Motor mounts...

[trinacriabob]

Hey, I've got the Big 3 scheduled:

Minor tune-up this month (mostly for the plugs),

Motor mounts next month (Dec.), and

Trans fluid change, drop, drain, filter, the following month (Jan.)

These will hopefully enable me to get to the 300K mark without these major service items

So, question on the motor mounts. The car in question is my 92 Regal with the 3800 V6. I'm fairly convinced they (1 and/or 2) need replacement and will be letting a shop who is pretty straightforward do it.

So, can changing them open another can of worms? Meaning, it is possible that, during this changeover, the position of the engine can change so as to mess up a tolerance with something else in the drivetrain? Or, is it fairly easy to do without jimmying around other components?

On RWD (80s 3.8V6 cars), this procedure was not that complex (based on the repair bill). This will be my first motor mount experience with FWD. Your assistance is appreciated.

[Drew Dowdell]

Generally easy to do.

Spend the little extra money for the high end ones.

[Camino LS6]

And don't delay it - motor mount related damage occurs by not replacing them in a timely fashion rather than anything happening during the service.

If they are bad, replace them immediately.

[SAmadei]

So, can changing them open another can of worms? Meaning, it is possible that, during this changeover, the position of the engine can change so as to mess up a tolerance with something else in the drivetrain? Or, is it fairly easy to do without jimmying around other components?

On RWD (80s 3.8V6 cars), this procedure was not that complex (based on the repair bill). This will be my first motor mount experience with FWD. Your assistance is appreciated.

It can be harder on the FWD cars, depending on the design of the engine cradle and space available. I did the two tranny mounts on the '99 Bonneville, since the little hydraulic mount part had debonded... I left the engine mounts on because they are still very solid. While the front tranny mount is quite large, so it was somewhat hard to get it out of the position, but actually bolting it up and out was easy... the rear tranny mount was a disaster. NO room to get the bolts out and then once loose the mount could not clear the steering rack and swaybar. I finally had to remove the tie rod, so I could pull the end of the steering rack up and slide the mount out the side.

As for engine mounts, they both seem to have more space, and should be easier to change.

Looking at the '04 GP, knowing the H and W bodies share DNA, its a similar setup but its tough to say if it would be harder or easier without doing it. Hopefully I won't need to do it for a long time.

As far as opening a can of worms, the engine and tranny only need to be moved a small amount, easily within the tolerances of the mounts, so nothing should be compromised... but since the usual process is to pick and support the engine up from the bottom, a careless mechanic could put a nasty dent in either oil pan... I would check your pans before and after and suggest they use a nice big block of wood if thats how they are planning on lifting the engine.

You may want to have them change all four mounts (or three, if you have three), becuase you may find that your tranny mounts are the ones loose, as was the case for me... I figured the shorter half-shaft gives the engine more leverage to wear the mounts out. I did both my mounts because its easier to jimmy the engine around if you have more of them loose or out.