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I jumped into my motor mounts last weekend and really stepped in it.
The rear bolt on the passenger side mount got cross threaded. I had an idea of "fixing it." But in order to access it, I need to remove the cat and the starter to reach it.
The starter is unbolted but still trapped. The cat is unbolted but also trapped.
Wtf do I need to get the starter and cat out?
Fielding suggestions for the damageded block hole. Looks like it will be tough to get a straight shot for helicoil. I'm so pissed at myself.
I'm also dripping from the rear of my new water pump...will it come out without removing the fans & radiator?
Ouch, I feel for ya man. I did mounts over the summer and I'm surprised my father and I didn't KILL each other lol. It took me 23 hours! I never wanna do that job ever again.
Best advice I can give is take lots of breaks and take your time. You'll figure it out. Someone will chime in with better info than me lol
There's a little nub of aluminum on the engine block which blocks the starter from pulling straight out. I used a sawsall and cut the nub off, and was able to remove the starter without removing the header or motor mount.
Here's an old picture before I cut it, marked where I cut (the red line).
The starter is unbolted but still trapped. The cat is unbolted but also trapped.
Wtf do I need to get the starter and cat out?
I don't understand how the cat could be trapped. If it's unbolted it should be able to pretty much just drop straight down and out of the way.
I replaced my starter a few months back. I know I had to twist it and angle it to get it to come out, but unfortunately it's been too long, so I can't remember and describe what I did.
The cat there is not much wiggle room. The exhaust section is pretty rigid...(I gotta take a picture of something tat looks screwed up too.)
I think its too late for just a tap. I will probably try that anyway....
Here is what i was gonna do....lightly grease a long M8 bolt, coat with JBWeld and put it in the hole. Let it cure and back out the bolt, reinstall with a slight shorter bolt. I did a test run off this in a smooth steel spacer at it feels very strong. I thought that would get me by for a while where I could have a profix it but now....I'm just not sure. Now I'm thinking about using a timesert, if I can hit it straight enough.
The cat there is not much wiggle room. The exhaust section is pretty rigid...(I gotta take a picture of something tat looks screwed up too.)
I think its too late for just a tap. I will probably try that anyway....
Here is what i was gonna do....lightly grease a long M8 bolt, coat with JBWeld and put it in the hole. Let it cure and back out the bolt, reinstall with a slight shorter bolt. I did a test run off this in a smooth steel spacer at it feels very strong. I thought that would get me by for a while where I could have a profix it but now....I'm just not sure. Now I'm thinking about using a timesert, if I can hit it straight enough.
The more you booger with that bolt, the worse it'll get. Assemble the car without that last bolt as there are 3 others holding the upper bracket to the engine. Its not going anywhere until you can get the car fixed by someone who has the tools to do it right.
I wouldn't break out the sawzall just yet.
Sounds like you haven't taken the exhaust out of the car and it's an easy job. I can R&R the whole system in less than 30 minutes by myself flat on my back.
Get it out of the way and the converter should just fall out.
While I agree that whacking that piece of the block will make it easier to get the starter out, I'd rather hack on something that is a little less important. If you've been wrestling with the starter, you can see where its rubbing against the lower motor mount bracket. I took a grinder with an 80grit flappy and relieved it a bit until the starter comes out easily.
Yes thats correct, its the lonely rear bolt on the Passenger side.
The cat came out soon after I quit acting like a lil biotch...
Then the starter came right out, without sawing off the tab...
This opens up lots of space to work....
The bolt will thread in about half-way by hand.....not sure if thats with the "new threads" or the "old threads." The threads look like hell down to about half way into the hole, but the the bolt gets stuck fast....If there was a way to chase these threads backwards,...(yeah, starting at the blind end!!!) I'd be in good shape.
Really sounds like an unbelievable pain in the ***. Just thinking about dealing with it raises my blood pressure. Do you have a tap and a new bolt? That's where I'd start I think. Or at least clean the bolt up with a die and run a tap into the hole.
Also I would spray something in there to clean it out and blow it out with air before trying to tap or fix it. I think I would clean and try and slowly tap it making sure to go slow and continue to back it out when you get stuck to clear the debris a bit. Make sure to use some sort of cutting oil if possible, I am sure you know this already. If you can not save the hole then it sounds like upping the size and installing a helicoil may be in order?
It might help in aligning the tap if you bolt the motor mount upper bracket to the block. (use the other two holes to hold the mount in place, and the third hole will help keep the tap going straight into the hole.)
Probably sounds ghetto, but I'm going with the JB weld. I think it will be strong enough to hold...It will also be easy to undo, A small butane torch should be enough to burn out the epoxy, then it just crumbles out. Then I can have a pro do a helicoil or timesert.
In my test setup (3/8x16 bolt in 3/8" spacer) it set up really good. At least here i have thread on both sides of the JB. Turning the bolt into the JB weld feels about like a fresh Nylon lock nut. I won't torque it, just bottom it out.
I had started running a tap, it just didn't feel good...It was an unused tap so it dug in hard. I think some thread chasers would have been a better idea. My at home drills would have been to big to step up the hole accurately.
I'd try a roll tap as opposed to a traditional cutting tap. It will push the metal rather than cutting it to try and save the existing material thats left.
10-18-2014, 08:42 PM
help, I'm in motor mount hell. 
If it's unbolted it should be able to pretty much just drop straight down and out of the way.
