Motor Mount Madness
04-19-2003, 11:44 PM
#1
Racer
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Motor Mount Madness
Just wanted to give a word of encouragement to anyone who's thinking about changing out their motor mounts but is intimidated by the prospect... I did it! Took me a good chunk of time yesterday and today, but man what a difference it made when finished!
As you can see, compared to one of the new mounts (yes, I painted them yellow), the old one had totally collapsed. The one on the right was from the passenger side, which had been replaced earlier in the car's life.
<img src="http://boards.rennlist.com/upload/mounts.jpg" alt=" - " />
Interestingly, the original old-style mount from the driver's side (bottom in picture) still appeared to be fine.
Couple tips for other beginners:
1) Get a "shorty" 13mm combination wrench before you start. I got three of the four top bolts out of the mounts before having to stop yesterday...just not enough room on the passenger side front bolt to swing a regular sized wrench.
2) Mark the position of the rear a-arm bolts before loosening (I read this tip on one of the other threads). I still managed to get things a little out of alignment, but I can't imaging what it would be like if I hadn't marked them first to have a reference point. I'll be posting a separate topic to ask for some help in this area.
3) Once you've got everything disassembled, make a run to the hardware store and buy new bolts for everything except the a-arm mounts. Some of these are tough to get at and having new bolts and nuts can mean a big difference in ease or difficulty (like the damn little nuts that go on top of the crossmember to secure a clamp on the power steering line).
4) Some advise holding the engine in place from above, and others have said from below. I used a nice broad piece of lumber and supported the engine across the oil pan. It worked great, and from what I can tell caused no problems.
<img src="http://boards.rennlist.com/upload/supportingengine.jpg" alt=" - " />
5) Search the threads for some really good detailed procedures. There are several that you can use as a checklist while you're working.
For those of you who previously took the time to post your detailed "how to" instructions, THANK YOU. I would never have attempted this without your help.
Just for the heck of it, here's a picture of my car from earlier today. It occurred to me that this is the first full-body photo I've ever taken of it!
<img src="http://boards.rennlist.com/upload/wip.jpg" alt=" - " />
And, my turbocharged vacuum cleaner with custom exhaust!
<img src="http://boards.rennlist.com/upload/vac.jpg" alt=" - " />
Man, I need to get out of my garage for a while...
Ron
As you can see, compared to one of the new mounts (yes, I painted them yellow), the old one had totally collapsed. The one on the right was from the passenger side, which had been replaced earlier in the car's life.
<img src="http://boards.rennlist.com/upload/mounts.jpg" alt=" - " />
Interestingly, the original old-style mount from the driver's side (bottom in picture) still appeared to be fine.
Couple tips for other beginners:
1) Get a "shorty" 13mm combination wrench before you start. I got three of the four top bolts out of the mounts before having to stop yesterday...just not enough room on the passenger side front bolt to swing a regular sized wrench.
2) Mark the position of the rear a-arm bolts before loosening (I read this tip on one of the other threads). I still managed to get things a little out of alignment, but I can't imaging what it would be like if I hadn't marked them first to have a reference point. I'll be posting a separate topic to ask for some help in this area.
3) Once you've got everything disassembled, make a run to the hardware store and buy new bolts for everything except the a-arm mounts. Some of these are tough to get at and having new bolts and nuts can mean a big difference in ease or difficulty (like the damn little nuts that go on top of the crossmember to secure a clamp on the power steering line).
4) Some advise holding the engine in place from above, and others have said from below. I used a nice broad piece of lumber and supported the engine across the oil pan. It worked great, and from what I can tell caused no problems.
<img src="http://boards.rennlist.com/upload/supportingengine.jpg" alt=" - " />
5) Search the threads for some really good detailed procedures. There are several that you can use as a checklist while you're working.
For those of you who previously took the time to post your detailed "how to" instructions, THANK YOU. I would never have attempted this without your help.
Just for the heck of it, here's a picture of my car from earlier today. It occurred to me that this is the first full-body photo I've ever taken of it!
<img src="http://boards.rennlist.com/upload/wip.jpg" alt=" - " />
And, my turbocharged vacuum cleaner with custom exhaust!
<img src="http://boards.rennlist.com/upload/vac.jpg" alt=" - " />
Man, I need to get out of my garage for a while...
Ron
04-20-2003, 12:08 AM
#2
Three Wheelin'
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Ron...Very nice turbo. I have never actually seen a collapsed mount; although we have all read about them. I like the safety use of the front wheels too, just read of another local guy who was killed when his car slipped off of a scissors jack. A scissors jack!
BTW... Theres a lot of cool stuff goin-on there in your garage, the yellow paint isn't part of it....Bruce
BTW... Theres a lot of cool stuff goin-on there in your garage, the yellow paint isn't part of it....Bruce
04-20-2003, 12:32 AM
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Racer
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Bruce,
Yes, I'm paranoid about crawling under the car. For this job I used the ramps, four jack stands, the jack, and the front tires. Actually made it a little cramped under there!
About the yellow motor mounts... I wanted to paint them in order to protect the rubber from future oil or power steering fluid leaks. I used a high temp paint after using an "adhesion promoter", so perhaps they'll resist the heat better too. Why yellow? I just thought it would make inspection easier... i.e., dark fluids should show up easily on a light background.. we'll see.
Ron
Yes, I'm paranoid about crawling under the car. For this job I used the ramps, four jack stands, the jack, and the front tires. Actually made it a little cramped under there!
About the yellow motor mounts... I wanted to paint them in order to protect the rubber from future oil or power steering fluid leaks. I used a high temp paint after using an "adhesion promoter", so perhaps they'll resist the heat better too. Why yellow? I just thought it would make inspection easier... i.e., dark fluids should show up easily on a light background.. we'll see.
Ron
04-20-2003, 01:18 AM
#4
Nordschleife Master
Ron, I found that the motormount bolts are too long, and that they cut into the rubber portion of the motormount (after time) when it is installed in the car. We could see marks where the bolt had started gouging the good motor mount, and where the bolts totaly ripped the other side apart. We cut a little more than 1/4" off the bottom of the bolts before putting them back in the car. Hopefully the mounts should last longer this way.
04-20-2003, 01:23 AM
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Racer
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Rich, good point. I bought 45mm or 50mm bolts, but once I checked things out after disassembly, I decided to go buy a set of 40mm bolts. Installed, they just barely extend past the bottom of the hole in the mount.
Ron
Ron