Engine Mounts Vs commy
Dose any one know if i can change the engine mounts my self or dose it have to be done by a mecanic.
You can do it yourself.Get a gregorys workshop manual with the money you dont have to hand over to the mechanics.These manuals are well worth it if doing stuff like this yourself.It tells and shows everything step by step,you cant go wrong.Ive been using them for years now.
yes deff worth getting a manual, never been to a mechanic since
At least when following a manual ,you know everything is done properly,and its gonna be dafe to drive.Ive seen heaps of people take apart something and not know how to get it back together, or they finally get it back together and something isnt right still..Years ago a bloke was going on about how he'd changed his front ball joints and the new rivets had failed.He'd somehow re riveted the new ball joints in instead of using nuts and bolts like you are supposed to.I dont even know how he would have re riveted the new ones back in,but anyway the rivets failed and caused him to crash his car pretty badly.No one hurt luckily.But jeez,it goes to show what dangerous stuff people can do.
Likewise not all mechanics do a proper job. I had genuine front lower ball joints replaced in a LJ torana under warranty by a so called front end specialist the local dealership sub let the work to, they bent and distortorted the lower arms bashing the joints in, did not lock the tapers into the stub axle. When I eventually got the money off them to fix it myself the ball joints just fell out of the lower arms which were totally buggered.Originally Posted by Brett_jjj
The engine mounts can be done by you, really its a 2 person job if youre not dropping the K-frame. You'll need a minimum of 2 jacks or a block and tackle and some patience. While you're under there, also do the mount at the back of the tranny, theyre usually buggered too. The bastard part is lining up the engine with mounts attached into the holes on the K-frame. This is where the patience is needed.
Hi,
Good thing this thread came up, I'm changing them at the moment, What size spanner is it for the nuts that join the engine brackets to the engine rubber mounts?
Not the nuts on the crossmember underneath it I removed those, the nuts that hold the rubber mounts to the metal engine brackets.
Thanks.
Hi,
An update i've been trying to remove them wtih no luck, On the drivers side I'm trying to remove the nuts that hold the rubber mount onto the engines bracket, but one of the nuts is so close to the wall of the bracket
that you cant fit anything in there.
Is there another way to remove them? Are you supposed to remove the actual engine brackets from the engine?
Just don't know if I'm doing it wrong. Gregories manual does not make mention of how to remove the drivers side one.
Thanks.
Yeah,I dont know why your having trouble on that side.Maybe try another different type of spanner.Ive had trouble,not with the drivers side one,but the passenger side one,because the AC compressor was in the way.It had to be removed first.
Hi there, this may or may not help, they are a pain, but if u have or can get your hands on a stubby 15mm spanner, get the ring end on the nut with the spanner as close to the bracket as possible, then use the open end side of the spanner as a leavering point using a pry bar or similiar pry the spanner around, keep doing so until nut can be removed by fingers.
This is how we do it in the workshop many people have different ways, hope i was able to shed some light.
Dave.
Hi,
Yeah tried that ended up rounding the nut, cant get any grip on the nut. There is 2 nuts on the drivers mount, one of them closer one of them further toward the engine, it's the one further toward the engine
that is just too close to the wall of the mount that prevents me from getting any spanner on, even after grinding the spanner with a bench grinder it still cant go on
But I'm wondering are these the nuts that I should be removing? Or do I need to remove the actual bracket from the engine itself???? There is about 4 bolts for this, looks like heater hose connections and power steering pump
hoses need to come out.
So question is, am i removing the wrong ones, is it the actual brackets i have to remove first from the engine itself.
A Memcal a Day Keeps..
no just the bolts from the engine mounts itself, then bolt up new engine mounts, i guess if you have to you can cut the old bolt off the old engine mount as it's stuffed anyway so you can remove it, that is if you have room.
Donating Member
Gregorys says to remove the mounts and brackets from the car...it indicates both sides, so I'd say you need to remove the brackets first, then remove the mount from the bracket.
"If anyone disagrees with anything I say, I am quite prepared not only to retract it, but also to deny under oath that I ever said it." --T. Lehrer
"The secret of success is sincerity. Once you can fake that you've got it made." -- Jean Giraudoux
Yeah will have a go, will have to lift engine up a fair way so mounts can slide out I guess, fun things going to be aligning all 4 bolt holes by jacking engine up/down when putting new mounts in.
Basically I'm planning to do it like this for removal, let me know what you think.
1. Remove 4 bolts from each bracket.
2. Jack engine up high enough so mounts can be slid inward
3. remove the mounts as one piece without separating the rubber from brackets.
Not sure if it's going to work out or not but that's what I'm going to try out.
theres a fair bit of pressure holding the mounts in
you will be surprised when you sit the new and old mounts side by side the difference in height due to the old ones sagging
when raising your engine watch all wires etc are long enough, raise it slowly and keep checking everything as you go
when i replaced mine in the vr v6 i had to leave the new engine mounts on finger tight as i lowered the engine and lever them in a bit as well
the new higher mounts will change the angle of the bolts as they mount to the frame
you will see what i mean as you lower it
Donating Member
Sounds good to me - don't forget to post back and explain the problems you have and how you overcome them. Good Luck.
"If anyone disagrees with anything I say, I am quite prepared not only to retract it, but also to deny under oath that I ever said it." --T. Lehrer
"The secret of success is sincerity. Once you can fake that you've got it made." -- Jean Giraudoux
I'll post a guide on how to do it for everyone if I manage to do it correctly.
I assume there is no real difference from v6 to v8?
look forward to the how to.
Not sure about V8, different procedure might apply as I'm not sure what accessories get in the way in the v8 that need removing.
About 70% Done, been writing a guide as I work.
On the Drivers side, P/S Pump needs to be removed to allow for easy working/access to bolts, makes it much easier.
Also removing heater hoses from the engine side does free up room to work.
Passengers side, A/C Comp needs to be either
- Removed
- Or put to the side
I chose to remove mine.
If you chose to move it to the side, it looks like you may need to remove the lower rad hose for convenience,
so while doing mounts, it might be a good idea to change coolant, and engine oil too.... I removed my oil filter just to make more room around the place,
So oil change aswell. Also an idea if you have a set of headers... to put them on as you'll be freeing up some room to allow you to remove the factory manifolds,
So while doing mounts it's a good time to change a lot of things, serpentine belt and noisy pulleys/idlers too.
Should be done tommorow, if all goes well I'll post up a guide.
I think from memory its a 14 or 16 for those bolts.
Well I changed the mounts, whether it will get rid of my shuddering problem on take off and engine tilting sideways a lot when i rev, we'll see.
All in all it was actually not that hard, difficulty Maybe 6.5/10
Guide - Changing VS Commodore V6 Engine mounts.
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 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.
Last edited by Z2TT; 26-10-2010 at 11:38 PM.
Donating Member
Re the instructions above.....great stuff and many thanks for doing the how -to which I'll follow next weekend. Thanks again and Good Luck.
ps....You really should add this in the "how-to" section - that way it will be more easily located. Also after reading it closely I have to say it is very well written and will help many people (including me!)
Last edited by hako; 26-10-2010 at 07:03 PM. Reason: ps
"If anyone disagrees with anything I say, I am quite prepared not only to retract it, but also to deny under oath that I ever said it." --T. Lehrer
"The secret of success is sincerity. Once you can fake that you've got it made." -- Jean Giraudoux
Added to the how-to, I'll be making a few how to's I guess for the VS.
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