Replacing Motor/Trans Mounts at Home

Maintenance/Repairs
1

I know I’m asking questions on here like a maniac. :slight_smile:

-1991 Buick, 3800 v6

Anyway, in order to get good access to my motor mounts (I still haven’t found the trans mount) I need to have the vehicle jacked up fairly high (18-19 inches on the front tow hooks). I’m wondering if I have to worry about the engine shifting backwards once I jack the it up past the mount bolts or if I’ll have a lot of trouble aligning the engine for the new mount if it’s sagging towards the firewall.

Of course I’ll only do one mount at a time, but they are both totally destroyed. Perhaps do the rear mount first?

2

I doubt that the motor will shift.

Please use jack stands. And when you lower the car onto the stands…jack back up until there is a little pressure on the jack too. It’s a double safety then and you can’t accidently kick the jack out of line while you work.

And be sure to put a block of wood between the oil pan and the jack to distribute the weight over a large area of the pan, so you dont poke right thru it with the jack.

Yosemite

3

Yeah, I’m one of those DIYers who’s paranoid about getting under the car.

I use quality 6 ton stands on the tow hooks and hand me down circa 1965 stands under the control arms as a backup.

4

Better safe than sorry!!!

If we see Turkey Buzzards circling your house, we’ll know something went wrong.

Yosemite

5

This will give ya a nice clunk when you shift.

6

@Demo_Beta‌

Wow!

That’s also some rust there . . .

7

Yeah, but it’s all still solid and tight. Not too shabby for 25 years.

8

Gah, I cannot break the torque on the block mounted bolts.

It’s a tight space and my wrench is horizontal, acessable underneath and from the top. Any tricks or ways to rig the wrench for more torque?

9

Gah, I cannot break the torque on the block mounted bolts.

It’s a tight space and my wrench is horizontal, acessable underneath and from the top. Any tricks or ways to rig the wrench for more torque?

10

Use two wrenches if you have room. Hook the box end into the open end of the turning wrench. Use your decoder ring on that answer. Now I might look at the picture.

11

Not enough room unless I pull the radiator, which I did yesterday. Damnit.

12

What a nightmare. It took me 2 hours to get that thing out. Then the bolt alignments were so far off I had to tape the bolts in order to not strip the threads…try getting tape off a bolt in a 3/4 inch gap (and not lose a finger).

I had to detach the dogbone strut in order to jack the engine up high enough to clear the new mount. Afterwards the dogbone bolt alignment was way off; hammered the hell out of that.

I don’t see how I can do the rear engine mount (even less clearance) or the trans mount (still can’t find it) at home.

Anyone have experience with 3800 v6 mounts?

13

Smush.

14

I don’t have any Buick experience but when things like this don’t line up I use crow bars, 2x4s, long pieces of pipe, bottle or scissor jacks , a chain and binder, come along, or wedges.
Just to satisfy my curiosity, what kind of Buick has tow hooks?

15

It’s a regal.

I’m just talking about those welded brackets they used to hook up to tow trucks and car carriers. Tow hook is probably the wrong term.

16

Is there room for an impact wrench?

17

I’m having issues with a clean lift and drop on my transmission mount.

Is it easier to only jack up the side of the car that the mount is on and then jack the engine/trans up on an angle from that side, or should the whole front end be on jack stands and then lift the engine straight up?

18

You might try making an engine support bar to help.

Measure across the engine bay over the area that has the engine lifting eyes. Cut a 2x4 to span the engine bay sitting on the area the fenders bolt to, NOT the fenders. Buy some hooks at the hardware store threaded with 3/8 or 5/16 machine thread, not wood screw thread. Drill holes through the x4 section just above the lifting eyes. Use at least 2 points. A ring eye, longer bolts and washers can attach a lifting point where there isn’t one. Install, add another piece of 2x4 or 3/4 inch plywood to form a brace so it won’t rotate, SCREW it together. Reposition over your lifting points and tighten the bolts on the hooks and eyes until it starts to lift the engine. The mounts will be much easier to remove and install.