Poly motor mounts...
Poly motor mounts... Any advice? I got a little install doc that should help a little, anyone with any exp doing these have any advice before I plunge into this?
-Steve
-Steve
It's a bitch.
Support the engine to get the weight off the mount.
You will need to move the alternator because it will get in the way when you try to take out the long motor mount cross bolt. Do this by removing the 2 bolts that go in from the front of the alternator and the one smaller one that goes in from the back. It is easiest if you go under the front of the car to get at the 2 front bolts, rather than try to get them from the top. The front two are 15mm, the back one is 13mm.
You will need to remove the driver's side header or manifold. Do that. The nuts that hold the heat shield to the motor mount are 10mm, there are two of them...and the four bolts that hold the upper mount to the engine are 13mm. The 13mm bolts appear to be studs, but they are not. They are a bolt with 2 threaded ends...this means you cannot use a shallow socket, you have to use a deepwell or a regular wrench...this is also a PITA because the steering shaft gets in the way of one of them...
Once you get the mount out, you need to drill the rivets out. They say drill 3/8" on the open rivets, but I used 7/16". The closed rivets on the other end of the mount are tough...I recommend center punching them and drilling them with a larger bit, but not all the way through. When you get far enough, you can take a hammer and chisel and break the remaining rivet head off and then take a punch and pop the rest of it out. You'll see what I mean when you get there.
Have a butane torch or something to heat up the mount after you get the rivets out. The stock rubber mount is bonded to the inside of the metal casing so it needs to be heated up then the rubber can be pried out...then the 2 halves can be pried apart. I recommend a pair of gloves since the pieces will be hot.
You'll pretty much be sick of the job by now...have a beer.
Put the new poly mount in the clamshell..bolt the halves together as the directions say. Be sure the mount is in the clamshell the correct way...there is a certain way it has to go in...if yu have the Prothane Kit it comes with a nice drawing. The bolts that hold the mount to the engine are supposed to be 37 lb/ft...the cross bolt should be 70 lb/ft (Note: I put my bolt in from back to front just so it is easier to remove next time--dont have to move alternator--and the torque spec is when the nut is held with a wrench so it can't move and the bolt is torqued, not the other way around!).
Good luck..it's a pain...well, when one guy has to do all the work it is. Especially when you get to the point of putting the cross bolt in and it doesnt line up...you might have to loosen the tranny crossmember so you can wiggle the engine enough to get the bolt to slide through.
Also, put a piece of wood on the jack to hold the engine up when you remove the mount...the metal pad may crack the oil pan, so be careful.
I only did the driver's side mount because that is the only one that really matters for me (the way the engine torques over). If you think you want to do the passenger side too, let me know how that goes. I would imagine you need to move the A/C compressor...which is why I dont wanna do it.
Hope this helps,
Mike S.
Support the engine to get the weight off the mount.
You will need to move the alternator because it will get in the way when you try to take out the long motor mount cross bolt. Do this by removing the 2 bolts that go in from the front of the alternator and the one smaller one that goes in from the back. It is easiest if you go under the front of the car to get at the 2 front bolts, rather than try to get them from the top. The front two are 15mm, the back one is 13mm.
You will need to remove the driver's side header or manifold. Do that. The nuts that hold the heat shield to the motor mount are 10mm, there are two of them...and the four bolts that hold the upper mount to the engine are 13mm. The 13mm bolts appear to be studs, but they are not. They are a bolt with 2 threaded ends...this means you cannot use a shallow socket, you have to use a deepwell or a regular wrench...this is also a PITA because the steering shaft gets in the way of one of them...
Once you get the mount out, you need to drill the rivets out. They say drill 3/8" on the open rivets, but I used 7/16". The closed rivets on the other end of the mount are tough...I recommend center punching them and drilling them with a larger bit, but not all the way through. When you get far enough, you can take a hammer and chisel and break the remaining rivet head off and then take a punch and pop the rest of it out. You'll see what I mean when you get there.
Have a butane torch or something to heat up the mount after you get the rivets out. The stock rubber mount is bonded to the inside of the metal casing so it needs to be heated up then the rubber can be pried out...then the 2 halves can be pried apart. I recommend a pair of gloves since the pieces will be hot.
You'll pretty much be sick of the job by now...have a beer.
Put the new poly mount in the clamshell..bolt the halves together as the directions say. Be sure the mount is in the clamshell the correct way...there is a certain way it has to go in...if yu have the Prothane Kit it comes with a nice drawing. The bolts that hold the mount to the engine are supposed to be 37 lb/ft...the cross bolt should be 70 lb/ft (Note: I put my bolt in from back to front just so it is easier to remove next time--dont have to move alternator--and the torque spec is when the nut is held with a wrench so it can't move and the bolt is torqued, not the other way around!).
Good luck..it's a pain...well, when one guy has to do all the work it is. Especially when you get to the point of putting the cross bolt in and it doesnt line up...you might have to loosen the tranny crossmember so you can wiggle the engine enough to get the bolt to slide through.
Also, put a piece of wood on the jack to hold the engine up when you remove the mount...the metal pad may crack the oil pan, so be careful.
I only did the driver's side mount because that is the only one that really matters for me (the way the engine torques over). If you think you want to do the passenger side too, let me know how that goes. I would imagine you need to move the A/C compressor...which is why I dont wanna do it.
Hope this helps,
Mike S.
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LOL...with someone else there to help, it will be easier. It's not much fun though, I'll admit...I would rather install headers by myself than the poly mounts.
Do the driver's side first, then see how you feel about the passenger side.
Do the driver's side first, then see how you feel about the passenger side.
