Changing engine mounts, need advice and methods please....

phils89sc

Registered User
This isn't my first time changing the motor mounts on an SC, but the first time was no picnic. I used alot of very colorful adjectives the first time!!! I was going to wait till I swapped out my engine for my new one, but seeing how the other day I was under the car and saw my engine oil pan all nestled up to the crossmember, visions of cracking aluminum and engine destruction are now dancing in my head!!!!

I know that they usually come out in two pieces (stock liquid filled pieces suck hard!!!) and I know where to get the solid rubber mounts. Question is, what is the EASIEST and QUICKEST way to get the old delapitated ones out and the new ones in? I have heard that in the manual, it says to drop the fronts crossmember, but how do you do that? I didn't before and let me tell you, it sucks!!!!

I will post another message on here about once the new mounts are in, what is the best way to keep the from breaking again. Torque strap? Opinions?

Thanks

Phil Stocker
 
We really need an FAQ for this topic. I know myself as well as TBirdSCFan and Jason at least have written something on this topic at one time or another. We need to put everything together into an FAQ.
 
Search on Motor and Mounts and you get:

Here is the text from a post on doing this from underneath someone did a while back:

Kevin Varnes
Registered User
(12/15/01 12:10:07 am)
Re: motormounts: Need suggestions from anyone who has done
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Okay, here's my motor mount post. This one has been recycled a few times.

"Here you go. I posted this a few days ago for someone else:

"Well, Rich at mn12performance is having a sale for solid rubber engine and trans mounts for $75 + shipping which is a pretty damn good deal in my opinion. Jason Marsh and scperformance.com also sell the solid rubber mounts as well. Don't bother with the stock liquid filled mounts as they will fail again. I'm not sure what a shop would charge to fix them (I'd guess around $200-$300). Try to get a quote without them opening the hood It is a pain, but it is doable assuming you have a lot of patience and a decent selection of tools. I'll try to give you a quick rundown:

First, you will need to at least drop the exhaust from the downtubes to the resonator and get it out of the way. I also recommend loosening the plastic cowl pieces by the windshield. You don't have to remove them if you don't feel like it. As long as you can move them around you should be okay. I jacked up my engine under the oil pan with a chunk of 2x4 and a bottle jack (takes up less space than a regular floor jack). Make sure you keep an eye on the cowl pieces as you jack the engine up. Go slow and take your time.

Drivers Side:
You will have to disconnect the steering linkage either above or below the rag joint(can't remember which). There is a bolt that locks the two shafts together. Before you separate the shafts, make sure you mark their relation to each other so you can put them back together in the same position. The upper shaft should push back into the passenger compartment a little ways to get it out of the way. There are three mount to block bolts, one mount through bolt and one mount to frame bolt. The mount to frame bolt is accesible from the rear and one of the mount to block bolts is accesible from the rear as well. The two front mount to block bolts are the biggest pain of this entire job. You can get to them from the front with some extensions and a u-joint or two. The mount through bolt is also accesible from the front. You should be able to get to it with a long extension. One note, I did not remove anything from the front of the engine (IC, IC tubes, accessories, etc...) and I had room to do the job. It would probably be easier to do it with all of that stuff removed, but I didn't feel like resealing the IC tubes. You will have to jack the motor up a good bit and it takes a bit of wrestling, but the mount will come out from the rear. It is most likely in two pieces, so this should not be too difficult. Take the mount apart and reassemble with the new piece. Getting it back in is tricky, but it will go back in (remember to keep an eye on the plastic cowling while you jack the engine up!). I recommend starting the front two mount to block bolts, then start the rear mount to block bolt then install the through bolt and mount to frame bolt. Once you have them all started then go back through and tighten them down. Make sure you reinstall any ground straps that are bolted to the mount.

Passenger Side:
After tackling the driver's side, you won't believe how much room you have to work with on the passenger side. It looks easier, but can be just as tricky. The front two mount to block bolts and mount through bolt are easily accessible from the front. There is no mount to frame bolt on this side. The rear mount to block bolt is also easily accessible from the rear. The tricky part on this side is the knock sensor is right in the way. I suppose you could remove the knock sensor, but doing so would drain all of the coolant from the block and I didn't feel like dealing with that. What you can do is CAREFULLY bend the knock sensor shield down and out of the way. It will bend, just be careful not to break the O2 sensor. Getting the old mount out and the new mount in is the most difficult part on this side. I had to wrestle with both of the mounts that I did to get them in and out. For some reason the 94 was a lot easier than the 89 in this aspect. Reinstall the bolts and then tighten them down. Again, make sure to reconnect any ground straps bolted to the mounts.

Take your time and take a break if you get frustrated (you will) before you get mad and start breaking things. I would plan on about 6 hours if you've never done this before.

Good luck" "


Kevin Varnes '89 XR7 5 Speed '95 SC 5 Speed Grand Rapids, MI
 
Motor Mounts

Your best bet would be to do a search on motor mounts here in the forums. A few guys have posted very good tips on how to tackle this project. Personally, I took the long way, and removed the air cleaner assembly, the exhaust (from the cats to the resonator), the Intercooler, Intercooler tubes, alternator, coil pack, drive belts (of course), front ground strap, and BOTH accessory brackets. I did NOT remove the starter, the knock sensor, the Power Steering Pump, or the A/C Compressor (these two last ones can be just moved out of the way after the accessory brackets are removed), It was more time-consuming rather than difficult. If you have any questions, post them here and these gurus will help you out. Good luck.
 
after you do it once...

then you 'll be able to do it in the half the time if there is a next time.
Oh yeah, don't lose your temper . I bet my whole neighborhood heard me ranting when I did em last.
later
 
You have excellent advice already. I used the Jason Marsh instructions. Only thing to add is to have a bigg cheater bar and some 1/2 inch drive stuff: wobble extensions, reg. extensions and ujoints and 6 point sockets. The bolts going into the block can be cooked in there over the years by the exh manifolds.
 
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