Big Red 200ES Engine Removal

[mikeytodd]

is there a way to pull this engine wothout removing the reverse shaft? the manual isnt real clear and i
havent done this on a shaft driven big red yet. i was hoping i could remove the starter motor and slide the
engine forward off of the drive shaft but not sure if it works that way. any tips would be appreciated. thanks

[Howdy]

The motor will come out without removing the reverse shaft. You have to take all the motor mounts loose and then wiggle it, and wiggle it, twist it and wiggle again. It's beena few years ( 8+ ) since I removed one, but I do remember learning new words while getting it out. LOL
Howdy

[mikeytodd]

haha! thanks for the info. i guess im gonna have to keep the whiskey bottle in the shop while i do this

[kb0nly]

I just pulled the motor on my 200ES to go through the top end a few months ago. Remove and unbolt the motor mounts, remove the exhaust header pipe, and then pull it to the left, the pull starter side, tip the motor over a bit so the head clears the front down tube then like Howdy said wiggle and pull, wiggle and pull. The driveshaft will slide right off at the knuckle and the motor will come right out. I didn't have to pull the electric starter on mine to get it in and out. I didn't even pull the carb, i just removed the gas tank, disconnected all the wiring, unbolted the intake tube from the head and left the carb and intake hanging from the airbox, and then just pulled it out to the left. I removed the front band clamp, motor side, of the driveshaft boot and left the boot on the driveshaft housing, loosen the clamp enough you can slide it back over the boot and leave it there for reinstall.

Now installation on the other hand... Thats when you will need the whiskey bottle, and make sure there is no children present for the obscenities you will be screaming at it, i know i was. Come in from the left as when you took it out, but the tricky part is getting the spring on the driveshaft to compress far enough to get the motor to slide back far enough, the driveshaft knuckle pushes against the spring, so you have to work against that spring to get it into place and line up the mounts. It took me three times longer to install it then it did to remove it. I had it pulled out and on the bench in maybe a half hour, took like two hours at least to get it back in and bolted up thanks to that spring.

[mikeytodd]

Thanks! i got the engine out today. I didnt get as frustrated as i could have because i knew it would be kind of tough. Just
the thought of getting it back in there makes me cringe though. haha

[kebby28]

Hehe, oh my god. I'm so glad to read this thread. I have removed my 200es motor about 4 or 5 times this past year... I can get it out in 20 minutes but I struggle getting it back in. I don't even mess around anymore and I take the two long bolts holding the rear end in and let it hang by the brake cables. Get my motor bolted in and then slide the rear end up into place, still swearing and dropping the knuckle a few times because of the spring but it was allot easier for me this way. I got grey hairs doing it the other way

[Big G]

Hehe, oh my god. I'm so glad to read this thread. I have removed my 200es motor about 4 or 5 times this past year... I can get it out in 20 minutes but I struggle getting it back in. I don't even mess around anymore and I take the two long bolts holding the rear end in and let it hang by the brake cables. Get my motor bolted in and then slide the rear end up into place, still swearing and dropping the knuckle a few times because of the spring but it was allot easier for me this way. I got grey hairs doing it the other way

Just curious, how come you had to remove your engine so many times Kebby? I just want to know what I should avoid!! Ha ha