So, did my V6 engine mounts today....

[Longman]

What a c%#$ of a job! I was quoted $348 supply and fit by a local mob, I can see now that it's a fair price, considering what I had to go through!

The top bolts were on so tight, I ended up removing the entire mouting plates from the block, it was much easier, but still took all day. I also put a new power steering pump in at the same time. The most annoying thing was that nearly every bolt/nut was a different size, and the A/C had to come out. It's definitely a job for small hands, not my fat sausage fingers!

All in all though, now it's done, she's a completely different car, back to how she was. All the vibration, noises and rattles that I thought to be worn suspension must have been coming from the mounts, coz they're all gone.

All I can say is I'll never do them again, no way. I'll happily pay someone next time.

[Boonz]

you did it the hard way man!

takes me 20 minutes with a 15mm ratchet spanner,15mm socket, lever bar and a jack

only ever need to take the compressor bracket off if the top nuts dont come off... but i do agree it is a painful job to do the first time!

[drift-it]

once you've done them a few times they are easy as! first time took me close to 5hrs! last ones i did 45 mins both sides taking my sweet a$$ time! lol

you did it the hard way man!

takes me 20 minutes with a 15mm ratchet spanner,15mm socket, lever bar and a jack

only ever need to take the compressor bracket off if the top nuts dont come off... but i do agree it is a painful job to do the first time!

[Dayvo]

once you've done them a few times they are easy as! first time took me close to 5hrs! last ones i did 45 mins both sides taking my sweet a$$ time! lol

Maybe you could do a "how to " when you have some spare time as i guess there are a few more of us on here that have wanted to replace theirs but not sure on how to go about it . ( puts hand up ) Obviously there is a hard way and an easier way to do it . Just a thought .

[darcycammo]

I was quoted $348 supply and fit by a local mob

I was getting around the same price so i thought i would do it my self as well but rang around a little more in the end $60 to change them we bought the mounts as well can't remember how much

[Catchy]

When i was talking to a guy at automasters, he said he had to move the whole manifold and suspension to get to em, would defs be interested in a home made how-to..

[scvs6]

When i was talking to a guy at automasters, he said he had to move the whole manifold and suspension to get to em, would defs be interested in a home made how-to..

No, you don't have to touch the suspension or manifolds. Ill do a quick write up on how to remove them, will do a proper one with pics another time.

You have to remove the serpentine belt, unbolt the A/C Compressor,

loosen (don't completely remove) the 3 bolts on the engine mount bracket (L/H/S of the engine),

then go to the other side and remove the 2 nuts on top of the engine mount (R/H/S), then lift the car up on a hoist, or jack the car up and put it on stands, then undo the bottom engine mount bolts (2 on each side), (at this point, if you want you can remove the plastic engine cover),

then get a block of wood or similar, put it on the jack, and jack the motor up by the sump, you will then be able to remove the R/H/S engine mount, with the L/H/S completely remove the 3 bracket bolts,

bolt up the new engine mount and start the 3 bolts into the engine, on the R/H/S, start the top nuts but don't completely tighten them, then slowly let the engine down, while at the same time lining up the bottom of the engine mounts,

once both mounts are in, you can remove the jack and start and tighten all nuts and bolts,

refit the A/C compressor, serpentine belt, engine cover, etc.

Notes:

DO NOT remove the pipe off the A/C Compressor, just undo the 2 nuts from the front, and the small bolt on the side, and simply pull the compressor to the side.

Reason for removing engine cover is so that when you jack up the motor, it doesn't damage it and also engine will jack up more because there will be more room between the motor and firewall.

You will have to remove the whole bracket off the L/H/S (Passenger side) of the motor because you wont be able to get the one of the top mounts on the engine mount, and also don't forget to tighten the top of the new engine mount before bolting the bracket back on.

Take note of which way the engine mounts came off because they are only supposed to go one way (i'm not talking about upside down).

Genuine engine mounts are oil filled, I recommend getting your new mounts from repco, they are all rubber and sit slightly higher then the original ones and in my opinion last alot longer then genuine.

On the L/H/S there is a wire that runs underneith the engine mount, make sure it doesn't get caught anywhere while tightening the bracket/mount. Also the bolt closest to the back of the engine has goes through another small bracket for a sensor that sits next to the engine mount, that bracket stays on the outside of the engine mount bracket, not between the engine block and engine mount bracket.

Don't jack the engine up by the sump unless there is a block of wood between the sump and jack, you could damage the sump.

[Longman]

I agree with the how to above.

Things to note:

The wire that runs under the left mount also runs by the front nut holding the A/C compressor on. It's a tight fit as there is also a sensor in the way that can easily damage.

There are holes underneath in the K frame to get to the bottom mount nuts, not so from above. The right side mount is different to the left. The right side has a prominent step down to the rear nut and will take some massaging with a good offset spanner to get a good hold on. I couldn't get a socket in there and couldn't crack the nut, so took the whole mount off which was easier. It took my entire body weight on the nut to crack it. The left side, you cannot get to the rear nut as the mount is different, but once the A/C is pushed aside, all 3 mount bolts are easy as to get at.

The only non-standard tool I needed was a block of hardwood with a heavy hammer. The mounts didn't line up either side. When you jack the motor it may shift left or right and will need to be pushed back in place to line the bolts up. The left side wouldn't and required a good hard tap. To note is that the rubber at the front of the mount is a flap only and hitting it will not make any difference, you need to go either side of it.

A final thing to note is that if you have a strut brace, take it off.

It's not a complicated job, just fiddly. Nearly all bolts/nuts are different sizes, I used 10, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17 and 19mm spanners and sockets. There is no substitute for quality tools and a good breaker bar is essential for this job.

[Cameron P]

Did it all by myself the other week and took me 4 hours and a few beers.. It was definitely a good learning experience!!