engine and drivetrain Replace Motor Mounts Without Engine Hoist?

[Grover]

I need to replace my motor mounts but don't have an engine hoist. Is this possible? Maybe using a jack to lift and/or hold the motor? Can it be done well without draining the cooling system as suggested in the Blue shop manual? Thanks.

[jgerry2002]

Driver side mount is cake. I've swapped those out in as little as 15 minutes. Just get a helper to hold the motor. It pivots quite easily

 

Right side mount can be a pain. I'm 50/50 on those. On my tii, I did it by myself (swapped in an ireland engineering yellow mount). On my friends tii, it took a couple of hours because of stuck bolts... but his car had been hit before, so things were a bit out of alignment. A jack and a board is all that is needed. It can be a bit tedious to line up the mount though if the motor moves.

[jgerry2002]

No need to touch the cooling system or anything else either...

[2002Targa]

something I've done is lay a 4x4 across the fenders and if you get a heavy duty ratcheting tie-down strap you can wrench it up enough to get them out.  Just do them one at a time (starting with the drivers side)

[colorobo2002]

You can also use a 2 or 3 foot long 2x4 and a floor jack if you're careful with placement. A helper with a pry bar creatively placed can do the trick.

[Zorac]

Watch the pinch points, I wouldn't trust just a jack.

[Dabliz02]

Driver side mount is cake. I've swapped those out in as little as 15 minutes. Just get a helper to hold the motor. It pivots quite easily

 

Right side mount can be a pain. I'm 50/50 on those. On my tii, I did it by myself (swapped in an ireland engineering yellow mount). On my friends tii, it took a couple of hours because of stuck bolts... but his car had been hit before, so things were a bit out of alignment. A jack and a board is all that is needed. It can be a bit tedious to line up the mount though if the motor moves.

+1

 

Doable without a hoist.  Just do your best to not move the motor when the mount is out.

[Stevenc22]

You can lift by the oil pan, but you risk oil leaks afterwards (ask me how I know).

[Kidasters]

I've done it multiple times without a hoist.  Jack and a 12" long piece of 2x4, and a rolled up newspaper for the passenger side.  Driver's side, i've done it by myself - just push with one hand and slip it in place with the other.  A lot easier with a helper.  Wish I had one.

 

For the passenger side mount:

 

Put the 2x4 on the jack, and put the rolled up newspaper on top of the 2x4.  Raise the jack until it is taking the weight of the engine.  Unbolt the mount on the front subframe.  Trial and error with jack height.  Once you have all the weight up off the subframe, unbolt the mount from the block.  

 

The big thing with the passenger side mount - make sure you get the "forward movement arrester" put in correctly, else you could get a nice round pattern on your radiator.  And no - not from experience.

 

Finally - a word about mounts.  Urethane is probably OK for the passenger side mount.  Not so good for the driver's side mount.  I've gone through 3 sets of IE urethane D/S mounts - all unbonded and failed.  When that happens, your distributor cap whacks the firewall and usually breaks.  I will never run a urethane mount ever again on the driver's side.

 

Good Luck.  Happy wrenching.

Edited May 5, 2013 by Kidasters

[TobyB]

What everyone else said.

 

A jack works fine, just be smart about where you put your fingers and your melon.

 

When I've done both at the same time, I'll do the drivers side, then leave it loose so that

the motor can move a bit more freely- getting the passenger's side in is often a real pain,

and being able to wiggle the engine helps a lot.

 

t

[Grover]

Thanks guys. Time permitting, I'll give it a shot today.

[Chamoix]

Good idea to remove the distributor cap too if you are lifting the engine. Ask me how I know!

[Beck180]

I swapped out the motor mounts when I reinstalled front subframe after a full suspension rebuild. I did the 2x4 + ratchet straps method. Worked great.

[bruno615]

Good post, I'll have to try the racheting mount method

[backtrail69]

I used an engine support bar from HF. Great tool for swapping oil pans, motor mounts and subframes. I have used it on my E30s and 2002. Just be sure to lube the screws!

 

http://www.harborfreight.com/1000-lb-capacity-engine-support-bar-96524.html