::: I am seeking suggestions, especially if you have firsthand experience with replacing the front motor mount. :::

2004 TSX, AT, 87k miles on odo
Three days ago, I noticed less than an ounce of a very brown/dark fluid pooled on the front motor mount. After ensuring I had no oil leak, etc., I came to the conclusion my front engine mount had failed. Now I know for sure that it has, because if I do not mash the brake pedal and ease the stick into gear, I hear a noticeable CLUNK.

Anyway, I picked up a new mount at the Honda dealer nearby and attempted to replace it yesterday. Only I couldn't. I lacked the strength to remove the even one of two nuts that attach the bracket—not the motor mount, but the bracket above the motor mount. Yes, I was tired, and yes I'm a woman, but I've removed (by hand, no impact tools) really difficult caliper bolts and the bolts entailed in replacing a rear wheel hub (twice). So it's not that I lack strength necessarily. Granted, the space you have to work on the front mount certainly isn't conducive to providing a lot of leverage. But STILL! That nut is a sunnofabitch!

Here is a list of what I've tried thus far:

• Deep Creep (twice)
• Banging it moderately with a screwdriver/hammer (like you might do to loosen a jar lid)
• "Unloading" the engine (i.e., lifting it up about 3" on a floor jack w/ a board underneath
• Removing the pass. side radiator fan and coolant reservoir for more room
• Removing the lower engine cover and trying to reach it from that angle
• Using a long socket wrench (no room)
• Using a short, puny one and trying to hit it with a mallet from an awkward angle
• Using a crow foot, box end, and regular wrench (won't fit around nut, due to the way the bracket is shaped)
• Cursing, drinking, quitting

The thing is, I need to replace this, and I don't have the money (or desire) to pay a stealership or mechanic to do it. I'm of the mind that if a mechanic can remove that nut, then so can I. So what do I do? Do I need special tools? Is there a secret? Do I have to remove the radiator hoses? (It doesn't look like that'd give me much more room.)

 

I did this job last year. My foggy memory says that I removed the upper rad hose and used a zip tie to hold it from dripping a bunch of coolant everywhere.
I then used a bunch of extensions, a 1/2" universal joint, and the appropriate-sized socket, and had the ratchet or breaker bar up above the top of the radiator. Massive daisy chain, but, it worked! I was able to use my left hand to hold the daisy chain of extensions in proper alignment, and my right hand and a bunch of body weight to get the ratchet the force it needed to break that thing free.

Once you get those off, you'll have even more fun with the rear two bolts of the mount itself. I hope you have a selection of sockets, and you WILL need the universal/flex joint.

Don't even attempt the rear engine mount unless you want to lose about 2/3 of the skin on your forearms and hands. That made the front mount seem easy.

Definitely load the engine onto the jack using a wood block beneath the oil pan. Jack up the engine JUST enough to see it move, so you know at least some of the weight is on the jack and not the front mount.

Best of luck!

 

Thanks, curls. Um, perhaps this is a stupid question, but what's a universal joint? I thought those were car parts, not tools. LOL. Also, when you say extensions, do you mean socket extensions, where one end plugs into your socket wrench and the other into the socket itself? Do I need an offset socket wrench? (BTW, I read your post from last year; I just wasn't entirely clear how to do this.)

 

I think I figured out what the universal flex joint is. Okay, headed to Sears now…

 

Check following video. This is similar to yours.


good luck

 

TexasHonda: Thanks for the post. It' not really like my car, BUT… we do have an '03 TL in the family, so that ought to come in real handy. Thanks. :-)

 

I am in the middle of changing the motor mount now. After purchasing an 8" or 10" wobble bar extension and an 18" regular extension, I was able to get all 7 bolts/nuts off in 5 minutes flat! I think it was the "visual" of the daisy chain of extensions that Curls provided that helped me realize what I needed. It turns out I didn't need a universal flex socket adaptor. Two of my socket wrenches have that function built in (sometimes it's bothersome, in fact), but I doubt that, with so much extension (so long as one of the extensions is a wobble bar), that you would need one. As they say: There's more than one way to skin a deer. Thanks again, AZiners!

 

Sorry I wasn't checking-in on this thread at all for the past bit. I was travelling for business and didn't come on AZine for a while!

Glad it worked out for you!!