Replacing front cross-member without taking engine out - Toyota GR86, 86, FR-S and Subaru BRZ Forum & Owners Community

RapidEntropy · 07-13-2020, 08:24 AM

I noticed that my front left wheel is set back by almost 2 centimeters, and inspected the front suspension.

Looks like my front cross-member is bent where it connects to the control arm, and i'm looking to replace them both but i am unsure if this could be replaced without taking out the engine.

Does anyone know if i could jack up the engine by a bit, undo the engine mounts from the subframe ( keep them attached to the engine ) and replace the cross-member? Is there enough space to get it out?

86TOYO2k17 · 07-13-2020, 06:59 PM

Should be able to don’t see why you couldn’t. May want an engine hoist instead of jack for safety.

86TOYO2k17 · 07-13-2020, 07:35 PM

If you want any other pics let me know. My cars always under the knife, luckily for elective surgery.

Turdinator · 07-13-2020, 11:30 PM

I suspect it would be one of those things where you'd do so much extra work to avoid taking the engine out that you should have just taken the engine out in the first place.

soundman98 · 07-13-2020, 11:52 PM

i'd be much more concerned with the forces involved and what else was affected than just the replacement of a single piece. crossmembers don't just bend with a small pothole...

86TOYO2k17 · 07-14-2020, 12:41 AM

There’s really not too much to getting the cross member out. Should be able to undo engine mount nuts from cross member, support engine, undo bolt for swaybar to end link each side, undo 4 bolts each side on frame mount brackets drop sway bar assembly, remove nut/bolt from lower suspension arm assembly on both sides, and then remove the 4 bolts from cross member assembly and drop cross member.

I wouldn’t trust working around a jack with engine overhead (especially with cross member out) if no access to hoist I would jack car up 2” after remove mount nuts put something real stable,sturdy, and solid under oil pan to support it and slowly drop csr back down on stands. Should get engine off mounts without using jack.

Also as mentioned would be odd to have that be the only failure/issue.

Also full disclaimer I haven’t done this. But looking around under there it really doesn’t look to hard.

kevtronzero · 07-14-2020, 12:51 AM

Support the engine with a engine support bar and then drop the cross member.

RapidEntropy · 07-14-2020, 04:45 AM

Thanks for the replies!

I agree that using a jack isn't the safest option, i'll look into using a hoist to lift and hold the engine.

The previous owner won't tell exactly what he did with the car but my best guess is he hit a curb straight on, and probably did a cheap repair by not fixing everything.

As far as other bent parts, i checked some diagrams and it seems that the Suspension Control Arm Retainer allows for some play since it's able to rotate around where it is bolted on.

I will replace the subframe, control arm, retainer and frame piece as i think those could all be slightly bent.

See 50515B for the frame piece:

See 20216 for the Suspension Control Arm Retainer:

07-13-2020, 08:24 AM	#1
RapidEntropy Junior Member Join Date: Jul 2020 Drives: 2013 GT86 Limited Location: The Netherlands Posts: 6 Thanks: 0 Thanked 1 Time in 1 Post Mentioned: 0 Post(s) Tagged: 0 Thread(s)	Replacing front cross-member without taking engine out I noticed that my front left wheel is set back by almost 2 centimeters, and inspected the front suspension. Looks like my front cross-member is bent where it connects to the control arm, and i'm looking to replace them both but i am unsure if this could be replaced without taking out the engine. Does anyone know if i could jack up the engine by a bit, undo the engine mounts from the subframe ( keep them attached to the engine ) and replace the cross-member? Is there enough space to get it out?

07-13-2020, 06:59 PM	#2
86TOYO2k17 Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2018 Drives: 2017 toyota 86 Location: PNW Posts: 2,131 Thanks: 336 Thanked 1,188 Times in 781 Posts Mentioned: 16 Post(s) Tagged: 0 Thread(s)	Should be able to don’t see why you couldn’t. May want an engine hoist instead of jack for safety. Attached Images

07-13-2020, 11:52 PM	#5
soundman98 ProCrastinationConsultant Join Date: Sep 2013 Drives: '14 Ranger, '18 Tacoma 4Dr LB Location: chicago-ish Posts: 11,330 Thanks: 35,240 Thanked 13,673 Times in 6,781 Posts Mentioned: 98 Post(s) Tagged: 0 Thread(s)	i'd be much more concerned with the forces involved and what else was affected than just the replacement of a single piece. crossmembers don't just bend with a small pothole... __________________ "The time you enjoy wasting is not wasted time"

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07-13-2020, 07:35 PM	#3
86TOYO2k17 Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2018 Drives: 2017 toyota 86 Location: PNW Posts: 2,131 Thanks: 336 Thanked 1,188 Times in 781 Posts Mentioned: 16 Post(s) Tagged: 0 Thread(s)	If you want any other pics let me know. My cars always under the knife, luckily for elective surgery.

07-14-2020, 12:41 AM	#6
86TOYO2k17 Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2018 Drives: 2017 toyota 86 Location: PNW Posts: 2,131 Thanks: 336 Thanked 1,188 Times in 781 Posts Mentioned: 16 Post(s) Tagged: 0 Thread(s)	There’s really not too much to getting the cross member out. Should be able to undo engine mount nuts from cross member, support engine, undo bolt for swaybar to end link each side, undo 4 bolts each side on frame mount brackets drop sway bar assembly, remove nut/bolt from lower suspension arm assembly on both sides, and then remove the 4 bolts from cross member assembly and drop cross member. I wouldn’t trust working around a jack with engine overhead (especially with cross member out) if no access to hoist I would jack car up 2” after remove mount nuts put something real stable,sturdy, and solid under oil pan to support it and slowly drop csr back down on stands. Should get engine off mounts without using jack. Also as mentioned would be odd to have that be the only failure/issue. Also full disclaimer I haven’t done this. But looking around under there it really doesn’t look to hard.

07-14-2020, 12:51 AM	#7
kevtronzero Member Join Date: Jun 2014 Drives: 2013 Subaru BRZ / 2011 Lexus ISF Location: San Jose, CA Posts: 15 Thanks: 0 Thanked 7 Times in 5 Posts Mentioned: 0 Post(s) Tagged: 0 Thread(s)	Support the engine with a engine support bar and then drop the cross member.

07-14-2020, 04:45 AM	#8
RapidEntropy Junior Member Join Date: Jul 2020 Drives: 2013 GT86 Limited Location: The Netherlands Posts: 6 Thanks: 0 Thanked 1 Time in 1 Post Mentioned: 0 Post(s) Tagged: 0 Thread(s)	Thanks for the replies! I agree that using a jack isn't the safest option, i'll look into using a hoist to lift and hold the engine. The previous owner won't tell exactly what he did with the car but my best guess is he hit a curb straight on, and probably did a cheap repair by not fixing everything. As far as other bent parts, i checked some diagrams and it seems that the Suspension Control Arm Retainer allows for some play since it's able to rotate around where it is bolted on. I will replace the subframe, control arm, retainer and frame piece as i think those could all be slightly bent. See 50515B for the frame piece: See 20216 for the Suspension Control Arm Retainer:

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