Is there a how to on the net???
I just looked at Haynes Manual and it said:


"raise the vehicle and support it securely on jackstands. Support the engine/transaxle from above using a hoist or an engine support fixture"

does that mean I shouldnt try to put a floor jack or jack stands under the engine to support it? cause thats what i thought i could do.

i wanna try and do this myself to save money. my parents think its too big of a deal and i should let a professional look at it. what do you guys think?
either way i think i will be filling my stock mounts with polyurethane because i hope that will help them to last longer.

ANOTHER Q...if my mounts are really f-ed up. can i just fill them with poly and they will be all good? or do i need to buy new ones and then fill those with the poly?

 

That means support the vehicle with jackstands, as you'll need to get under it.

You then need to support the engine, because when you remove the motor mounts, there will only be 1 holding it in place, and that won't do.

The best way would be with an engine hoist from above. However, I've read of people using a floor jack with a piece of plywood between it and the oil pad to spread the load as well. Either should work.

 

There's no need to pull the wheels, and the work isn't really THAT bad. However, I was glad I had access to an electric impact gun because it helped a lot. My pictures should help you out quite a bit:
http://imageevent.com/xhypex/cars/enginemounts
Basically you will need a breaker bar, lots of exensions if you don't want to remove the wheel (to get to the rear mount bolts), and a floor jack. Removing the cross member bolts is easy (4 bolts). You remove the center bolts through the mounts themselves, and drop the whole crossmember. Then you have to remove 2 bolts at the bottom of the mounts. This was the hard part for me because you have to hold the crossmember still while you try to break off the bolts. The impact gun made the job easy.

Finally, some people use the oil pan (aluminum/expensive) to support the engine when putting the mounts back in. I thought the alternator was a better support, and it's almost built like a support point. Finger tighten the crossmember bolts so the assembly doesn't all on you. Then finger the rear and front center bolt (in that order). You'll have to use a jack or 2 to move the engine up and down to get the bolts to all line up.

Hope that helps.
-hype

 

thanks for the help fellas.

i am tryin to figure out if i should buy the extensions or take it into a shop to do....how much do you think labor would be at a shop?

btw i noticed the silver porsche...that yours?

 

If you're not comfortable with the install take it to a shop. The labor isn't that bad, but it is easier with the right tools and a lift. The mounts are also a necessary item, so if you have problems you can't really drive the car.

No the Porsche isn't mine. I worked at a friends house.
-hype

 

aight....i need to find some friends like that. hehe.

 

If you do attempt this job, serious mechanics do NOT use the oil pan as an engine support. The extra weight on the pan has been known to bend the pan and spread the outside edges of the pan off the block off of the engine, creating a bad oil leak.

When I have done transmission work, and Jay25 as well, you can fully unbolt the lower support bar and front/rear engine mount. The passenger side engine mount and tranny mount will hold the the engine perfectly fine.

 

thanks for the heads up. i dont need another problem. so i dont need anything to support the engine if I am working with the front and rear mounts? cause I am pretty sure the rear is the problem although that is just my gut feeling because i have no idea how to check each one separately...

im taking my car in tomorrow. my parents tell me i am not a mechanic and they want to make sure the mount is the problem. if the shop says it is the mount and labor is too much i might end up taking my car home and finding some time to work on it myself. i have no idea what i am going to do.

 

Agreed. That's why I suggested the alternator bracket.

The 3rd mount will hold the engine, but with poly mounts its not easy to get the bolts to line up. I had heard from others (and it was my case as well) that you need to use a jack help get the alignment of the mounts to where you can insert the bolts. Did you not have this problem?
-hype

 

No, I did not have this problem. But JAY25 said something about having to do this on his. Funny that you are talking about those bolts, one of mine has mysteriously stripped out of the frame of the car.....

 

Hey Lucky, I originally had mine installed at a shop. The total was about $220. For various reasons I ended up swapping back to stock and then back to my homemades. I did the last two swaps by myself.

I propped the car on jackstands and supported the engine from below with my floor jack. I have had no problems as a result. As I recall, I used the forward edge of the tranny housing to move the motor as needed. We're talking an inch or so at most here. Air tools with extensions certainly make the job easier. I did all 4 pretty quickly the second time around and here's how:
Jack up the car - rest on stands.
Place jack under tranny, alternator bracket, whatever, just so it's resting on that point.
Remove center bolts for the mounts near the bumper and the firewall. The front one is easy but the rear one requires a lot of extensions. You don't need to get to the backside of it though as that nut is welded in place.
The engine settles a bit here and you may need to play with the jack to get the bolts to pull out.
Drop the cross member by removing the 2 front and 2 rear bolts holding it.
The crossmember drops with 2 mounts on it. Replace those mounts and reinstall. You'll want to install the 4 CM bolts partially so you can line up the center bolts more easily. At this point, I torqued all 6 bolts to FSM specs.
The side mounts you can see from the top and there's nothing magical to them. The nuts can be a bit of a ***** to get off and on on the passenger's side but there's nothing magical here - just extensions.
I did these one at a time and torqued to spec as completed.
I then lowered the floor jack and rechecked torques - no problems.

I'm not saying this is the definitive procedure to follow but it worked for me and it was painless the second time around. I haven't had any mount related issues since doing this. I can't comment on what it would take to do this without air tools or at least an electric impact wrench but I'm sure it would take quite a bit longer. If you have a 5spd, you need to be very careful about how much stress you put on the tranny should you decide to put the jack there. You can bend the linkage if you allow too much flex.

Cheers,

JK

 

thanks ALOT for the info guys. the Max is in the shop right now. they are going to change my spark plugs and fuel filter and make sure that the mounts are my problem and then call me about the mounts. i think that i might fill some mounts with poly and let them install them. the work doesnt sound unbearable but i dont really have access to air tools so I do not want to get stuck. ill see what they say when they call me later today. thanks again.

 

my mechanic called. he said that my motor mounts are stretched more than normal. he thinks because of how hard/fast my clutch engages everything. but he said that putting new ones in wouldnt do anything. hes an honest guy so he wont try to make me spend money where i dont have to. do you think i should fill them with poly before they get real bad???? because he said with the stain i put on my car i might need mounts eventually. so will the poly help prolong this/help against wheelhop????

he did say that some brackets(dont ask me what hes talking about) near my y pipe were bent. he said he didnt know why. he thought it could of been something i hit, or the strain that i put on my car when i shift, or the people who installed my y pipe bent them. he said he bent them back.

i came down on a sewer hole hard in a field (dont ask what i was doing there)a while ago but i thought that only affected the side of my bumper and underneath my front bumper. im pretty sure thats not what bent the brackets, other than that i cant remember hitting anything so i have no clue....anybody know what brackets hes talking about????should i be worried about that?????

he also said that the strain on my transmission from my clutch has caused a small leak to form from the transmission. he said he filled the hole with silicone i believe.

so whats the deal fellas...should i be worried about all this?????
i dont know what to think. i really thought something was wrong with my mounts.

 

if you would have made time, you could have bought the 300Z nissan OEM filter and the motor mounts to my place. I just saw this post so sorry for not replyin sooner. You can place a jack under the tranny and the engine wont fall on you. I have a new addition to my tool collection, I bought a tranny jack

 

yeah i didnt know what worn out mounts felt like. my dad suspected it when he drove it. but the mounts are ok i guess.....

you put them SE wheels on yet focker?

 

who me? focker? I guess thats what you call the bad *** tech that did your car past 10:30PM okay Ill remeber that!

I am putting them on to go to NC

 

He's probably referring to the mounts on the sides of the car. They have a lot more room for play/stretch than the front and rear mounts. I absolutely love the feel of my homemade poly filled mounts. I used Eric's instructions with the Shore 80 A or Shore A 80 poly. Other people had great success with some 3M Window sealant that is apparently easier to work with and hardens to the same consistency.

If you're not sure of what he's talking about, compare these PRE FILL and POST FILL pics. The yellow area is the area you fill with poly. The front and rear mounts don't have nearly as much gap to fill but it's the same principle.



I wouldn't be worried about it if he bent them back. This is a kind of common problem that can contribute to a funky noise that ends up sounding like an engine noise.

I wouldn't be concerned about anything but the leak. The fun factor increases greatly with the poly filled mounts. I have absolutely no complaints about engine vibration or noise after following these instructions.

The tranny leak is probably fine but it is the one thing I'd be concerned about. If it starts to drip again you'll need to have him fix it correctly with a new gasket and sealant. Otherwise, fill some mounts, get them installed, and you're good to go.

 

Just put in polyurethane filled stock mounts today and it was easier than anticipated with all your help. I also made use of Sprintmax's How2.

I did not use a jack to support the motor/tranny and did not have any problems, save below. In fact, with the motor/tranny sitting slightly lower, it was easier to re-insert the center bolt of each motor mount. However, using this method, the 4 crossmember could not be tightened sufficiently--they kept rotating as if the threads were stripped. Once all bolts were in and with the car still on jackstands, I jacked the crossmember up, and then was able to torque them down to proper spec.

 

I had about the same experience, but I could get neither the center bolts nor the crossmember bolts to thread very well without jacking. You can either jack the motor or crossmember. Same difference

Welcome to the club I just installed my fuel pump today, and it was much easier than people lead you to believe.
-hype

 

haha...you know you da man! BTW YOUR SIG IS SICK!!!!!!!!! i like it ALOT.

thanks for the answers buddy.