In this guide we will learn how to change the engine and transmission mounts on a VS V6 Automatic, similar procedure would apply to other 3.8L Commodores.
The P/S Pump and A/C Compressor should be removed for easier access to engine bracket bolts, there have been some people who have been able to do this without touching the A/C Compressor, but it's easier if you remove it.
Any comments are appreciated, so post if you have any handy hints and tips.
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The transmission mount you have may differ to the one you buy if you buy from the ebay stores, it appears there is two different types and I'm not sure why, shorter and taller one and the models they came fitted to I'm not sure, my VS Wagon has the shorter one. I tried fitting the longer one but it was nearly impossible to fit the metal brace back on under the mount. Here is a picture showing the two :
Tools and Equipment.
Floor Jack x 2
5/6 Spanner Open end
13mm Socket
15mm Socket
Ratchet (1/2" and 1/4")
6" Extender 1/4" Drive
10mm Socket
10mm Spanner
Flatbar approx 20cm long
Timber Blocks x 3
Jack stands/Supports
Flathead screwdriver
2 Ice cream containers + 1L Bottle
Small funnel (Sawn off coke bottle end)
15mm spanner
Plastic shop bags (to plug off removed hoses)
19mm Socket
2 x 12" extender bars 1/2" drive, One being 90" angle at end.
12mm socket
5/8" Socket
Undo battery cables before starting.
1. Raise front end up and support firmly on jack stands. Remove a few exhaust hangers, as raising the engine later on may put some load on the exhaust, can undo cat converter bolts or loosen.
2. Place jack under transmission pan, and piece of timber between jack and transmission pan.
3. Undo 2 nuts holding transmission mount to steel member, you can now raise the transmission a bit
4. Remove 4 Bolts holding transmission support member, tug on exhaust to help make clearance to let you manoeuvre the support member out. You can now change the transmission mount to the new one.
5. Engine mounts, start with the drivers side. Place jack under engine sump and timber block between jack and sump.
6. Remove 2 nuts on each side below the cross member that hold the mounts to the crossmember
7. P/S Pump removal to access engine mounts.
- Turn anticlockwise on belt tensioner pulley, remove drive belt.
- Remove hose from P/S Bottle (Feed Hose), place suitable container or bottle to catch fluid, plug hose and bottle outlet to avoid dirt entry.
- Undo heater hoses from engine side, catch coolant, plug heater hoses and ports on engine to avoid dirt entry, move heater hoses out of the way.
- Move any wires/lines to the side that cause an obstruction.
- Undo P/S High pressure line from pump, 5/6" Spanner, do not attempt to slide line out yet.
- Remove 4 bolts holding P/S pump pulley on, bolts are size 13. Use 2 ratchets with 10mm sockets or ratchet and 10mm spanner in method shown below to loosen bolts, to loosen final bolt use a flatbar on the pulley for leverage. Then Remove pulley
- Undo bolts holding P/S Pump onto engine and remove Pump.
8. Remove oil filter to free up working area and use funnel and container to catch oil spill, plug center hole of oil filter adapter housing to avoid dirt entry.
9. Remove bolt for support bracket on P/S cooler hoses (Near P/S Pump location)
10, Undo any cableties/clips on wiring looms to allow for better access to working area.
11. Remove frontmost engine bracket bolts, Note - Lower bolt holds earth wire to engine, don't forget to put this back on when finishing up.
12. Remove rearmost bracket bolts.
13. For Passengers side, the A/C Compressor is in the way, you have a choice of Undoing A/C compressor from mount and sliding it to the side, or removing it completely. Chose appropriate steps below depending on your choice.
- Remove Intake pipe + Airbox
- Degas A/C System
- Undo high pressure hose (Closest to exhaust manifold), do not use cheapo sockets as these bolts are usually on extremely tight, if they have excessive aluminum residue on the threads when removed, clean this out to aid ease of re-installation of refrigerant lines
- Undo low pressure hose. Plug hoses and ports to avoid dirt entry
- Remove bolts holding A/C Comp onto bracket (4)
for frost most lower bolt if difficulty arises, place spanner on it and use a long heavy steel pipe from above + Mallet or brick to give force on Spanner.
For lower rear bolt if difficulty arises, double up spanners for more leverage.
- Remove A/C Compressor from car, if you chose to not remove it use a rope or wire to support it, and you should remove the radiator hoses to make room.
14. Remove Passengers side engine bracket bolts - 5/8"
15. Jack engine up slowly at front, and rear if needed. raise it progressively.
16. Place piece of timber between passengers exhaust manifold and chassis as shown below :
17. Raise engine as required, slide your timber near the exhaust manifold further to the front of car to free up room on the other side, at the same time slowly jacking car up and moving timber as needed to free more room up on opposite side. Remove engine mount.
18. Install new mount onto bracket, tighten nuts well.
19. Put drivers mount In, push engine toward passengers side for ease, if required lift the P/S hardlines upward to allow new mount to slide in easier.
20. Start by putting ground wire back on and the bolt on the frostmost lower hole of mount, make sure ground wire is clean and contact area too, as this is a very important wire.
21. On your passengers side where your timber is near exhaust manifold, push the timber toward the firewall as much as you can, this pushes the engine closer to drivers side bracket, to allow for easier installation of bolts.
22. Put 2 frontmost bolts to attach drivers side mount to engine, not overly tight but screwed in a bit. If having alignment problems, use floor jack and passenger side timber as adjustments to help align the engine bolt holes to bracket bolt holes. You can also use a pen as a tool to poke into the hole, to give you an idea of how off the alignment is. Once all bolts for mount are in well, you can now tighten them very tight.
23. Once aligned tighten bolts, they should screw on easy and not require excessive force to get them going. Check that knock sensor plug is not fallen and on securely.
24. Passenger side mount. Move your timber as far in toward firewall as you can to make clearance. Place your bracket/new mount assembly in and take care not to squish the knock sensor cable during installation. Pull knock sensor plate flange so it clears the engine mount, allowing engine mount to slide in.
25. Once all bolts are in and tightened lightly, you can remove your timber between the chassis and exhaust manifold.
26. Tighten all engine mount bolts very well and firm.
27. Place transmission support member back in and tighten the 4 bolts holding it onto the chassis, paying attention to make sure the 2 bolts from the trans rubber mount fall into their holes on the metal support member.
28. - Re-Install A/C Compressor - Note : place long and short bolts in proper locations, all bolts must be on the compressor beforehand, then you may place the compressor in place.
- Re-Install P/S Pump and hoses - Note : If having difficulty tightening High pressure line, make sure the metal bracket coming off the hose and going to one of the Bolts is loose, this will aid in putting the line back in properly
- Re-Install Oil filter and top up any oil if required - Note : Clean sealing surface of dirt before putting oil filter in.
- Re-install Coolant hoses
- Re-Install Airbox and Airpipe
- Put any clips on wiring harnesses back on
- Re-connect all previously removed plugs.
- Re-install drive belt
29. Lower both jacks slowly until engine and trans sit on their mounts. Place 2 nuts back on transmission mount and tighten well and firm.
30. Now lower the whole car so it's sitting on all 4 wheels. After the car is lowered, now re-install the nuts that hold the engine brackets on, tighten well and firm.
The P/S Pump and A/C Compressor should be removed for easier access to engine bracket bolts, there have been some people who have been able to do this without touching the A/C Compressor, but it's easier if you remove it.
Any comments are appreciated, so post if you have any handy hints and tips.
--------------------------------------------------------------
The transmission mount you have may differ to the one you buy if you buy from the ebay stores, it appears there is two different types and I'm not sure why, shorter and taller one and the models they came fitted to I'm not sure, my VS Wagon has the shorter one. I tried fitting the longer one but it was nearly impossible to fit the metal brace back on under the mount. Here is a picture showing the two :
Tools and Equipment.
Floor Jack x 2
5/6 Spanner Open end
13mm Socket
15mm Socket
Ratchet (1/2" and 1/4")
6" Extender 1/4" Drive
10mm Socket
10mm Spanner
Flatbar approx 20cm long
Timber Blocks x 3
Jack stands/Supports
Flathead screwdriver
2 Ice cream containers + 1L Bottle
Small funnel (Sawn off coke bottle end)
15mm spanner
Plastic shop bags (to plug off removed hoses)
19mm Socket
2 x 12" extender bars 1/2" drive, One being 90" angle at end.
12mm socket
5/8" Socket
Undo battery cables before starting.
1. Raise front end up and support firmly on jack stands. Remove a few exhaust hangers, as raising the engine later on may put some load on the exhaust, can undo cat converter bolts or loosen.
2. Place jack under transmission pan, and piece of timber between jack and transmission pan.
3. Undo 2 nuts holding transmission mount to steel member, you can now raise the transmission a bit
4. Remove 4 Bolts holding transmission support member, tug on exhaust to help make clearance to let you manoeuvre the support member out. You can now change the transmission mount to the new one.
5. Engine mounts, start with the drivers side. Place jack under engine sump and timber block between jack and sump.
6. Remove 2 nuts on each side below the cross member that hold the mounts to the crossmember
7. P/S Pump removal to access engine mounts.
- Turn anticlockwise on belt tensioner pulley, remove drive belt.
- Remove hose from P/S Bottle (Feed Hose), place suitable container or bottle to catch fluid, plug hose and bottle outlet to avoid dirt entry.
- Undo heater hoses from engine side, catch coolant, plug heater hoses and ports on engine to avoid dirt entry, move heater hoses out of the way.
- Move any wires/lines to the side that cause an obstruction.
- Undo P/S High pressure line from pump, 5/6" Spanner, do not attempt to slide line out yet.
- Remove 4 bolts holding P/S pump pulley on, bolts are size 13. Use 2 ratchets with 10mm sockets or ratchet and 10mm spanner in method shown below to loosen bolts, to loosen final bolt use a flatbar on the pulley for leverage. Then Remove pulley
- Undo bolts holding P/S Pump onto engine and remove Pump.
8. Remove oil filter to free up working area and use funnel and container to catch oil spill, plug center hole of oil filter adapter housing to avoid dirt entry.
9. Remove bolt for support bracket on P/S cooler hoses (Near P/S Pump location)
10, Undo any cableties/clips on wiring looms to allow for better access to working area.
11. Remove frontmost engine bracket bolts, Note - Lower bolt holds earth wire to engine, don't forget to put this back on when finishing up.
12. Remove rearmost bracket bolts.
13. For Passengers side, the A/C Compressor is in the way, you have a choice of Undoing A/C compressor from mount and sliding it to the side, or removing it completely. Chose appropriate steps below depending on your choice.
- Remove Intake pipe + Airbox
- Degas A/C System
- Undo high pressure hose (Closest to exhaust manifold), do not use cheapo sockets as these bolts are usually on extremely tight, if they have excessive aluminum residue on the threads when removed, clean this out to aid ease of re-installation of refrigerant lines
- Undo low pressure hose. Plug hoses and ports to avoid dirt entry
- Remove bolts holding A/C Comp onto bracket (4)
for frost most lower bolt if difficulty arises, place spanner on it and use a long heavy steel pipe from above + Mallet or brick to give force on Spanner.
For lower rear bolt if difficulty arises, double up spanners for more leverage.
- Remove A/C Compressor from car, if you chose to not remove it use a rope or wire to support it, and you should remove the radiator hoses to make room.
14. Remove Passengers side engine bracket bolts - 5/8"
15. Jack engine up slowly at front, and rear if needed. raise it progressively.
16. Place piece of timber between passengers exhaust manifold and chassis as shown below :
17. Raise engine as required, slide your timber near the exhaust manifold further to the front of car to free up room on the other side, at the same time slowly jacking car up and moving timber as needed to free more room up on opposite side. Remove engine mount.
18. Install new mount onto bracket, tighten nuts well.
19. Put drivers mount In, push engine toward passengers side for ease, if required lift the P/S hardlines upward to allow new mount to slide in easier.
20. Start by putting ground wire back on and the bolt on the frostmost lower hole of mount, make sure ground wire is clean and contact area too, as this is a very important wire.
21. On your passengers side where your timber is near exhaust manifold, push the timber toward the firewall as much as you can, this pushes the engine closer to drivers side bracket, to allow for easier installation of bolts.
22. Put 2 frontmost bolts to attach drivers side mount to engine, not overly tight but screwed in a bit. If having alignment problems, use floor jack and passenger side timber as adjustments to help align the engine bolt holes to bracket bolt holes. You can also use a pen as a tool to poke into the hole, to give you an idea of how off the alignment is. Once all bolts for mount are in well, you can now tighten them very tight.
23. Once aligned tighten bolts, they should screw on easy and not require excessive force to get them going. Check that knock sensor plug is not fallen and on securely.
24. Passenger side mount. Move your timber as far in toward firewall as you can to make clearance. Place your bracket/new mount assembly in and take care not to squish the knock sensor cable during installation. Pull knock sensor plate flange so it clears the engine mount, allowing engine mount to slide in.
25. Once all bolts are in and tightened lightly, you can remove your timber between the chassis and exhaust manifold.
26. Tighten all engine mount bolts very well and firm.
27. Place transmission support member back in and tighten the 4 bolts holding it onto the chassis, paying attention to make sure the 2 bolts from the trans rubber mount fall into their holes on the metal support member.
28. - Re-Install A/C Compressor - Note : place long and short bolts in proper locations, all bolts must be on the compressor beforehand, then you may place the compressor in place.
- Re-Install P/S Pump and hoses - Note : If having difficulty tightening High pressure line, make sure the metal bracket coming off the hose and going to one of the Bolts is loose, this will aid in putting the line back in properly
- Re-Install Oil filter and top up any oil if required - Note : Clean sealing surface of dirt before putting oil filter in.
- Re-install Coolant hoses
- Re-Install Airbox and Airpipe
- Put any clips on wiring harnesses back on
- Re-connect all previously removed plugs.
- Re-install drive belt
29. Lower both jacks slowly until engine and trans sit on their mounts. Place 2 nuts back on transmission mount and tighten well and firm.
30. Now lower the whole car so it's sitting on all 4 wheels. After the car is lowered, now re-install the nuts that hold the engine brackets on, tighten well and firm.