504P_CLS

I've found lots of good advice and DIY instructions on the site for my 2001 CLS over the years. It is time for me to give back. The front and side mounts on my car are shot, leaving the classic brown stains around the mount as the hydraulic fluid leaks out. In my research on this site as well as others, I found bits and pieces of instructions as to how to replace the mounts (assuming OEM) but not one consolidated "page". This is especially so for the front engine mount. Most previous post call it a PITA or some other unkind name, and some folks have taken up to 4-5 hours to fight with it. I just finished my front mount an hour ago, and from start to finish, took 90 mins. I thought it would be helpful for me to post a complete equipment list as well as step by step instructions.

Equipment / Tools required
- set of 5-inch ramps to lift front of car
- jack plus block of wood to lift transmission
- socket set, with universal joint, 2x 6-inch extension bars, 1x3-inch extension (mine was 1/2 inch drive)
- set of wrenches
- large screwdriver
- wheel chocks

Before you start, familiarize yourself with the new front engine mount. Note that it actually comes apart. This is important. Some previous posts have indicated that it is hard to get in/out of the engine bay. This is because you have to take it apart to get it in and out easily. On your new mount, remove the 4 nut/bolts (2 on each side) that hold the engine mount retaining bracket. Remove bracket as well as top rubber/steel cap of mount. The engine mount is now in 3 pieces. You will do the same to the old engine mount before you can remove it from the engine bay.

Okay, now to the step by step.

(Place and L/R top/bottom indicators will be assuming you are standing in front of the car, leaning over, typical working position)
1) Drive car onto ramps. Chock rear wheels to prevent rollback.
2) Remove the plastic cover over the front bank of the engine. Gives you more room to work with.
3) Remove the 3 bolts over front exhaust heat shield. Remove heat shield.
4) Remove the top nut from the engine mount. You will need a socket and the extension bars.
5) Remove all 4 nut/bolts on the old engine mount retaining bracket. (Same as the step on the new engine mount described previously.) You will need all the extension bars. This now enables the retaining bracket to be moved around and repositioned, making it A LOT easier to get to the other bolts.
6) Remove the 3 visible engine mount bolts that hold engine mount to subframe. These are R top, R bottom, L bottom.

As of right now, everything is still in a "loaded" position. The engine is still connected to the bracket, it is still "sitting" on the mount, holding it down against the subframe. The next couple steps will "unload" the mount, enabling you to remove the mount and engine bracket. This is important. If you do not "unload" the mount/bracket, the 3 bolts holding the bracket to the engine will not come out easily and may even crossthread. I also have a newly installed side engine mount. I found that I did not have to loosen it at all to successfully "unload" the front mount. There is enough play.

7) Using jack and suitable piece of wood positioned under the transmission (I used the area where the transmission meets the engine, about 6-8 inches back of the mount), lift the transmission. I lifted it by about 4-5 inches after contact. The whole car will lift.
8) Remove the 3 bolts holding the front bracket to the engine. The top and right ones are easy to access. The left one requires access from the bottom, with a wrench. (A socket is too deep.) Also, you will need to move and reposition the engine mount retaining bracket to give you more room to work with. (See step 5 above.) As you remove the bottom 2 bolts, if you encounter significant resistance or notice the bracket tilting, you may not have raised the transmission enough. Do not force them. Play around with raising/lowering the transmission instead. It makes a huge difference. After removing the 3 bolts, the bracket will be loose, but it will not come off completely as it is still retained by the engine mount and an exposed "overhang" on the engine block. That's okay.
9) Now, the only thing left to unbolt is the last of 4 engine mount bolts securing the mount to the subframe. (The top L one.) I found this the hardest to do. From the bottom, I placed a socket and universal joint combination over the bolt. Then, from the top, I inserted the set of extensions into the universal joint. After some work, I removed it.
10) Disconnect the vacuum line from the bottom of the engine mount.
11) Everything is disconnected now. The engine mount bottom assembly, engine mount top retaining bracket, top cap and the engine front bracket should all be rattling around. Remove these separately, from the right side of the engine bay. I had no problem removing all 4 pieces after I pushed the radiator hoses aside.

After everything is out, you might like to compare the old vs new engine mount. You'll be amazed how much they "compress" when the leak.

Reassembly is not quite the reverse of the removal process. I found it easier to do the following.
1) Put each piece of the engine mount into the engine bay separately. Start with mount bottom assembly, top cap, retaining ring and then engine front bracket. Its a little bit like jigsaw but there is enough space in there to reassemble it all together.
2) Connect the vacuum line to bottom of engine mount. Make sure little protective sleeve is right up against the connection as it will prevent abrasion against the line.
3) Replace all 3 bolts of the engine front bracket. Before you start the bolts, make sure the bracket can sit flush against the engine block while placed over the engine mount. If not, you have not fully "unloaded" the front mount in the earlier step. I suggest you lift the transmission a little more. If flush, tighten all 3 bolts in all the way. You will need to move and reposition the engine mount retaining ring to get the bottom 2 bolts in.
4) Replace all 4 engine mount bolts. Tighten.
5) Replace 4 nut/bolts that secure the engine mount retaining bracket
6) Now you have to "reload" the front engine mount. Lower the jack slowly.
7) Replace the top engine mount nut.
8) Replace the engine front heat shield.
9) Replace the front engine plastic cover.
10) Remove chocks, drive car off ramp and voila! You are done ... reach for beer.

(Also, a couple posts indicated that you need to remove the battery and some other items on the right so that you can "lift" the engine/transmission enough to remove the mount. This is not true. If you remove the front bracket, you will notice that there is enough slack to reposition and remove everything in pieces.)

Hope this helps. Unfortunately I did not take any pics while I was doing it but will be happy to answer any questions you may have.

Cheers!

jl03CLS

very nice pretty much exactly how I did it on my friends TL. Only difference was that step 1 was reach for beer...

StreetKA

iTrader: (8)

that was i think was missing in this diy + pics =)

Gibbelstein

I know this is a really old post, but I just finished doing the front mount in my 03 CL-S and this was absolutely helpful. My only modification was not taking the new mount apart. Taking the old one apart in place definitely helped me get it out easier, but I decided that I didn't want to worry about aligning the 4 bolts on the new one while it was in place. It was probably a wash, honestly. For what it is worth, it was just under 3hr to do both the front and side and I work pretty slowly.

Thanks, 504P_CLS!