How difficult is it to remove engine? 1995 Itasca diesel

[joestewart]

Has anyone ever personally done this? I'm talking about removing and replacing the 5.9liter Cummins engine in the 1995 Itasca Suncruiser. I have a chance to purchase a Suncruiser with a burnt engine (melted pistons due to overheating). I'm imagining that the motor could be dropped down and rolled on a jack out the back of the motorhome after the cowlings are removed? I would do all the labor myself, but I have never worked on a motorhome before and I'm wondering if I'm getting in over my head. Are there any motorhome mechanics out there that have experience on this particular motorhome. Please advise. Thanks for any input!

[AFChap]

Thinking about that reminds me of removing the engine from VW vans ...some of the earlier ones had a cross member under the engine access door that could be removed so the body only had to be raised up a foot or so to roll the engine out ...later models had a non-removable cross member so you had to lift the entire van several feet upward OR have a pit you could lower the engine into. On my '03 Ultimate, the lower fiberglass "bumper" portion of the rear end can be removed without having to remove the upper part of the rear cap, which would allow the engine to be pulled out the rear. Hopefully the Suncruiser also has a two-piece rear cap that would allow you to remove the lower portion without having to remove the upper half. It does sound like a big job, but it should be doable with the right equipment.

[joestewart]

Engine and tranny probably come out as a unit, right? This motorhome has the six speed Allison.

I'm gonna take a good look at this machine this coming saturday (I haven't seen it yet - acutally I've never even seen a Suncruiser up close before).

I should be able to get a good idea if I can do it or not. I have been made aware (by others) that motor home manufacturers did not always keep this in mind (that is, removing and replacing engines) when they designed their motor homes.

If anyone on this board has ever dropped a motor out of a mid '90s Suncruiser, I'd love to hear from you and determine what I'm up against.

Thanks. J. Stewart