are required as the body on the C5 Corvette scoops under to the framerail.

A few companies manufacture lift blocks that nest in the C5 body structure lift holes (like SPX and Kent-Moore), or you can just use small pieces of 2×4 wood blocks like these to keep the lift legs from touching the body panels that wrap under the vehicle. With the vehicle up on the four-point lift, remove the exhaust system tubing that runs down the center of the vehicle. This Vette has an aftermarket long-tube header exhaust system on it, but the stock components remove in similar fashion-unbolt them and pull off vehicle.

Move to the rear of the vehicle to remove the two frame mounts on the rear sway bar to allow the sway bar to swing down. This makes room to slide the rear section of the exhaust out from under the vehicle (once it has been unbolted from its hangers). Move back to the center of the vehicle to remove the many bolts that hold the chassis stiffener plate in place. It might help to have an electric or pneumatic driver to get these off as there are a lot of them. Lower the plate out of the vehicle and store.

The brake lines that run down the drivetrain tunnel to the rear calipers need to be unclipped from the side of the tunnel. This is to free them from the body/frame assembly as they will come out with the drivetrain. Be careful here as the lock tabs on the clips can get brittle from the exhaust heat and break easily. If you do break them, they can either be replaced or the brake lines simply placed back in the clips without the “lock” tab on the clip.

One of the more tricky portions of the drivetrain removal is the separation of the clutch hydraulic line dry-break connection. This is best accomplished with a radiator hook tool and pliers to push the plastic ring into the connector body to release the small tangs inside. Take your time here as the lip of the plastic ring often becomes brittle from the exhaust heat and will break off easily. At the rear of the vehicle, disconnect the anti-lock braking (ABS) electrical connector on the driver-side rear lower A-arm by lifting the locking tang and pulling the male and female connectors apart.

Using a 22mm socket, remove the two bolts holding each of the rear calipers on its upright and hang the caliper on the lower A-arm with a small piece of wire. With a tall jackstand holding the lower A-arm just below it’s fully supported height, loosen the lower ball joint (using an 18mm socket) until the spring force releases the ball joint from the upright.