Morning All:
I’ve noticed that the air box is sitting on the top frame rail so it’s time to replace the engine mounts, or at least the RHS mount. The ROM doesn’t address this other than “undo the fasteners”. I’ve searched the archives and see that it is possible to replace them with the engine in place but the actual process wasn’t described. I want to remove as few parts as possible and am hoping that someone who has done this can run through the steps. Much appreciated!
Jeff
Jack the sump a little bit and the remainder is common sense…
The Parts Manual shows you what is connected to what.
kind regards
Marek
Just recently did this…I went ahead and took of the inner fender skirts. I don’t believe this is a requirements, but it makes it much easier to undo the motor mounts. Other than that, just place a block of wood across the sump and slightly jack it up. Jeff S. Atlanta, GA
Thanks for the replies. It’s not too often that I find things very straight forward with this car so I wanted to ask before I get into it.
Jeff
My engine is out of the car so I can’t help with that aspect.
Here are a few pix that may help you visualize the process
The next two show the sides of the engine:
I think you may be able to remove the rubber mount without removing the assembly. It is held in place with a single 9/16 bolt. It’ll be a tight fit to get in there to remove just the rubber mount.
You can buy left & right side mount heat shields or make your own. Here is a close up of home made shields. A single hole in it fits over the stud in the rubber and the shield is then pinched between the steel mount and engine side.
With these items off my engine I can provide any pix/close-ups you need
Craig
1+ on the above, very straightforward though small hands help. I needed a little extra lift for aftermarket SUs to clear the frame rails, SNG also sells extra spacers if needed.
Thank you Craig, this is very helpful. I was able to see how it all goes together by looking at the parts manual. I’m not too sure how straight forward this is. I can’t see how I can get to the nut on the stud, my hands just aren’t that small. Maybe it’s easier to remove the entire assembly. I guess I won’t know for sure until I get in there and take a good look. One further question, does the rear engine mount need to be loosened before slightly jacking up the engine?
Thanks for the help.
Jeff
Rear engine mount does not need to be loosened (at least in my case). It takes some work, but you can get to the bolts on either side of the mount. I did not have to move the complete mount from the block. As I mentioned, I did remove the wheel well splash shield which takes some time, but gives easier access. I also had to install an additional spacer to level out the engine. Jeff S. Atlanta, GA
Hi Jeff -
I finally got around to this and removed the splash shield as well as the alternator mounting bracket (and alternator) in order to remove the nut on that single stud. I couldn’t get enough leverage to loosen it going at it the other way, the wrench kept fouling with the exhaust manifold.
So now that I’m ready to remove it do also need to remove the two bolts on the ears of the opposite mount (LHS)to lift the engine? Logic tells me “yes” because I don’t think the mount on the LHS side will distort enough to allow for removal of the RHS mount, but then I’m concerned that I’ll never get the holes to line up again if I do this.
I have found that “straight forward” operations are rarely straight forward with this car and to be forewarned is to be prepared.
Jeff
Jeff, If you are only replacing one side (assuming this is the passenger side, since it gets the bulk of the punishment, you should be able to replace it without touching the other side. Again, on mine, I disconnected the two bolts on either side of the mount and then the one single bolt in the center of the mount and it came out. Worse case, I think one time I ended up taking the mount off the sub-frame, its only four bolts, so it was not that much additional work.
It is a pain of a job and I wish someone would make a better quality replacement, but I think that is basically where we are at with most rubber products… I replaced my motor mounts on my daily driver (Porsche 996 Targa) and after 6 months, they started to fail again. JS
Just a pointer when replacing the mount, it should have a fibrous L shaped heat shield to provide some longevity to the rubber. It is not uncommon for these to have rotted or broken off. Make something similar to provide this protection and the mount stands a chance of lasting that bit longer.
Engine Mount Follow Up
I successfully replaced the RHS motor mount this afternoon. I found that Jeff Smith’s suggestion to loosen the RHS mount bracket very helpful. I jacked up the engine and the mount dropped out as everyone said it would. Thanks for the advice - I might not have tackled it if it wasn’t for you folks.
Jeff MacGregor
Great that it worked out… a pain of a job, but very satisfying. JS
