Motor Mount Testimonial

MartianBob

Registered User
It was an adventure but did not have to be. 94 SC 5 speed.

I notice the oil pan sitting on the cross member - driver side; rubbing but no hole yet. I guess it's time to you know what...

I'm about to go on vacation so it's a great time drop my car at a shop; I normally do all the work- but this job sounded like a good job to farm out.

Well, my "Knowledgable SC Mechanic" in central Ca. wanted $600 bucks just for labor! This was after we talked in person for 45 minutes about SC's. Nice guy but I think I'll pay myself $600 bucks this weekend.

I did this in my not flat driveway. Alone. You must use 1/2" tools; ratchet/breaker bar + 10" extenstion, one u-joint, and 6 pnt. 13 mm. sockets (deep and normal). All mount bolts are 13 mm except for an extra (15 mm) jam nut on the passenger side. I highly recomend spraying down all the bolts with something before trying to remove them, a few of them were about to break durring removal, it was nerve wracking! It was not easy to spray them either. Also, I found it quite handy to wrap my u-joint with tape so I could aim it...

Remove the 6 screws that hold the plastic cowling under the wipers. Pull off the plastic gaskett the length of the hood. This is to make wake way for the engine you are about to jack up.

Remove the front wheels and get it up high enough to be comfy underneath; you're going to spend some time down there. A couple of Large stands will do.

Get under and jack up the engine with a block of wood beneath the oil pan - go slow and check it out - don't break anything!

Driver Side (5 mount bolts)

I started by removing the Power Pack, Alt., Pwr Str pully, then loosened and slid forward the entire accsesory bracket with P.S pump, but this was NOT Necessary! This gave me a look at a the bottom through bolt, but I had to put the bracket back on the studs to get access to the bolt. I used a 10'' extension - no wobblies or U-joints required for this bolt. This Could Have Been Done Without Removing Anything!!!

2 bolts from front top bracket <-> engine are accessed through the wheel well (wheel removed); U-joint and 10"++ ext. required. These puppies were supper tight, I thought I was going to break the bolt so I sprayed them with Break-Free and took a break.

Now remove the steering joint (2 bolts).
The top bracket rear <=> engine bolt is easy to see and access from below - start getting comfortable down there.
The bottom bracket to frame bolt cannot be seen, but you can feel it and get a 1/2 ratchet up there.

If the mount is not in two pieces, then cut it in 2, or take the 2 - (10 mm) bolts out of the bottom bracket. The mount/bracket pieces should come out without much trouble.

You'll need a vice to get the mount loose from the top bracket.
Now bolt the new mount to the top bracket while it's in the vice.

Get back under the car, get the two pieces up there, then assemble the thing.
Now fight the mount back into position (not too bad).
Install the 3 top mount <-> engine bolts first!
Lower the engine slowly and pry the mount a little if neccessary to put in the last two bolts. Done! Have another beer!

Passenger Side (4 mount bolts) :
Bolts are much easier to get to, but the mount is tougher to manipualte.
If at all possible, remove the knock sensor now and you won't have to do anything else!!! Start draining the coolant. Remove the sensor with a 1/2 inch drive 1 +1/8 socket, u-joint, and extenstion. If you don't do this you can "get by" by bending the sensor shield or grinding it off halfway - believe me, it's much easier to drain the coolant than to try to bend this shield without breaking the sensor - Trust me on this one. I broke my 1/2" u-joint trying to remove this bad boy, and had to bend/grind off the shield halfway (yea I got an angle grinder under there, it was neat).
Remove the bottom through bolt with 10" extenstion from below front.
Remove the highest top bracket front <-> engine bolt
, via the wheel well.
Remove the (15 mm) jam nut and grounding cables from lower front top bolt then remove the 13 mm stud, via the wheel well.
Remove the top rear bracket <-> engine bolt, easy to see and access from the bottom, rear.

Now dissassemble the mount and remove in two pieces from rear.

Assemble like the other side, get under the car, and get the two pieces up there. Bolt it together (if you like this, just wait) and muscle that thing around (one hand from the back and from the front of the cross member, get a pry bar handy and put the children inside for this one). This was the hardest part of the job for me because the knock sensor was still in place.
The rest is gravy.

The job was a pain, but if I had to do it again I could do it much faster. I'd say both sides in 3 /12 hours if nothing else broke...
It was worth $600 bucks to do it myself, and have it done right.

Cheers
MB
 
If you pull the accessory brackets off the front of the engine, you can get the new mounts in easily

Aaron
 
Martian Bob

Bob,

sounds like you took alot of time doing this, but Pastera is right, all you really have to do is remove the accessory brackets and ALL can be done from the Top of the engine, without having to get on your back!!

I just put the solid rubber ones on my 89 SC. I did ALL from the top, none from below, and let me tell you, that was a Godsend. I did this on a previous 89 SC and doing it from below is to say the least, a huge PITA!!

Well, at least you got the changed right?

Phil
 
phil

phil, how long did the job take you on your '89 from the top? I also have an '89 and would like to replace the mounts w/o having to get on my back.

Thanks,
Chris
 
Good recap on the install. A new thread to link to regarding motor mounts I'd say.

I don't know if I would say that doing it from the top is all that easy either. But that's how I did it, and access is clear with the accesories out of the way. The rear bolts on the mount brackets are a bit tough.

Also makes it a good time to do plugs and wires.

Look at all this space (I pulled the radiator & IC, along with the accessory brackets):

drivermount.jpg

EngineMinusParts.jpg
 
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motor mount maddness

I just did my driver side mount by removing IC and IC tubes so you can see and touch mount from top. then lower IC tube support is loosened but not removed will allow whole mount to be rotated into posistion, remove upper plastic by windshield so you can lift motor to the max, front mount bolts accessed thru hole by swaybar thru wheelwell with wheel removed ( 1/2" drive six point with universal joint and extension, 3/8" drive or 12 point socket will not do! they will break :eek: and round bolts! :mad: ) rear mount bolt from under frame and over steering shaft, crossmember thru bolt and IC support can be accessed with extentions without removing any accessories, mount will come out front under the power steering pump. I will be attempting passenger mount with starter and knock sensor removed. catch you later, Bob.
 
Hello, reading the Motor Mount Testimonial, he says that there is 5 bolts on the driver's side mount? I don't see that i only see 4, 3 on the top plate and 1 that goes though the bottem
 
In the picture above, to the right of the mount and down, it's obscured by the bright light, but there is a bolt there that bolts the mount to the k-member.

That bolt isn't found on the passenger side.
 
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