hover_one
Veteran Member
Sorry, no photos--I spent my allowance on car parts instead of a digital camera.
After e-mail consultation with Herm (thanks! /images/graemlins/grin.gif), I orderd my parts and they came in yesterday. I was successful in replacing the front motor mount today and ran out of time so I had to reassemble and get home...I will have the other ones done soon, but I learned some things today that may be of help in the future. First and foremost--the only way that any motor mount "just drops in" is if the old one is out of the way first.
I didn't have an overhead engine hoist, so I had to lift the engine from the bottom with a floor jack. If doing so, be careful where you place the jack under the engine. I may have at one point jacked it up too high, because the hose from my MAF disconnected itself. No telling what else flexed a bit far... overhead hoist is probably the best way to go.
Pull both front wheels and you can see the left and right rear mounts (that doesn't mean you can reach all of the bolts).
1. FRONT MOUNT: If you've changed the oil filter you know what a pain it is jockeying that item into place and then spinning it on in some contorted position. Our beloved cars do not provide a lot of working room. Look closely at the mount you are taking out. Two metal "fingers" are on a tab that stabilizes the thing. know where they were when you started so the next one will look like that when you finish. This ties together because you will have to twist and turn and convince the darned thing into place-- THEN sure enough, it "just drops in." It takes an 8mm allen wrench or a tool that fits into a socket to "become" an 8mm allen wrench for the bottom of the front mount. I didn't have to fully remove the starter, but the bolt did have to come out. SAFETY TIP--go ahead and disconnect the battery because when your wrench arcs on a hot connection while working near the starter, everyone in the auto craft-shop will call you "Sparky" for the remainder of the day /images/graemlins/rolleyes.gif)
2. RIGHT REAR mount(near the timing belt): I didn't get this one all the way out. The two bolts that go through the flange on the mount are relatively easy enough to remove with a box/crescent wrench, the top bolt has an extra bracket with some electrical connections on it that come off with a 13mm socket and about 18 inches of extensions, accessible from the top--note--car up on jacks, awkward position, its a long way up, to see and get back down in. I needed a chair to stand on. The motor mount top bolt goes through and secures to an aluminum bracket that attaches to the engine with 4 bolts. I was able to remove the four bolts and free up this bracket (with the motor mount still attached) and was able to rotate it around so I could see the top bolt (working underneath the car), but could never get enough leverage to undo it and reassemble it in place, or get it out the top. The two items were too big to remove as a unit to take to a bench and r&r the old mount (the driveshaft to the rt front wheel was in the way...) You can clearly see how the two fingers on the lid "straddle" an edge on the aluminum mount to stabilize it from spinning. I reassembled this side.
3. LEFT REAR mount (near the transmission) What a PITA. Another one where you can get to the bolts that go to the flanges on the mount, but there is another aluminum bracket that the mount attaches to that I just couldn't remove. This is the one that everybody says is not designed to come completely out. I agree. I couldn't get in there, and the access to the bolts is a BEAR. I'll probably take this to a professional and have it done.
It was a great day under the car, and the good part is that even though I only got one mount (the front) replaced, the car already feels smoother, and it didn't jerk and shudder in first gear coming home. I'm going to re-attack the right rear as soon as I have a few hours again. I hope this helps somebody sometime.
John
After e-mail consultation with Herm (thanks! /images/graemlins/grin.gif), I orderd my parts and they came in yesterday. I was successful in replacing the front motor mount today and ran out of time so I had to reassemble and get home...I will have the other ones done soon, but I learned some things today that may be of help in the future. First and foremost--the only way that any motor mount "just drops in" is if the old one is out of the way first.
I didn't have an overhead engine hoist, so I had to lift the engine from the bottom with a floor jack. If doing so, be careful where you place the jack under the engine. I may have at one point jacked it up too high, because the hose from my MAF disconnected itself. No telling what else flexed a bit far... overhead hoist is probably the best way to go.
Pull both front wheels and you can see the left and right rear mounts (that doesn't mean you can reach all of the bolts).
1. FRONT MOUNT: If you've changed the oil filter you know what a pain it is jockeying that item into place and then spinning it on in some contorted position. Our beloved cars do not provide a lot of working room. Look closely at the mount you are taking out. Two metal "fingers" are on a tab that stabilizes the thing. know where they were when you started so the next one will look like that when you finish. This ties together because you will have to twist and turn and convince the darned thing into place-- THEN sure enough, it "just drops in." It takes an 8mm allen wrench or a tool that fits into a socket to "become" an 8mm allen wrench for the bottom of the front mount. I didn't have to fully remove the starter, but the bolt did have to come out. SAFETY TIP--go ahead and disconnect the battery because when your wrench arcs on a hot connection while working near the starter, everyone in the auto craft-shop will call you "Sparky" for the remainder of the day /images/graemlins/rolleyes.gif)
2. RIGHT REAR mount(near the timing belt): I didn't get this one all the way out. The two bolts that go through the flange on the mount are relatively easy enough to remove with a box/crescent wrench, the top bolt has an extra bracket with some electrical connections on it that come off with a 13mm socket and about 18 inches of extensions, accessible from the top--note--car up on jacks, awkward position, its a long way up, to see and get back down in. I needed a chair to stand on. The motor mount top bolt goes through and secures to an aluminum bracket that attaches to the engine with 4 bolts. I was able to remove the four bolts and free up this bracket (with the motor mount still attached) and was able to rotate it around so I could see the top bolt (working underneath the car), but could never get enough leverage to undo it and reassemble it in place, or get it out the top. The two items were too big to remove as a unit to take to a bench and r&r the old mount (the driveshaft to the rt front wheel was in the way...) You can clearly see how the two fingers on the lid "straddle" an edge on the aluminum mount to stabilize it from spinning. I reassembled this side.
3. LEFT REAR mount (near the transmission) What a PITA. Another one where you can get to the bolts that go to the flanges on the mount, but there is another aluminum bracket that the mount attaches to that I just couldn't remove. This is the one that everybody says is not designed to come completely out. I agree. I couldn't get in there, and the access to the bolts is a BEAR. I'll probably take this to a professional and have it done.
It was a great day under the car, and the good part is that even though I only got one mount (the front) replaced, the car already feels smoother, and it didn't jerk and shudder in first gear coming home. I'm going to re-attack the right rear as soon as I have a few hours again. I hope this helps somebody sometime.
John
