And today we saw the removal of an engine, but before we got to that point, I decided it would be wise to get all the fuel out of Christan's tank, before she left. This left me with a rather interesting situation, as I simply don't have the jerrycan solution other people have. But! I do have a rather nice siphon pump and a 5 liter water bottle, stored in the garage for weeks, awaiting just such a task.

Here they are in action.

Both my wife's golf and Lady were quite happy for the donation in fuel. Guess I won't be visiting the pumps next week after all. The interesting thing about that pump is that you can leave it and allow the fuel to flow after having given it a few pumps. If you choose to sand and pump it however, 5 litter bottles get filled up in under 30 seconds.

But! Here is the real focus of the day:

Now, some people will tell you all kinds of elaborate stories about using 2 and 5 ton jacks and an assortment of jack stands to get these engines out. Personally, I go for the relaxed, less hazardous way of getting the job done:

My secret weapon... a 2 ton block-n-tackle. Yes, it does take far more time to get everything set up and ready, especially the part where you wrap a rope around the engine. Unfortunately, taking the boot off isn't an option either. But, when working alone, I find that this gives me far more control over the engine and I don't have to worry about dropping it. So, for that extra 15 minutes, I get less back pain and more certainty.
That's fair trade in my book.

The procedure is rather simple, just secure the engine to the block and tackle with decent rope and common sense.

Then loosen your bolts and slowly lower the engine on to one of these:

I went and priced some of those "mechanic-roller-boards" at my local tools supplier. My eyes popped when I saw what was being charged for it. So I decided to make a trip to the hardware store, got myself 12 of these swivel-wheels and some shelving. Now I have two of these boards. Manufacturing them cost me less than half of the price I saw at the tools supplier, and they do the job just as well.

Now that the engine is out, you can see the bracket that some clown decided to weld right over a bolt. That's why the rear bumper isn't off yet.

Last but not least, all three engines in one picture:

I think I will call them "The three Musketeers" or would that be just to damn cheesy?