Wilmington and Millsboro Auto Repair

When you need to swap out engines on a Mini Cooper, you might be surprised to learn that the whole front of the car needs to be removed. The front clip as it's called, is removed to gain favorable access to the engine and all accessories such as the air conditioning compressor, power steering pump, alternator and other pulleys. This gives you a clear view of the entire engine bay.  Once the front clip is off, we remove the belts, hoses, and all fuel lines, a/c lines and air box. The engine will be pulled out straight away from the body. Once we have it out and rested on our movable bench, we begin to dissect it. That means, we're taking off all of the parts that get swapped over to the new (used in this case) one. MINI Parts like spark plug wires, manifolds, pumps, alternators and other pieces necessary to get the engine back in running condition.  After its finally set up, it's re-installed just about the ... read more

Ford F-150 Engine Swap With the loud knocking noise coming from the left bank of this 2010 Ford F150 pick up truck, we knew that ultimately we would have to change out the engine. The owner elected to go with a cost effective, low mileage used motor that would fit their budget.  There are a few different ways to remove and engine from these units, but our tech, Ryan Craner, elected to use the "cab-off" method to save time. This involves separating the front cab and lifting it up and away from the engine and chassis, fully exposing the engine and transmission completely. Take a look at the video we've included in this blog post.  Removing and replacing an engine in a Ford F150 isn't so bad if you can take the cab off. Yes, it does require a lift (for safety and saving time) so I wouldn't recommend this particular procedure if you don't have one. You can take it out through the front (remove a/c condenser, radiator, etc) or via the hood area.  ... read more