You might be able to get it done without pulling the engine, but I wouldn’t. Honing while leaving the crank in is asking for trouble (either damaging the crank with the hone and/or leaving debris that stays in the engine and gets caught in the bearings). Pulling it out, on the other hand, will allow you to replace the rear main seal, check the clutch, possibly do the front seal on the gearbox.
They’re a big heavy donk, but do it once the right way and you won’t regret it. I tried ‘cheating’ a few times over the past few years (using second-hand engines, etc), but I didn’t fix my woes until I pulled it down and did it properly.


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