I have a new motor that appears to be leaking from the drivers side rear corner. To verify this I have to pull the sub-frame and the motor mounts. Any advice on how to support the motor (from below, don't have engine hoist) while I remove the motor mounts? Will supporting the tranny do this? It's gonna be done in a driveway with no lift, just jackstands. Also, any hints, tricks, etc? Thanks in advance.

 

Yeah, a jack under the tranny will do it great. Undo the two nuts holding the motor mounts to the subframe, then get a jack under the tranny and bring it up until you take the load off the mounts. You might have to go up a bit higher to get the mounts to totally clear for removal.

I've done this MANY times on FC's, should work fine on an FD. If you really have to crank up on the jack for some reason, I'd undo the connections to the intercooler so you don't put a lot of stress on the connections.

Good luck,
Dale

 

Is there any chance of straining the point where the tranny meets the engine. I.E. could the support point be too far back?

 

why do you have to pull the subframe?

 

I just got my motor back from a complete rebuild and streetport and there is a leak somewhere. It appears to be coming from the drivers rear corner of the oil pan, but gotta remove motor mound (therefore subframe) to tell for certain. For all I know it's from the filler neck (j/k). Bad thing is, with all new fluids I can't tell if it's oil, tranny fluid, or even power steering fluid. I had the motor acid dipped, but everything else was dirty and when the leak hits the ground it's black and grimy. It is not from the filter, level sensor or the banjo bolt below the filter. Beside that I'm in the dark.

 

Good point..

If you can get a floor jack with a 2x4 under the engine/tranny..just take the weight off the powertrain and install the new mounts.

HEY...I know you!

 

You can support the engine by the transmission. I have done it too many times. If it's an oil pan leak, I'd recommend a oil pan brace, such as gotham's. I have been leak free for a couple of years now because of it.

 

You won't be able to remove the subframe if you have the engine supported with a jack. If you want to remove the motor mounts you NEED an engine lift. It's uncommon to leak from the drivers side of the oil pan anyway. More common are the 93 motor mounts on the pass side. They lack a small tab that the 94-95 mounts have that help brace the oil pan. Either way if its from the drivers side I would suspect rear main seal or bad pour on the oil filler neck. Not much over on that side will leak.

 

You can support the engine by the transmission. I have done it too many times. If it's an oil pan leak, I'd recommend a oil pan brace, such as gotham's. I have been leak free for a couple of years now because of it.

 

You won't be able to remove the subframe if you have the engine supported with a jack. If you want to remove the motor mounts you NEED an engine lift. It's uncommon to leak from the drivers side of the oil pan anyway. More common are the 93 motor mounts on the pass side. They lack a small tab that the 94-95 mounts have that help brace the oil pan. Either way if its from the drivers side I would suspect rear main seal or bad pour on the oil filler neck. Not much over on that side will leak.

 

It's a brand new rebuild, only 75 miles. Started leaking first time out. Friend noticed it after I left his house. Pass. mount replaced in '99 by dealer. Not sure if it's an Upgrade ('94) or not.

 

fancy meeting you here

 

most probable leak is from the motor mount bolts.

as you may know, they require silicone on the upper third of the bolt thread or they will leak. guaranteed.

they can be removed w the motor mounts in place and the engine raised an inch or so. make sure to clean them well and tighten them properly when reinstalling. you will need a 17 mm box wrench and a rubber mallet to apply a bit of torque. 55 ft pounds

use normal silicone adhesive (RTV)... the clear stuff. you don't need that high temp crap.

if you do have to redo your pan. i recommend you not use a gasket and just use silicone on both surfaces. set it for an hour or two and then add a thin additional coating and install the pan.

good luck,

howard coleman

 

No gasket was used on the pan this time, just orange/red silicone. The motor mount bolts sealant was white. Best case, I can remove one bolt, clean it up and re-seal it, problem solved?

 

I have changed my oil pan and resealed it while also replacing both motor mounts by jacking up the tranny. I also was able to remove and reinstall the pan several times without touching the subframe. I might mention I have an HKS downpipe and that seemed to give me clearance to do so. I also installed an oil pan brace and no leaks. You really got to get the right stuff for imports and get it thick, especially where the oil pan meets the tranny, extra thick and tighten the bolts up and wait, come back a couple of hours and torque to spec. let it dry for at least two days. worked for me. hope that helps.

 

jack the motor up by the trany. while it is jacked up take a solid metal pipe (something strong such as a 2" round pipe aprx 3'long) place over your engine (from strut tower to strut tower, NOT ON YOUr FENDERS, then take a chain and wrap it around and bolt to two pick points (make sure chain is tight, you might also want to put something under each end of the pipe so u dont scratch ur shyt up, like 2 lil pillows). remove jack and engine will be suspended w/o a jack in your way.

 

i suggest that, unless you are sure you have a pan leak, you redo the motormount bolts and don't mess w the pan. you should be able to determine which specific bolts are leaking. leave the non-leaking bolts alone. i suggest you only use the clear silicone adhesive. the white stuff generally doesn't set and is more like caulk.

howard coleman

 

How will I be able to differenciate between motor mount, oil pan gasket or rear main seal leaks? It's oily all over....

 

well once you get he sub frame down spray the whole pan and anything else that is oily down with gunk wipe clean and look for the leak. u will see once it is down but its most likely that u need a new pan gasket. your prob gona need a motor mount passenger side.

 

Well, my problem is the drivers side gasket on the oil pan. Removed the motor mount and could see it ooze on the corner. BTW, supported motor from below @ the tranny. Seems fine. Now gonna try and remove oil pan w/o completely removing subframe. Expect to have to remove sub though and get an alignment.

 

it will come out. just be carefull dont get the oil pick up tube caught and break it on the pan bafflle.

 

Thanks guys for all the advise. 1. Got the pan out, waiting on gasket to come. 2. I was able to support the motor by jacking up the tranny and removing intercooler hoses. 3. Got pan out w/o removing subframe, pain in the a$s, but got it out.

 

get it real clean, lots o brake clean, make sure the pan flnges are flat and just use some good silicone. the pan bolts dont need to be super tight either