smartypants

Hi All :

Yes I know, stupid question. But seriously, I've been informed that the front and passenger side engine mounts are "broken" and I can't seem to see where they are broken. I can clearly see the front mount and it looks perfect. Could it be broken underneath and I just need to crawl under the car and look up ?

Thanks very much to all who reply.

smartypants

newperson

iTrader: (2)

The front one might leak. But I think the real way you test for broken mounts is to firmly depress the brakes while also hitting some gas (so that the car doesn't move) and seeing if the engine moves. Someone else may have a better explanation.

twistedwedge

like newperson said...put the car in gear with the hood raised. Put one foot on the gas while the other is holding the brake. Hit the gas quick and let off. You will see the engine move up and down quite a bit if the mount(s) are bad. You also can cycle between R and D with your foot on the brake and watch to see if the engine moves up and down. (just dont hit the gas between shifts..)

Also-if you put it in reverse and go to back up-blip the gas and let off. If you hear a clunk (youll know it when you hear it) your tranny mount is toast also. (That one can be fun to change)

I would recommend changing all three even if only one is bad. Im pretty sure the only fluid filled one is the one in the front of the car close to the bottom of the radiator.

smartypants

Thanks guys !!

Can anyone tell me what to look for......is the casing cracked or is the mount severed from the frame at this point etc ?

Thanks again.

smartypants

01tl4tl

the front and rear mounts are fluid filled
get under the car and look up at the mount
also check driveway for odd oil drips --thats front mount leaking

The side mount is a normal type- cracked rubber may be seen

Its common for the front and right side mounts to fail anywhere after 50k miles, they cant handle the engine torque without an upper engine brace- we dont have one!

Most often discovered during trans replacement- thats often the first time a tech has looked at anything~ and its easy to replace front mount while trans is out
Side mount is same time regardless

front mount price for the part is ~$120, side mount ~$50

Some years have a vac booter to the fluid mounts- when you get on the throttle hard it tightens the mounts!!
When one of those fail it also creates a mystery vacuum leak and poor running

smartypants

Hi All :

Thanks for the all help.

Since I still don't know what to look for, does anyone know the part numbers for the mount parts that typically break ? In looking at the parts catalog, engine the mounts are in a number of pieces which have different part numbers.

Thanks for the help in advance.

smartypants

fsttyms1

Fluid and some cracking of the rubber are all you can really do to tell if they are shot unless you have a vacuum pump and gauge to test them. If they are original and have more than 40k miles odds are they are shot (front and side)

dirtbikridr

I changed the front and passenger side engine mounts on mine and after replacing them I now have a sort of metal to metal low pitched squeak. It appears to be coming from the rear of the engine compartment and makes the noise whenever I hit a bump or even rev the engine. In other words I can put it in gear and hold the brake and pump the gas and it will make it. I looked at the transmission mounts and those appear to be fine. Is it the rear engine mount? and any hints on how to change that one if it is that one? It really looks like a pain compared to the other two I changed.
Please help.

hwy39

Hello,
Can some one post the DIY info on the steps to replacing the front and side motor mounts. I bought the mounts today and will try to replace tomorrow.

Thanks

LTLZack

there already is a diy on the engine mounts - search for it in the diy thread. I replaced mine 2 days ago, & you need at least a good 2.5 hours if you got all the tools. Took me a little longer, had to run & buy a 1/2 inch extension.
If you're beyond 80k miles, you should probably replace your mounts anyway. No need to wait until you really REALLY need to, so get it out of the way, & you're set for another 80k miles. I'll post pics asap of what used & broken ones look like.
Mine did not leak, but there were slight trembling at idle, that are now gone with the new mounts.
I just did mine at 90k, so if you got 90k, you definitely could use new ones regardless of what yours look like.

jjar03

Both mounts are actually made with rubber that over time cracks. Side one (the rubber is on both sides of it) starts leaking and that is easy to see. When my side mount started leaking, I did not notice any special engine vibration, so other than the fluid leaking everything else seemed ok.
Now, front mount has a metal bracket at the top which masks the rubber housing. Also, this top metal bracket serves as a stopper so to speak since the engine mount bracket hits that top bracket when the mount is gone and prevents engine from going further up (possibly even hitting the hood).
That rubber housing cracks at the top (in my case at least), almost exactly like when you are opening a can, it is circle shape crack. Since this mount is in upright position, in my case id did not leak at all. But what was obvious was the excess movement of the engine while performing this test already described.
Again, with one person standing outside and watching the mount, the other person would apply brake, shift to d5 and hit and lift the gas pedal. If the engine goes all the way up and the engine mount bracket hits that top circle shape metal bracket you will know your mount is ready to be replaced. It is easy to see this excessive movement while doing this test.
I would just add a few more words in regards to how to replace front mount from my personal experience.
There are 4 screws for the mount attaching it to the metal frame, 3 screws for the mount bracket and one very visible top screw that attaches engine mount bracket to the mount itself. You will need to unscrew all of these.

1) Support the engine under trans with the jack. Use peace of wood as a buffer between the jack and the trans.
2) Unscrew top screw (you might need long socket for this, I think it is 17mm)
3) It is the best to have short and long extension that is flexible i.e. when you put long extension in the short extension you can have it at certain angle. I am talking about those that swivel. Also, you will need in general for this job either one long socket extension or in my case I have used 3 (one in the other) different lengths extensions. This will make possible to unscrew that 4th screw from above like the other 3 that are attaching mount to the frame. To be able to access it from above, you do need to unscrew and remove heat shield (only 3 small bolts easy to access from above).
4) Remove 2 engine bracket bolts from above and the only one that you need to do from underneath the car is the third one on the right i.e. passenger side. Use a suitable box-end wrench plus deep 10 mm socket with short extension that you will put on the open end wrench end to get better leverage.
5) You will have to simply remove the vacuum hose from the bottom of the mount. Use flat head screwdriver and pry carefully. Do not pull since you can damage the hose.
6) Keep in mind that mount has a fluid in it so it may leak while you try to pool it out of the engine bay. So have the rag ready, wrap it with it and carefully remove it from above. You will need to move slightly upper radiator hose.
7) There is no need to remove that top mount bracket from the mount itself. You may want to remove it once you have the old mount out of the car just be able to better see that beautiful crack on your old mount.
8) It is good to use a bit of grease, lube the screws and while the mount is out of the car, start threading lubed bolts in place and remove them. In this way they will go in very easy, just work them in and out lubed a few times.
9) Put the new mount in and attach the vacuum hose to it.
10) Important step when putting the new mount in place is to put the mount in without any bolts; then put the engine mount bracket and for this, you will need to move the mount to be able to put the engine mount bracket in place. That is why you do not put any bolts until both, the mount and the bracket are in place.
11) Start putting the bolts loosely one by one, the exact order is not important.
12) Tighten all bolts and that top screw and you should be done. Of course, do not forget your heat shield (do not lube heat shield bolts).

smartypants

Hi jjar :

Thanks for the DIY engine mount replacement instructions ! This will help me out allot as I've now received the mounts and am planning to install these in the next few weeks, weather permitting. Just knowing to take the front mount out from the top will save me much time "experimenting".

What would complement this great description is pictures !! Anyone got any ? If I don't get any responses, I'm going to take some while I'm replacing mine and post them.

Thanks to all the reply to my posts, it truly is very helpful.

smartypants.

webmastir

holy shit. i did this test today, and my engine was jumpin up and down like a 5year old on Christmas.i need to change my mounts asap! thanks for the info

acutee

Here you go with a nice DIY engine mount by myTaLizaS3.2:

https://acurazine.com/forums/2g-tl-1999-2003-98/diy-99-03-front-engine-mount-replacement-734247/

webmastir

yeah that's a great diy, but you have the link for the side engine mount diy? i just ran across it earlier the other day(had pics n all), but i can't find it again via search. (not sure why)

mj173

Does anyone know if the mounts are covereed under warrenty? I bought a certified TL-S that has full coverage to 100K and I am at 90K now. So I want to see if I can get them replaced under the warrenty??