brainstorm...motor mount sheared/how to replace it w/o a hoi

[Modern Motorsports Ltd]

Yesterday when I started my ride it had a 'shudder' to it just on initial startup...seemed odd but off to work I went. Then last night I notice drivers side motor mount is almost sheared thru or ! no hairline crack/this crack has a GAP to it.

 

so GM dealer is getting in PN 3990332 for me as per http://www.hybridz.org/cgi-bin/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic&f=1&t=000508

I previously used sealed power (cheap, seemed good) mounts and now want to see if GM is smoother.....(I'm aware of clamshell types). I haven't heard of many shearing them as a routine item so hope to see how these GM ones hold up.

 

So how best to change my mounts without an engine hoist? I've toyed with making a strut tower cap to strut tower cap engine hoist but don't really have time to arrange it right now.....I'm not so comfortable with jacking under my oilpan with a piece of wood.

 

Can I bolt a 'tab' on the lower front of the block to jack from? I'd guess the harmonic balancer is plenty strong but using it just doesn't seem right . Doing one at a time might be safer??

 

thanks in advance, till it's swapped I'm driving SLOW and wincing on any sizable bumps...

[pparaska]

Ross, sorry to hear of the mount breaking - glad you caught it soon.

 

I made a simple "stand" for my engine when I moved houses. The engine was complete. I took a piece of scrap (2x10?) that was about as long as the pan and put it below the pan on the floor. To it I stood two about 7.5" long pieces of 2x4 and nailed them from below. The two 2x4 pieces were positioned so that they extended up to the pan rail. This way the engine weight was partially held up by the 2x4s onto the pan rail.

 

I'd think something like that would work, to allow you to jack the engine up without crushing the pan.

[Modern Motorsports Ltd]

Thanks guys, I'd forgotten about making a simple cradle to grabe the rails. I had a GM wooden crate that worked so slick for moving motors that just simply cradled the rails.

 

Rocking side to side sounds good as I can control side to side motion whereas one lift underneath I wasn't as certain........can do either, will see, I have the 2x10x10 ready!

 

Thanks

[Dan Juday]

Nobody else mentioned this. Please, definately, for safety sake, do one at a time. Take your time and don't rush. This is one of the more dangerous jobs you can do on a car. Mainly because it seems so easy. Have someone around just in case. You can't get to the phone to call 911 when your hand is clamped between the motor and the car.

 

Sorry, don't mean to be so graphic.

[Guest Anonymous]

Good suggestion Dan. To put a lighter slant on such potential problems, in a shop I worked at before, my boss was moving stuff on the weekend by himself with a forklift. He wanted to inch the lift back a half a foot or so, so he just fired it up, put it in gear and idled it back.

 

Well his plan was working great until it rolled up on top of his foot and then stalled!

 

It took him a long time to finally get enough strength to finally reach far enough over to get it started and rolled off his foot. He then had to basically hop across the shop to get to the phone to get one of us down there to take him to the hospital.

 

(this guy was so funny anyway, he once was holding something for us while we welded it, and commented that his pants were slipping, we look over to see a old big guy standing holding the metal in boxers with his pants around his ankles... hehe...)

 

He broke alot of bones in the foot and was walking with a stiff shoe for quite a while after that. I give him credit for even getting it started and being able to move it, that had to hurt like crazy with a 10,000 lb lift on your foot. (luckily the counterbalance is on the other end, but still...)

 

Moral of the story, have someone around to help if you need it preferably in hollaring range, it could be the difference in being pinned and getting free or getting paramedics etc. Morbid, but it can happen, same deal in the pick and pulls, be careful under those shoddly stacked cars.

 

Off the safety soapbox,

 

Regards,

 

Lone

[Guest Anonymous]

Exactly what I was going to suggest. I had to do this when I had a problem getting the bolt into the motor mount from underneath and I had the motor hoist removed. Well being the lazy sot I am, I did like Pete said and it worked fine. I just used a floor jack and a piece of 2x4 fitted up to the pan rail and it just rolls the engine over to the side and takes the weight off. Should work ok for changing a motor mount.. (sounds like you need a motor restraining chain/cable for that pup to keep it from torqueing over. )

 

Regards,

 

Lone

[blueovalz]

I've never creased nor crushed a pan using a piece of 2x10 under the sump of the pan. I've done this numerous times. Just make sure the edges of the wood extends all the way out to all the vertical edges of the sump. This way the load is transfered to the strongest part of the pan and will not cave in the bottom. a 2x10x10 worked great on mine and I even drilled a hole in it and hung it on the wall for future use.

[Modern Motorsports Ltd]

Got the pesky mounts changed out!! Got it done last Friday afternoon...took a lot longer than I'd planned. I'll post a pic or two of the mount when I get a chance....from above I thought it was gone but couldnt' tell if perhaps it was only sheared at the top (ie. like a slice of cheese off a brick)...once it was out it was obvious the entire rubber block was separated at the base for it's full perimeter AND the metal 'lip' at the bottom had a crack initiated at the bottom edge and propogated about a 1/4" upwards with a 1/16" or larger gap (this is in 3/32's plate!). Freaky stuff. Passenger side was more sedate with only the rubber block separated at the base perimeter.

 

I used a 2x12 under my pan and it worked very well with the floor jack ONCE the dizzy cap was removed (no damage...figured I might get it high enough without removal). I needed to raise it a little over 1" to get my 3/8's socket in their with the 9/16's socket to undo the lowermost bolt of the 3 holding the mount to the block. I placed the socket alone in the hole first and it would stay in their (thankfully) and then I could just slip the ratchet in and mate it to the socket for removal without any fingers in any pinch points (except for the socket placement I stayed clear).

 

One of my new OEM GM mounts had a buggered thread which was a real PITA as I didn't notice it until I had them all back in place....argggg, jacked it back up again and yanked it out...ran the tap thru to remove all the crap the general left for me and then it worked fine......no shudder now and it's nice'n'smooth.

 

thanks again for the idears before...to do again I'd budget 1-1.5 hrs FWIW. I had my front brakes removed to crawling under the 20 x's was somewhat easier with less items to smack my head on.