I am looking at replacing the engine cradle on a 99 sunfire and need to find out how many hrs of labor this usually is so I can weigh my options. Anyone have access to this info?

3.5 hours



ASE Master Certified Automotive Technician

Are all of the Jbody sub frames the same or were there differences between ohv/2.4/eco?

well im pretty sure theres only minor differences in the auto vs manual.

In my auto 2200 (2001) it takes me about 20mins round trip.



Buildin' n' Boostin for 08' - Alex Richards

20 minutes round trip? that's pretty quick to replace the cradle. I think 3.5 hrs sounds like it might be right. Thanks.

3.5 applies to ALL models and engines in 3rd gen Js

and dont forget an alignment in there too



ASE Master Certified Automotive Technician

Shadowfire wrote:Are all of the Jbody sub frames the same or were there differences between ohv/2.4/eco?

I guess I should rephrase that. Are there any differences in the sub frames? IE: Would a sub frame from a 2.4 auto work with my 2.2ohv manual?

20 minutes

nope, not happening.



Riddle me this... riddle me that...

Well lets think about what we define as an engine cradle.

Because the part I'm looking at as the engine cradle is the part that cradles the motor. In my case its the same mount that the torque strut bolts through on the front (motor) side.

The lower front sub frame that the control arms are mounted from does not even bolt to the transmission let alone the motor. So How is that an engine cradle? The only thing remotely related would be the torque strut which bolts through the cradle and the sub frame.

Sometimes the terminology that pops up in this industry is a little far fetched.

For the sub frame, yes 3.5hrs sounds right...and the alignment would be a good idea too. But engine cradle? Sounds like two different parts to me.



Buildin' n' Boostin for 08' - Alex Richards

I got the term "Engine Cradle" from the OEM parts catalog, so it appears that it's the official name for what I would also call "subframe". One of the reasons I asked using just the engine cradle term is because if one was to look up this info in a labor time guide, it probably would be listed under the official name for the part (one might assume at least ). Anyway, I appreciate the info, thanks all.

with proper tools 20 minutes is feasible



swapped, supercharged, intercooled, 2.9, fun

20 minutes to remove the 'cradle' and engine mount, yes...

20 minutes to remove the sub-frame and everything attached to it, no way in hell.