EagleEye

I've been scouring this Acurazine forum among others to do hw before attempting this DIY.

I ordered the parts from Delray. I forgot to read the service manual carefully and didn't realize that it's recommended to replace a few of the bolts. And had to make a few runs around the Acura/Honda (same part) dealers to find the bolts.

Advice: Buy the bolts when ordering the mounts to save some time.

I replaced the mounts in 2 sessions: side mount and then front mount.

Tools needed:

1. factory scissor jack
2. floor jack
3. 17mm socket
4. 3/8 ratchet
5. 12" 3/8 extension
6. 6" 3/8 extension
7. piece of 2x4x12 (6" would be better)
8. other pieces of 2x4 to prevent the rear wheels from moving during jacking

Procedure:
1. pull the brake fluid reservoir up and out (it's sitting on a slider)
2. loosen top mount bolt (12x45) using 17mm socket
3. loosen 2 bottom bolts using 17mm socket and 18" extension (make sure you clear the A/C lines when ratcheting - don't want to bend/crack it)
4. use factory scissor jack to lift the car up enough to get the floor jack and the 2x4 piece of wood under the oil pan

Note: Oil pan is not flat at bottom. Use the rear surface as the jack point as it is flat while the front surface is a bit angled.

5. use the floor jack to slightly lift the engine up and provide support to remove the top bolt on the mount.

Note: Use patience as there's no hurry and constantly check the bolt looseness after one or two pumps on the floor jack.

6. once the engine is firmly supported on the 2x4 and floor jack, go ahead and remove the top bolt (might have to release a bit of pressure or jack the engine up slightly to get the bolt out completely - should slide out with ease)

7. after top bolt is out, use extension and 17mm socket to remove the bottom bolts (2)

8. slightly jack the engine up a bit more so that the engine bracket does not exert any pressure on the mount

9. slide the mount out slowly careful to not brush the metal edges of the mount's base against the belt assembly. Don't want to scrape the belt as it will eventually result in permanent damage

10. slide in your mount slowly and with patience right-side up and in the orientation that it should sit

Note: There's a black arrow engraved on the base of the mount. Make sure the arrow is pointing to the front (and arrow is in the top right position)

11. slide in the NEW top bolt to connect the mount with the engine bracket again. Might requires some adjustment using the jack. Don't tighten the bolt just yet

12. Hand thread in the two bottom bolts (use the extension without the ratchet as it's easier to turn and ensure that there's no cross-threading)

13. Start tightening the two bottom bolts but do not apply final torque. Want enough tightness to drop the engine down and remove the floor jack.

14. Lower the car and remove the scissor jack

15. tighten all the bolts (top and bottom)

16. slide the brake reservoir back onto the metal bracket

17. finished!


Front motor mount is up next tomorrow. However, need a stronger floor jack (2-ton just doesn't feel enough) to jack the front of the car up at the center-front jack point to insert the 2 jack stands. Pictures coming soon. Flickr is not uploading for some reason.

The car does not feel any smoother at idle yet. Suspecting it's the front mount. Will update on the "jerk" when going into reverse. Car is smooth going into Drive with the broken mounts. But, idle is smoother at lights when in neutral vs Drive.

Feel free to send questions. Grab a service manual if there are plans to work on the car. I can upload a copy (38mb pdf).

Have fun. And remember, it's VERY easy to do and the most important tool is patience.

EagleEye

New mount and top bolt:


Cracked old mount:


Scissor jack to lift the car up:


Support the Engine via Rear Surface of oil pan:


Mount is out:


New mount vs old mount:


Bottom bolts - front one is dirty probably due to leaked oil from the cracked mount:


New mount is in:


Not bad - took 1 hour.

EagleEye

Did the front mount today... It was long. The 4 bolts to the subframe - 4th one was a pain in the butt. Actually, I still can't get it in. It's sitting on 3 right now. 4th one is the one on the top left. Hard to reach and not sure if I stripped it on the way out because the other 3 went in fine and the hole seems to be perfectly aligned and yet it won't go in.

Other time consuming part was not being sure how much to jack the engine up before it's no longer loaded. You need to jack a good 4-5 inches and yes the entire car goes up, which made me nervous about putting too much stress on the engine.

New front mount resolved the "clunk" when going into "Reverse" and it also idles smoother in gear (same as neutral).

Clunk is probably caused by the breakage on the top part of the mount. That causes the vacuum to not function leading to less cushioning. And causes the rougher idling. I am exhausted (cold up north) and would probably not want to change the rear mount myself when it comes to it.

Good info is that you do NOT need to remove the engine bracket. Read some DIY that instructs you to remove the engine bracket. There's no need as you can slide the mount out under the bracket, move to the right, and finesse it out.

New mount goes in very easy. Just the lining up of the 4 bolts that's not fun. Not sure what to do about the 4th bolt now. Will attempt it another day. Will need a flash light to inspect the threads.

Full instructions next week. Too much work work to do now.

hrod26

Nice job on the write-up!

One small note to avoid confusion...it is the power steering reservoir that needs to be removed from it's slider to get to the side mount.

As far as the front mount goes...the tricky parts were getting that 4th bolt (upper left bolt when standing/facing the front of the car) to engage in the threads and connecting the vac line underneath. Patience is def key here but I would also tell you to keep the other 3 subframe bolts loose while trying to engage the threads of the 4th. I also agree the engine bracket does not need to be removed for the front mount..engine can be jacked high enough to slide the front mount under the bracket.

EagleEye

@HROD - thanks man. New to the forum and it won't let me edit the post. Realized when I was reading a post on the O-RING leak.

Regarding the bolt, I tried putting the top-left bolt first cause it was the hardest. But, still no luck. Then I tried, 3 loose and put it in last - still no luck. Then I tried, 3 tightened with the theory that it should help w/ the alignment as I noticed it's a relatively snug fit - still no luck.

Leading me to believe thread is bad on the way out - checked old bolt but no signs of stripping/cross-threading........

This weekend I will take it all out again and put it directly into the nut w/o the mount. This will atleast straighten the thread out if it's bad...... Riding on 3 bolts right now and afraid to accelerate hard...




Front mount also resolved the engine moans at those spots in between gears (where current RPM does not produce enough torque to maintain speed just before you force a downshift by giving it gas).

The ride is much smoother now.

hrod26

I can tell you from experience that the 4th bolt was a PITA to get back in...sounds like you are on the right track though. I had a friend helping me and we spent ~30 minutes on getting all 4 to line up...I think you need a little bit of luck. It would probably help if you detached the engine bracket from the engine...it would give you a little more wiggle room...but not sure it is worth the extra effort.

rockstar143

iTrader: (6)

Hmmm...I found that my side mount is gone...going to swap it out next weekend...I think it's allowing my motor to turn slightly under load which is causing a weird raspy noise from my exhaust. Can't wait to get this fixed.

Nice DIY, wonder why it didn't get more hits. Thank you!

About the front, I was told if you don't see hydraulic fluid all over the place, it's probably not shot.

shakinroch

Agree, excellent write up. Your description is very clear where to find the side mount. But where exactly are the other mounts?

2 tone TL

Great write up !! I already switched my front right motor mount on my 04 tl.. but i still feel my engine shifting when i hit the gas a little hard. and my question is will my engine/tranny feel like its shaking when its about to switch gears ? like at 3/4 rpm. I feel this once in awhile and when i hit bumps i hear like a small clunk on the driver side.

JOSER408

Any info on the driver side mount ???

SpiderX1016

You don't need to support the engine to change out the side mount.

Front mount you do but not the side.

Slpr04UA6

Does anyone know if you Have too replace the bolts for any of the mounts (with new OEM bolts), or can you reuse existing bolts?

ez12a

the big single bolt that attaches the bracket to the top of the mount needs to be replaced according to the service manual.


i did mine and i didnt replace it though.

rockstar143

iTrader: (6)

I reused all bolts...

SpiderX1016

I reuse the bolts. Never had a problem with it.

JOSER408

I change the passenger mount this weeken and reused the same bolts I just used a wire brush and clean them up

rockstar143

iTrader: (6)

^^^did that too...and even put some antiseize on the threads.

ohsixMTee

iTrader: (2)

That is what I was reading and assumed was true. However in my case I could easily get the old side mount out but had to raise the engine a bit to get the new one in. I did replace the suggested bolt because, idk, it's cheap and suggested.

It's also a perfect time to change your serpentine belt while there's no mount there.

TheDingo

If you had to raise the motor for you side mount, you may want to inspect the front mount. It may be broken.

ohsixMTee

iTrader: (2)

I'll have another look, originally I grabbed a hold of the side/front/rear mount brackets and began tugging which led me to find the failing side mount. There wasn't any slop in the front or rear but I'll check again to be safe.

I do know all the added vibration/clunking completely disappeared but it never hurts to double/triple check things.

rockstar143

iTrader: (6)

My front/rear are fine...I supported the engine to be certain...Also, I didn't undo the braket from the motor, just slid the mount out from under it.

I had done my serp belt and tensioners last year already.

Desert Fox

Greeting to all,
I'm new to the forum but have had my '04' TL since new. Time to change the mounts. I know my front mount is shot. I have ordered the (3) mounts and bolts from Acura in Delray. Seems to be a favorite place to get parts on this Forum. Anyway, does anybody have any tricks for removing and replacing the rear mount? I can hardly see it from the top and I'm thinking that access from the bottom is the only way to go. I have access to a lift if that's the way it comes out. Any tips or tricks would be appreciated.
Thanks,
Desert Fox,

EagleEye

Rear mount should be fine. I have not done mine so I cannot help But do write it up if you do it and figure it out.

TheDingo

If you have a lift, use it for the rear mount. This will make it much easier to see how you have to pull it out through the bottom. The front and side mount can be done without lifting the car. Although it would help on the front mount to get to the bottom bolt on the passenger side radiator fan. So, you need to pull the passenger side radiator fan to make clearance to pull the front mount out. support the motor w a jack underneath the oil pan or where the transmission mates with the motor. slowly lift the load off of the mount in order to wiggle it free and move it up and out. careful when pulling it out because without being careful it is possible to poke a hole in the radiator. The side is a breeze... no problem and no need to support the motor. Do the front mount first!

rockstar143

iTrader: (6)

Dingo, you're quite helpful. Thanks for that.

TheDingo

No problem dude. That's what this place is for!

Desert Fox

Thanks Dingo. I was wondering if I'd have enough room for the front mount to come out. I will pull the pax fan assy. I'll let everybody know how it goes. Mounts are in transit now and scheduled to receive them next Tuesday.

SpiderX1016

I never had to remove the radiator fan to change the front mount. Just slide it up through the hoses and move the coolant res. Held by a 10mm bolt.

Desert Fox

Well I'll certainly try that first "Spiderx1016". Thanks for the input.

swoosh

iTrader: (5)

Here is the DIY with pix i wrote couple years back:
https://acurazine.com/forums/showthr...&highlight=DIY

rockstar143

iTrader: (6)

You had to do this already a couple of years back, Anil?

swoosh

iTrader: (5)

^^^ when i upgraded to Innovative Mounts....nothing was wrong with my mounts

rockstar143

iTrader: (6)

Gotcha...

ez12a

kind of a necro bump, but i just got a new front mount and was sizing up the job before hand.

What are the steps to do the front mount? How do you get to the lower two bolts? It looks like i need to purchase a swivel socket set...

what about the two bolts holding the "housing" above the top of the mount?

SpiderX1016

You don't need swivels. They're handy but not necessary.

Take off that bracket that goes over the mount. Support engine. Remove the bolt that goes through the mount. Then you'll see four bolts, Remove those. Slide it out.

TheDingo

I think I used a swivel on one of those bolts. Even still, if you don't find that you need to use a swivel, you will certainly need a couple long extensions.

ez12a

Thanks. I see you have a 6MT, was your front mount shot?

I got the new OEM part and it's freaking solid...(i know there's a diff between the 6MT and 5AT mounts, the latter being oil filled and controlled by vacuum).

TheDingo

The 6MT mounts are oil filled and controlled by vacuum. You will have to pull the hose from the bottom of the mount before removing it from the vehicle. Take care not to break the plastic clips that the metal part of that vacuum line fits in.

My 6MT front mount was done. It had separated itself in a perfect circle about a half inch from the top of the mount (in the rubber). The oil will spill from the mount it if is split, so be sure to not tilt it upside down. I had some spill on me while contorting it out of the vehicle, but it was a fairly easy clean up. The side mount was even worse. Chances are if the front mount is bad, the side should be closely inspected or changed as well. It's such an easy change that it really comes down to if you have the extra $100 to cover all areas of possible concern.

porkyxp

Hmm, so I'm about to do this as well, and this diy was great. I'm thinking about ordering the parts from delray acura and having someone install it for me. but i was wondering if anyone could supply me with the part numbers that I would specifically need to change the front and side motor mounts (and the bolts that I should replace possibly) ? any help would be greatly appreciated, thanks in advance.

TheDingo

go to acura of peoria (www.oemacuraparts.com) and put in your vehicle information. Then look under motor mounts and you will find the part numbers. Or if you still can't figure it out, call them and place your order.

You do not need to replace the bolts unless they are rusted or stripped.