I've got a bad engine mount, drivers side... is it possible to change it out without having to hoist the engine up? I'd like to jack it up from below if possible without causing any damage to the pan etc.. has anyone done this and if so where is it best to position the jack and how high would I have to lift it to replace the mount? Thanks.
As outlined in the service manual you can carefully do this without pulling engine completely out.
Disconnect Battery,
Disconnect any straps/wires that may hinder raising engine,
Remove guide bolts,
Lift engine just enough to clear frame brackets,
You may need to loosen trans mount,
A 4x4 block with a half round cutout section placed under the HB works well with a floor jack.
I have the manual but I hoped to do it without having to use a hoist.. no space for it. Does the block under the balancer method mean
I can then floor jack it up enough to R and R the mount? I've only ever changed them with the engine out and I don't want to damage
anything while trying it this way.
I would not jack an engine up by the balancer. You could bend the pulley and its not good for the crankshaft snout - in my opinion.
The exhaust pipe may or may not be a problem as it could hit the floor before you get the engine up high enough - so just be aware of this, just in case you have to drop a pipe on that side.
I honestly don't know if this will work without looking at the car or getting under it and doing it. But in my mind, I think this should work.
I would think that you won't have to go too high. Unbolt and remove the long bolt that goes through the frame/engine mount. Then I would place a flat board, about 1/2" thick, that will set under the oil pan so as to distribute your lifting pressure over the bottom of the pan as opposed to a focused area that will collapse the pan. I would then use a floor jack under the wood panel and raise it slowly and watch to make sure the engine is indeed lifting and not caving in the pan because it is hooked or binding somewhere. I would just go high enough to take the pressure off the engine rubber mount to frame mount.
I would then unbolt the two bolts which hold the rubber mount to the engine block. This should free the mount from the block. I would then try to slip the rubber mount off from the steel frame mount. If you need to raise the engine any, just go slowly and just a little, or enough to slip the rubber mount off and out from the frame mount.
Then reverse the procedure to install.
Take a look and see what kind of room you have next to the exhaust manifold and see if this might work for you.
Jim,
Yes no hoist needed. Just helps to get the car up on Jack-stands as high as possible.
If you desire to be extra safe you can tilt the engine and replace one side at a time,
but this may require a different lifting location.
Not to be argumentative but have done it this way many times over.
Just go slow and avoid pulley issues. You only want to lift the engine enough to clear the the bracket.
It's tight and can be a PITA but is very doable.
If you wish you can use a lifting tool based on the GM tool so it should pose no issues.
I will agree those type devises straddled the crank and cleared the pulley but again you're not lifting the full weight of the engine.
No offense taken. I have not changed out many, but don't recall it being too difficult. I personally would change out both mounts so I knew I had a matched set and in that case, lift the engine up evenly from the pan rather than "roll" the engine from one side - watching the fan-to-radiator/shroud clearances and distributor cap. I also have a hoist and prefer to go that route. So no doubt your procedure may be better used from your experience as I have not done many and it was a loooooong time ago. :thumbsup:
Thanks for the info and suggestions, I can't go the hoist route so I'll give it a try via floor jack. I'll see the car on the weekend and check out the possibilities.. someone thought that the starter may have to come off for the drivers side mount... and perhaps clearance problems with the exhaust. I'll crawl under it and find out...
2x8 block on the oil pan and floor jack is how I have always changed mounts.
On my one ton Dodge plow truck I also added a torque chain on the driver's side to keep from ripping it out.
I just changed mine on my 1965. The new urethane mounts were just too much vibration for me, replaced with "original equipment" rubber ones. They look a little more flimsy than original, but that is what YearOne has. Eliminating the vibration was a success.
I used two bottle jacks, poking up from underneath to find a flat, horizontal place on the front of the engine block, and one on the back. I had the whole car jacked up with floor jacks, and then used the bottle jacks to raise the engine. As suggested above, I did one side at a time, and moved my jacks from one side of the engine to the other. Not a lot of area for the jack, but it's flat enough to not slide off (always watch where your fingers are just in case). I had the trans mount bolts out, and took the long, motormount to frame bracket bolt out of only the side I was working on. Nothing else was disconnected and it only had to be jacked up 1/2" or so to remove the mount. The fan came very close to touching the shroud, but did not - I tried to position the fan to give the most distance possible. I figured it would be a long job, but really only took a couple of hours. Setting the jacks up properly probably took the most time.
And one more thing, the original motormount to engine bolts have a larger head than standard, making it a real pain (sometimes impossible) to use a socket. Next time I will probably replace the original bolts with some standard, grade 8 bolts so I can use a socket on all of them.
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