PK911

I am getting a vibration at idle, which is especially noticeable when in reverse. These symptoms point to bad engine and/or transmission mounts. The car has 110k miles.

Has anyone endeavored replacing their engine mounts? It does not seems to be a straightforward DIY task. Just wondering if I should go the DIY or Indy route.

Thanks.

ninelevenick

I recently replaced motor mounts for a 955 V8. I would imagine the V6 is similar. You will need an engine support bar. With the engine safely supported, the sub frame can be lowered just enough to remove and replace the mounts.

PK911

good to know. Thanks! What support bar did you use?

ninelevenick

I used the harbor freight model. It worked great. If you are really serious about doing this yourself, I recommend taking an hour or so and do some recon work by getting underneath your Cayenne and seeing exactly where the mounts are, noting where the 4 subframe bolts and two engine support bolts are located. See how accessible the mounts are to reach with your socket and extensions knowing the fender liners will have to be removed to gain access on the day of the job. Visualize as much as you can. I wish I could be more specific for you, but the V6 will be different of course.

PK911

This is very good advice. I did the oil change a few weeks ago and took a look while I was under there. It did not look straightforward.

Alldatadiy recommends removing the engine carrier, which involves removing the front axle carrier, which I’m not ready to do myself. But as you suggested, I need to take a closer look at all this.

ninelevenick

Shoot, I wrote a detailed procedure on how I accomplished this task, but it didn't save when I pressed the "Submit Reply" button. Feel free to PM me if you decide to do this yourself. I would be happy to write up another tutorial or even talk to you in person.

1thenaton1

Hi Nick, I am looking at doing the engine mounts on my '11 VR6. Any notes you could share would be much appreciated!

ninelevenick

Gosh, it has been over a year since completing the engine mount replacement. I forget many of the nuances, but the job is not too difficult. As I mentioned above, there are four subframe bolts that need consideration. The two rear ones need to be loosened. Do not completely remove them. The two front bolts are to be removed completely. This will allow you to push down on the subframe on the front gaining you necessary space to access the mounts and remove them. I imagine the V6 engine mounts are more accessible. One pro tip is how to reinstall those stiff fender liners. They are a pain, especially when the weather is cold. I heated mine with a heat gun making them more malleable for reinstallation.

ninelevenick

Let me add that the Porsche 955 fender liners are made of stiff plastic. Our other CTT (958) liners seem to be much less rigid. I sometimes get the two mixed up when I refer to their technicalities.

1thenaton1

The alldata database puts this job at 2.7 hours for replacing both mounts on the VR6 engined models. For me that's worth having the shop do it - sending mine in today for motor mounts and undercar fluids, tranny, differential x2, and transfer case. Looking forward to having it back with those taken care of

dollarlongnecks

There is a recent thread here about the engine mounts with a nice write-up.. I used that as a how-to to do my mounts a week or so ago.

Finwiz123

can you email the parts numbers and steps to perform engine mount replacement for porsche macan 3.0l. Thanks pbcournoyer@gmail.com

v0dka

For anyone interested in doing this job on a 3.6 V6, it is actually quite straight forward and is very doable in your driveway with only basic tools. I was initially scared because of the horror stories on the V8 versions, but the V6 is comparatively very easy.


I got the inspiration from this youtube video where the guy claimed to do his engine mounts on his 958 3.6 V6 with only hand tools, a floor jack and a block of wood.

I used the Corteco kit from FCP Euro with new hardware.


I used the following tools:

1. 10mm, 16mm, 18mm sockets

2. Socket Uni-Joint and 12" + 8" extensions

2. Floor jack

3. Piece of timber approx 350mm long, 80mm wide and around 30mm (14"x3.5"x1.2") thick to support the engine from the crankshaft pulley with the floor jack. Taper the end of the timber down to approx 15mm so it fits between the crankshaft pulley and oil pan from below.


Basically the steps go as follows:

1. Remove the left and right plastic covers in the engine bay and remove the airbox cover, air filter and intake pipe to give you more space to work.

2. Remove the nuts from the top of the mounts with a shallow 18mm socket, a uni-joint and a long extension(s). I used 1/2" drive tools, but I think it would be easier with 3/8" drive as there is not a lot of torque on these fasteners. On the driver's side it is a little more tricky, but with the right angle you can remove the 18mm nut from the top by holding the A/C lines out of the way.

3. Remove the bolts (4 of) from both the mounts using a shallow 16mm socket, uni-joint and long extension(s). You can do all of this from the top.

4. Remove the front splash shield using your 10mm socket.

5. Using your floor jack and piece of timber, support the engine using the gap between the crankshaft pulley and oil pan. Slowly jack up the engine, taking care to avoid crushing any connectors and hoses that are hard up against the firewall.

6. The passenger side mount is now easily accessible and you should be able to get enough clearance to remove the mount.

7. Place the new mount in the passenger side and thread on the two new retaining bolts to the crossmember, leaving approx. 3mm of thread showing for movement.

8. Lower the engine back down until you can start threading on the 18mm top nut. You may be wondering why we are putting on one mount only. The reason is that we will use this mount to "pull down" the engine on the passenger side, giving more clearance on the driver's side. Without doing this step, it is exceptionally difficult to remove and replace the driver's side mount.

9. Once the passenger side mount is 90% threaded on, raise the jack again and you will see that the driver's side of the engine will rise higher, giving you the clearance you need to remove and reinstall the mount. You will need to manhandle the mount and move it towards the rear of the car and drop it out from behind the rear splash shield. Place the new mount in using the same route.

10. Once the mount is in place, tighten the retaining bolts and lower the engine onto the thread, making sure to align the dowel on the mount with the hole on the engine bracket, then tighten the nut. I was not able to find torque specs for these mounts, but I just did them up roughly to the same tightness as it took to take them off.


Hopefully this helps someone like me who can't afford to pay a shop to do work on my cars.

mdistel

I would make sure you don't have a vacuum leak like from the PCV valve before the engine mounts. Our VR6 since purchase at 69k always had a shake at idle that I assumed would eventually lead to engine mounts but after doing the PCV job it is very smooth at 138k.

Mark

v0dka

Yes absolutely. In my case, I had a vacuum leak AND shot mounts!

Engine mount symptoms were a harsh vibration felt through the chassis of the vehicle, noticeably worse when putting the shifter into reverse. Also when slowing down to a stop, there was a short, strong vibration felt just before bringing the vehicle to a stop. This has all cleared up with the new mounts.

I also had a hole in the plastic breather hose on the passenger side of the engine that revealed itself when it started dripping oil onto the exhaust. I temporarily repaired this hose and ordered a new one from the dealer (approx $70, quite reasonable). My Cayenne is around 77k miles.