Just in time Motor Mounts

J

Joisey Jim

Guest
Last week when I asked a couple of questions about motor mounts, someone had a simple and effective test - if the oil pan is sitting lower than the sub-frame you need to change them. I did my '93 about four years ago and remember it being a pain; but I replaced the '94 this week-end and I'm real glad I didn't leave it any longer. That power steering pipe had worn a long groove in the bottom of the oil pan. Somehow this time it seemed easier, although it took all day. I put the car up on jack stands at the front, drained the rad. and removed the two small bolts from the top of the Intercooler bellows. I put a 2"x4"x6" block of wood under the oil pan (making sure to miss the drain channel, so it was nice and flush). Took up the strain and then removed the mount bolts, using long extensions and swivels (broke a non-Craftsman swivel in the process - so off to Sears I went). Wrapped the swivels with elect. tape to stop them flopping around. On the drivers side it came out with a bit of a wiggle and on the passenger side you have to remove the starter and the shielded knock sensor (have the bucket you used to drain the rad. handy, to catch the coolant from the block, when you unscrew the sensor. If you remove the elect. connection you can manage with a regular long socket. Once re-built using the solid mounts I managed to install the passenger side by just raising the pan a little; however on the driver's side with the extra bracket on the mount I had to remove the 2 main sub-frame bolts (large tork heads) and lever down the frame about half an inch. On either side I didn't have to remove the downpipes and cats. It would have been a bit easier with them out of the way, but being original parts I didn't want to risk breaking those rusty studs and pipes. My only loss for the day was one of the 2 starter motor bolts, it was so seized it broke even after soaking it.
 
This is an inspiration....

for doing the motor mounts yourself....I've been reading about this for months and continually putting it off.

So do you mean you didn't have to move the steering out of the way or take out the IC tubes?

Can you imagine if a 6 point box end wrench could be customized to get to the bolts?

Did you go with solid or OEM motor mounts?
 
Mounts

It can be done from the bottom without removing the IC tubes or anything else from the top. And without removing the exhaust.

Drivers side, you will need to take apart the steering rag-joint and push the top half up out of the way (this is trivial).

I wasn't able to remove my starter (busted lower bolt), or knock sensor (broken 1/2" u-joint). But I could get the job done by carefully grinding and bending the knock sensor shield. It would have been so much easier with that knock sensor completely out of there.

The trick is to remove then re-assemle the mount->brackets inside the engine bay. But this too will be obvious once you get started.

Cheers
MB
 
hey that sounds good...

but what I've read is the difficulty getting the bolts off...that's why I wondered if a 6 point box end that was built to take it could be used....or bent if necessary....as the best tool for that job.....
 
Yes, I forgot about the steering shaft. But it's easy to disconnect the flex joint and the shaft telescopes up out of the way. I didn't find the knock sensor a problem (other than the spilled coolant from the block) as I have a set of sensor sockets. Same thing happened on my lower starter bolt, though. So it's currently working with just the remaining broken stud and top bolt. I'll drill it out and replace the bolt during the next oil change.
Jim.
 
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