Replacing Engine Mounts
 

Im going to be changing my engine mounts with poly urethane replacements, however the motor is still in my car and I dont have an engine hoist. Im hoping to attempt to jack the motor up from the bottom somewhere to get the clearance I need to get the engine mounts out.

Has anyone done anything like this? Im having a hard time finding a good spot to jack it up from since the majority of the bottom area of the motor is the oil pan. its looking like im going to have to try and jack it up from the transmission. If anyone has any tips or tricks regarding this they would be much appreciated!

Jack it up on the flat bottom of the tranny and the jack will not be in your way .

thanks garco, that was my original plan. i actually have a question for you regarding something else, you have pm.

I would put a piece of wood between the jack and the transmission to prevent damage to the transmission.

I too would recommend the wood block to prevent damage. Unbolt the mounts from the frame then once the engine is raised you will have to unbolt the mounts from the oil pan. The mounts will have to be rotated to clear the frame but it can be done. I would recommend the NOLTEC motor mounts. I love the ones on my car.

I'm going to take a shot in the dark and guess you need to remove the drive shaft for this as well?

Nope. Everything stays in place but the nuts on thte bottom of the subframe holding the mounts in place. Once the nuts are removed the engine is free to be elevated.

Really??? Well cool shit! I might def be ordering some new engine mounts from Banzai than =)

Not very often do you here an FD owner say that when they have to fix something...usually it's a more of a pain that you expected. :lol:

I'm just weird I guess... :lol:

On a personal downside... I just realized this morning that my A/I is not functioning properly.. I'm thinking the pump has ate it, not sure though =( Means I'll be buying replacement parts starting tomorrow...

For what its worth, I would NEVER use solid poly mounts. Your entire car will vibrate. They directly transmit every engine vibration to the frame. Trust me, you will HATE it!!!! My friend did this in his car, and it is horrible.

You mean to include the Banzai ones in that?? My car vibrates anyway since I've got bracing on my diff and tranny...

Actually installing our mounts may cut down on the vibration. If you have a broken driver's side mount then the engine is being supported by only one mount and the trans brace. This would transfer lots of vibration right into the passenger compartment. Installing new mounts would take the strain off the trans brace and in the process reduce the vibration. I have had our poly mounts and diff brace installed for 5 years and have no vibration at all. What we have found is that on initial installation there will be low rpm (1500) vibration but after the mounts break in it dissipates completely.

If the whole car is vibrating because of mounts, then there is something else wrong. The rotary engine is far too balanced to vibrate the car that noticeably. Your friend might have a flywheel that is unbalanced or something else that needs to be looked at.

I'm not familiar with the Banzai mounts. However, if they are solid, they will transmit vibrations thru the entire car. Banzai, please explain how an engine mount can require a break in. With no explanation, your statement sounds like total bullshit.

Calm down there buddy. What we have found is that all poly mounts tend to "soften" a little with use. Even suspension mounts are very stiff initially, then after a 1000 miles or so they break in and the ride is not nearly as harsh. Same principal applies to motor mounts. Is that explanation enough for you?

I have solid aluminum mounts with a Garfinkle torque brace. Either it's been too long since I've ridden in a completely stock FD, or I'm just not as sensitive as I don't feel any extra vibrations in the car.

nm

I have solid mounts all over including the differential mounts and a tranny brace. I don't notice any extra vibrations cruising around, the only time I have vibrations is when I slowly increase rpms in first gear when tuning, and I reach say 6500 rpms and hold it. I think there must be a resonance frequency around there and I get quite a bit of vibration. But if i'm driving normal, racing through the gears , or even some quick stabs of the throttle I don't have any increased vibrations. Banzai is right, the rotary is a very smooth running engine. Makes sense since it just goes round and round with no harsh up and down. When I look at it in the engine bay it's smooth, and solid.

This is a true statement. After about 1000 miles of use in a friends car, his poly urethane mounts have softened noticeably.

On another note, I successfully completed the mount installation yesterday by jacking the car up from the transmission. I had to unbolt the factory intercooler hotpipe for clearance reasons, but other than that, the engine went up far enough for me to get a ratchet over the nuts on the engine mount brackets. The toughest part of the installation I would say, was after I got the mounts on, having to line the mounts up with the holes in the subframe. Getting those holes aligned while using a floor jack was not a fun task. Anyone attempting this project will need some patience, but the ending product will be worth it.

I went with Banzai's poly urethane mounts. Since I already had 2 steel brackets, all I had to order was the mounts themselves. So far I am very pleased with the quality and presentation of the mounts. I havent gotten to test them out yet, I am finishing up a little brake job first, but when I finish within the next few days I will post a review here on my experience with Banzai's urethane mounts.

i have the banzai poly mount and a diff brace and i simply love it. Just like he said as i drove the vibration slowly disipated and isn't even noticeable and as an added plus there is now no shifter vibration either and the diff brace eliminated the wheel hop i had. They also are stiffness adjustable and can be softened after the breakin period but i didn't find it neccesary especially since now the engine doesn't move at all. The car now drives great and slides even better the mounts have put up with all the abuse of drifting and touge runs. I am very happy with banzai's products.

Thanks for the explanation. I don't know what mounts my friend has. His car still vibrates after more than 10000 miles of driving with them. He is getting rid of them as soon as it is convenient.

My car has stock suspension, which is plenty stiff for me. Having a comfortable car to drive around in is a priority, especially after driving around for many years in a very stiff FB. I used to cringe every time I saw a significant (bone rattling) bump in the road. It appears I am much more sensitive about a smooth ride than most of the youngsters on this site.

Kyle, it sounds like you may be experiencing some numbness in your rear end :rlaugh:

Again....If the whole car is vibrating because of mounts, then there is something else wrong. The rotary engine is far too balanced to vibrate the car that noticeably. Your friend might have a flywheel that is unbalanced or something else that needs to be looked at.

Im assuming you stick a flathead screwdriver thru the alignment holes in teh sub frame. My first couple of installs I didnt realize that is what the extra holes next to the motor mount holes are for, mounts pop into place in a matter of seconds now.

Its the mounts. No question about it.

Impossible. I am sorry but sitting in your friends car does not make you an expert on motor mounts and does not qualify you to give recommendations/advice on any type of mounts. Something else has to cause a harmonic imbalance for the vibration to transfer in the first place. This is why you have people that report huge levels of vibration with solid aluminum mounts and others that report none at all. It is not because of a variation in the material density or manufacturing process of a solid block of metal. It is because of mechanical differences in the engine set ups.