Big end bearing cap removal? Help?

Can anyone help me figure out how to remove the bearing caps from my big end bearings. I have removed the bolts but can't seem to get the caps off. Am I missing something? 

A gentle tap with a nylon / dead blow hammer to break the oil seal that is holding them on.

Remember to check the marks so your sure that when you refit they go back on correctly.

**Cleanliness is key here! lint free rags, no dirty fingers etc etc**

I've removed piston 4 because that was in the down position too. It seemed a lot easier than piston 1. The bearing cap doesn't seem to break free from the con rod no matter how I tap it. I've considered lightly threading the nuts back on and tapping the nut upwards to break them free. 
Is there any tricks you can try to break the bearing cap free from the con rod.

The big end bearing cap should require only gentle persuasion to come away from the con rod.
If it's that tight you may find problems under there!


Ensure the crank is at bottom dead centre.
Ensure you are making a direct strike up and through the con rod, not at an angle.
Unscrew the nuts a little and strike the studs away from the big end cap. This should push the piston up the bore and loosen the bearing cap.
 I cannot stress enough that you must use the right tools here our you will do more harm than good. At the very most a copper mallet or drift, anything harder than that and you will cause irreparable damage and those components will need to be replaced.

Is the engine still in the car? I'm assuming it is? Obviously that means the lowest position for the crank will not be straight down but angled slightly towards the front of the car.

Where do I get a copper mallet or drift from I've looked in stores and online but I can't seem to find one. 

Thank you for the reply it's really helped me. 

Blimey, good question, I've had mine years and years
Thorhammer.com make exactly that. As for a drift, brass is very good.

You really should not be having such difficulties removing the cap though which is worrying.
Just to make sure you haven't misaligned the two parts in previous removal attempts I would leave the nuts on a good few turns, loose but not hanging off, then turn the crank 30 degrees clockwise / 60 degrees anti clockwise / 60 degrees clockwise.
Do it gently, no force should be required, and the gentle rocking motion really should seperate the two parts.

So just thread the nuts on a little bit and rock the crank back a forth a little bit sort of thing? I'm heading over to b&q now to see if they have any copper drifts because it's raining lol. 

Yes that's exactly right, the nuts will stop the cap falling when it comes loose because it mustn't get damaged, and it will help protect the crank.
I would spin the nuts all the way to the crank, then back off a turn.
When the cap comes loose, stop and remove    

Just driven to Halfords to try and get some lights to work in the dark, going to shut myself in the garage. Heading to b&q so see if they've got a copper mallet to tap it with. They're coming off tonight!! Stand by for pictures all. 

If I have misaligned something, if I tighten the bolts back on and then loosen it a turn would realign it? 

Maybe, but it also might just dig in and cause damage. These components are precision engineered and can be surprisingly delicate. Believe me I've spent a lifetime putting this sort of thing right

Try the rocking method first.
let me know how easy it is to turn the crank?
With the head off it should turn real easy.

It's turning really easy. One side of the bearing cap yet the other side seems to still be together and I can't seem to pull it down or push it up? 

Ok, the cap will only come off it's square. The shouldered part of the bolt will not allow it too come off pi**ed.
Either do up the nut on the side that is coming away
(Make sure the other nut is suitably loosened to allow the cap to move off) or strike that side with the aforementioned soft drift (a wooden shaft will do for this purpose) and as the cap realigns it will start to come away.