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Motor/Tranny mounts: How many have replaced one by


danbuc

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I have to do the front motor mount on my car, and it look like either the right motor mount, or left tranny mount might also be going. I drive the car prett hard, so I'm a little concerned with just replacing them with the OEM one's. I'm planning on calling RSM Racing tomorrow, to ask about the heavy duty aluminum set they have, and if it will work with my specific car.

My real question is, how many people have changed one of these nightmares by themselves. I've got the factory service manual, and access to all the tools I need, but I only have a limited amount of time to work in. My school has an open shop on Saturdays, from 8am to 3pm. I know this is not enough time to do all of them, but is it enough time to do at least one. I don't want to take it to the dealer, because it will cost more money than I can spend right now. I'd much rather do it myself, and save the extra cash for food and gas. I just need to convice the school manager dude, that I can change a mount within the specified amount of time. I'll have help from teacher's also, so I won't be alone on this.

Anybody have any input, or ideas? Thanks in advance....Dan.

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It took me about 3 hours to do a front mount is a 93. I think my mounts are different from yours.

Go ahead and plan to remove the radiator, even if your manual doesn't call for it. You'll be glad to have the working room once you get into it.

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I think the general opinion for your year and model of car , is definately remove the radiator for the frount mount. Their have been several people who have said , after the job was done, that they wished they had removed the radiator first, and they would never do the job again without its removal.

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The only problem is, that there's no way they're going to let me remove the radiator. That is unless you can do so, without the having to remove the hoses, and drain the coolant. If so, than they might let me. I've got a feeling that there's no way to move it out of the way, with out dismantling all the hoses, and draing the coolant first.

edit: I've got 7 hours to do at least the front mount. Do you think that would be enough time, without removing the radiator?

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So there is no way to dismantle the mount from the braket, and pull it out through the bottom, between the tranny and frame? That sucks. I really don't want to have to buy dexcool, and coolant supliment, just to change a mount. Looks like I'll have to investigate some possible ways to remove it without pulling the radiator. The service manual says to remove the cooling fans and brackets, but does not mention the radiator. I'll have to take a look tomorrow, and see what kind of clearence there is around it.

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Here's something to consider: There is repairs with a lift and transmission jack, and repairs without a lift and without a transmission jack. Are you going to have a lift and transmission jack? I have no suggestions because I don't have a clue as to what's involved in the repair. If I had a lift and our cars were similar enough, I'd fly the car and take a look. Sorry, weaseling under the car for oil changes is enough for me.

I have the same repairs involing lifting the engine off its mounts with a lift and a transmission jack, and without a lift and without a transmission jack. The difference can be 10 minutes to multi hours for the same repair on the same car.

If you have access to a lift, you have probally taken a look at it. It's a different perspective on a lift--isn't it? If someone doesn't have a lift, it might next to impossible to do as you are contemplaing. They said that they managed, but they wished they had pulled the rad. Something tells me that they were crawling around under a car without a lift. Another point is that there may be a signifigant difference in mechanical skill level.

This is how I'd handle it if I had a lift. (It's assumed that I had the car on the lift previously and had made a mental plan of attack.)

I'd get the part(s), fly the car, break the mount(s) and see how it went. If it looked as if it were going to be an ugly job (you see, I have no clue as to that under-the-car interface problem esists so that you'd have to pull the rad for an on-the-rack job) put it back in. Murphy's Law notwithsanding, other than getting youself ugly, I cannot envision breaking the mount from the engine, finding that you cannot weasel it out of the car, then reinstalling it as something that can turn that ugly.

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an01sts Posted on Mar 19 2005, 07:30 PM

............

Something tells me that they were crawling around under a car without a lift. Another point is that there may be a signifigant difference in mechanical skill level.

Well jeez, an01sts, I guess then that I'm just some dumbass with no tools crawling around on the ground without a frickin clue as to what he's doing. Book time on this job is 2.1 hours and it took me 3. Forgive me for taking time out to smoke a couple of cigarettes and get a drink of water.

You can tie a string to the car and fly it like a kite, but its not going to change the fact that there's dam* little room to work to get the front mount out and back in.

I was just trying to help Dan by sharing the experience that I had doing this job on a very similar car - and even being open enough to share what happened to me after I ignored advice to pull the rad. Use it, don't use it. I really don't care. Thats up to Dan.

But spare me your sideline speculation on my mechanical skill level when you don't know the first thing about me, and by your own admission don't know anything about trying to do this job.

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I've done it with the radiator in. Just get the two bolts holding the mount bracket to the engine and the two nuts and support bar fromt he bottom so you can rotate the mount a bit. Put a jack under the engine and take the weight off the mount, then take off the nut on bottom of the mount off that goes through the subframe.

Then the mount and bracket are free (somewhat) and can be rotated a bit (carefull not to damage the radiator). Rotate the mount enough so you can get a wrench on the mount nut thats holding it to the bracket. Once you get that loose, wiggle the mount out of the bottom. Weasle the other back in and reverse the process. Not that bad of a job. Should take about an hour and a half to two hours. Heres a graphic.

james

post-3-1111298096_thumb.jpg

James

1999 STS 65k

1995 STS 127k

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Are you close enough to pull the radiator at home and drive the car to school dry? Maybe not as crazy as it sounds. :rolleyes:

Regards,

Warren

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There is no means of avoiding the final collapse of a boom brought about by credit expansion. The alternative is only whether the crisis should come sooner as the result of a voluntary abandonment of further credit expansion, or later as a final and total catastrophe of the currency system involved. - Ludwig von Mises

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Definitely not close enough. My house is back in North Jersey, and school is in PA.

hiljak, that what I was thinking about doing, keeping the braket up in there, and just removing and replacing the actual mount it self. The mount is small enough like you said, to get down, and back up in there. Those are pretty much the same drawings in the 1998 service manual I've got.

I do have access to a lift, and engine and tranny stands, to support it. I just don't have alot of time. If I'm unable to do the work at school, I'll do it at home and just drive my Mustang until I'm finished.

hiljak, how long did it take you, just loosening the bracket, and slipping the mount out the bottom. I've only got about 3 or so hours to get it out, before I've got to start putting everything back together. This is during open shop on saturdays at my school. If I do it at home, obviously I'll have much more time. I don't have a lift, or as many tools as I'd like back home though.

Thanks everyone for the input.

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The whole job (removal and reinstall) took about 2 hours. It's pretty easy, once you get the bracket loose and the bottom unt off of the mount, just get it rotated enough to get a wrench on the top nut. I could do it again (without the learning process,) in about an hour. Make sure the the exhaust is cooled down.

James

1999 STS 65k

1995 STS 127k

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I think I might be using the switching to those aluminum/polyurathane mounts from RSM. The side mounts are also a little weak, because sometimes when I pull out of a driveway at a certain anbgle with a steeper that usuall curb, it fells like the engine is rocking from side to side, from the motion of the car going over the bump. They are also a little smaller in size, and will probably help, when I go to stick them back in there.

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