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[General] Changing Engine mounts ECOTEC V6 (THE EASY WAY)

paevans

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Great post. Only problem is that photo bucket have blocked access to the photos which tell the rest of the story. Do you still have the photos?





G'day Guys hows it going?

So iv just done changed my engine mounts today, as mine were kinda shitty as you can see:

But after reading all the write ups posted on here, i was HORRIFIED.... things like;
degass air con,
remove a/c compressor,
remove P/S pump,
remove Radiator hoses & catch coolant,
remove oil filter and drain fluid, etc

Anyways this scared me... So after a look at the engine bay, and the locations of the mounts i thought #### IT, cant be that hard, and so i went to prove everyone wrong. and i did!!

THIS IS A COMPREHENSIVE GUIDE FOR BEGINERS OR PEOPLE WHO WANT TO DO THIS THE EASY WAY!!

TOOLS:

decent socket set (cheap ones will strip the bolts / nuts)
ring spanner set
jack
car stands
block of wood
rope

PROCEDURE:

1: Remove serpentine belt (the belt which spins all the pulleys for things like power steering a/c etc)

IMG_05411-1.jpg


To do this you will need to put a 15mm socket piece on to the nut of the tensioner pulley and rotate the rachet anti clockwise (left) this will move the entire pulley down towards the ground, relieving the tension. The tensioner pulley is located just below the alternator but slightly to the right. its sort of half hidden behing the radiator hose pictured above!

I also suggest making a shitty diagram on a piece of paper so you know how the belt goes back on like this:

IMG_05421.jpg


2: Putting asside the A/C compressor (the pulley in the bottom right hand corner, closest to the RHS wheel)

There are 2 nuts and 1 bolt holding the compressor onto the block (DO NOT disconnect the hoses coming off the back / top of the compressor)

IMG_05491.jpg


there is one (pictured with the rachet attached to it) and another nut below the small pulley next to compressor. The bolt is located on the side facing the RHS wheel and is located just below the exhaust manifold (the group of 3 exhaust pipes that merge into 1 and head to the back of the engine)

IMG_05471.jpg


This one is an absolute C#$T of a thing to get to, i had to mix and match 2 sockets together to find the right extension piece and a small 14mm socket piece.

Now all you have to do is let it sit on the sway bar, pushed towards the radiator (very front of the car)

3: place the car on stands at a height easy for access under

4: place the jack underneath the sump with your block of timber (prefferably pine as it is a SOFT timber) and just take the weight of the engine

IMG_05531.jpg


5: On the DRIVERS SIDE undo the 2 nuts holding the engine mount to the subframe. you will need i think it is a 15mm socket with an extension piece

IMG_05541.jpg


6: now your going to need to remove both the engine cover (4 obvious nuts) and the air box (undo the hose clamp holding the intake pipe to the throttle body)

IMG_05441.jpg


7: Begin to slowly jack up the engine being very carefal of what the engine is resting against and clearence

8: once the drivers side mounts are visibly out of their holes, undo the the 2 nuts securing the mounts to the bracket and lift out the old mount.

IMG_05551.jpg


9: now simply place the new mount in and START the nuts on each side of the mount (as in top and bottom) ONLY START this is an important step for later!

10: now you can let the jack down and the engine will simply sit on the new mount, no worries.

11: now for the passenger side. undo the 2 nuts on the bottom of the engine mount (under car into subframe) (same sorta deal as pictured earlier)

12: begin to slowly jack up the engine once again until there is visible clearence between the mount and the frame. START the only nut visible on the top of the engine mount holding it to the bracket.

13: undo the 3 20mm bolts that hold the bracket to the engine (YES you are going to take the whole bracket with the mount still attached to it out)

14: undo the 2 nuts (now you will see the hidden one which is basically unreachable

15: attach the new mount to the bracket ensuring the hidden nut is tightened all the way as you will not be able to tighten this one later and START the other nut.

16: bolt the bracket with the mount back onto the block but once again only START the bolts

17: this is the tricky bit now you have to move the engine and the mounts and the bracket so as the mount lines up with the holes, and slowly release the jack at the same time watching the mounts thread slide into the holes.

18: once thats all in START the nuts on the bottom of the engine mount and jack the engine back up enough to bolt the bracket back onto the block

19: tighten the bracket bolts all the way then lower the engine again so that the engine is once again just sitting on the mounts

20: tighten all the nuts on top and bottom of the mounts, remove jack completely, and re-tighten (with all the extra weight they can sometimes compress the mounts therefore needing extra tightening)

21: take the car off the stands and your basically done

22: re install the compressor

23: re install the serpentine belt and airbox

24: put engine cover back on and BAMMMM your done!!

25: the final step. ROAD TEST. through quick acceleration followed by hard braking test to see if the engine feels like its secured properly. (if your anal like me, re tighten the nuts just incase.)

FIRST POST HOPE U ENJOY.
 

Immortality

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pussbucket has stuffed up many threads, I've fixed the links to the pics but I'd say it's only temporary at best.
 

paevans

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Thanks a lot. They are excellent photos, and really help,to explain the procedure. I hope they last.
 

Immortality

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This is from another thread but it's too good not to include it.

Make sure you check out the video at the bottom :)

I'm re posting my way from another thread. Hope it helps.

There is a much easier way to do this!
Do not remove the ac comp or steering pump.

Get a 15mm ring spanner.
Cut it down to 8cm long.
Weld a socket onto it with the square in line with the spanner.
I have included photos of the tool.

This will fit easily onto the inner nuts.
Use a breaker bar on the tool you have made.


Use a 15mm deep socket for the nuts facing down.
Use a 15mm ring spanner for the wheel side nuts.

This will get you around all the problems of the ac comp etc.
Nothing has to be pulled off the engine.
Other than the air intake as can be seen in the video.

Undo all nuts, jack from the sump
Watch nothing catches as you jack the engine.

Replace and fasten

2 to 3 hours

The tool is nothing new. I copied it from a Cessna cylinder head spanner.



 

Sabbath'

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This is from another thread but it's too good not to include it.

Make sure you check out the video at the bottom :)

Half his points are backwards on themselves. Why go to the trouble of welding on a socket if you're just going to use a breaker bar anyway? Skip the welding step, just use the cut down spanner.

And the intake doesnt need to be removed, just take off the engine cover. Allows more vertical room.
 

Immortality

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Half his points are backwards on themselves. Why go to the trouble of welding on a socket if you're just going to use a breaker bar anyway? Skip the welding step, just use the cut down spanner.

And the intake doesnt need to be removed, just take off the engine cover. Allows more vertical room.

To me it looks like he has only taken off the engine cover and the intake pipe. Yes it will probably stretch but it's not going to make a huge difference in time to remove one hose clamp.

Welding a socket on the end of the spanner makes it easy to apply torque to the otherwise very short spanner.

At the end of the day it's another method of doing this job. People can decide how they want to do it.
 

paevans

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Thanks immortality. Interesting that five minutes before I received your post I had just emailed a friend who runs a mechanical workshop with a request for him to make me the cut-down spanner. This seems to be a very good suggestion. There is also a utube video about it. There are also posts on using metrinch or similar spanners or sockets to avoid damaging the nuts. When I have finished, I may be able to assist another forum member with the loan of the cut-down spanner, or point them in the right direction to get one made.
 

Sabbath'

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Welding a socket on the end of the spanner makes it easy to apply torque to the otherwise very short spanner.

Short spanner and a breaker bar. Dont have to worry about the extra length then.

Cut down spanner for the front nut on the passenger side.
Socket and 3/8 ratchet over the top of the subframe for underneath or the rear mount on the passenger rear.
Normal spanner from underneath on the rear drivers side
Normal spanner from the top on the drivers side for the front nut.

No need to start welding stuff up. All you need is a cheap 15mm spanner and a grinder. If you're worried about flex on the air intake hose, which is ribbed, why not tell them to disconnect the unribbed and stretchable coolant hoses.

i havent bothered watching the video but from the dot points you put down it sounds a lot like:

images
 

Immortality

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Each to there own. I'm not going to tell someone how to do something, I'll give my opinion and leave it at that.

BTW, I quiet often remove the intake pipe if for no other reason than to give yourself some light and working space on that side of the engine :)
 

StephenM

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It took me and a mechanic mate 10 hours. The nuts were tight as sh$t and started hurting. Had to blow two off. Mick said he had never seen nuts so thighs or so soft!
 
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