RJB

There have been a number of posts on motor mount replacements recently. I did get OEM mounts from Paragon and am in the process of replacing them.

I was in the process of replacing the clutch and had removed the torque tube and transaxel. I thought that while most of the rest of the engine was removed, it would be a good time to replace the engine mounts. Well that was a bad idea without an engine hoist. When I supported the engine from below - as mentioned in many of the write ups, it shifted backwards so I could not align the mounts and the cross member support. The reason was that since I had removed the torque tube - there was nothing to keep the engine stable in the engine compartment. I had to borrow an engine hoist from Jake to get the mounts aligned. Thanks Jake!

However, I did learn some tips that I wanted to pass on. Place the mounts in the cross member first and push the flat portion of the mount under the top lip of the crossmember it is next to. You will have to pry the mount down a bit to get it under this lip. If you do not do this, then you will not be able to get the bolts aligned on the engine supports. Also, once I had the driver side mount bolts started, I had to use a ratchet tie down strap to pull the cross member and the engine together to align the bolts. I had to shift the cross member toward the outside of the engine to get it aligned. The mounts seem to be under tension to actually get aligned. Finally, I got one of the passenger side bolts started, and had to lower the engine on the cross member to get the final one aligned. Of course the cross member was bolted to the car at that time. Until I figured out about the strap putting tension on the mounts to align the passenger side, we could not get them aligned at all.

Good luck to others replacing them. One of mine was completely trashed - so I expect to get a smooth response when I am finished with the clutch. If anyone has any questions - or suggestions to have done it better - post them and I will try to help.