Motor Mounts

[Darin]

At the time I bought my GW, the PO's mechanic said it would need new mounts pretty soon. I have done all the other work that was needed, but am left with this one. Shouldn't be too hard as I have seen some posts on the tips and tricks, but how does one really know that they need to be replaced? Only thing I can think of is to have someone power break the rig to load the engine and visually watch the motor? I don't really want to stand in front of my GW while some applies the breaks and stomps on the gas. :eek: Probably an easier way...right? :confused:

[Iron Horse]

You can check by VERY CAREFULLY jacking up the motor. The easiest place to lift is the oil pan, HOWEVER, make sure your pan is in good shape and use a piece of wood (2x8) to spread the load out as much as possible. If your pan is in bad shape like mine was it may crack like mine did :( . Another lifting point would be at the tranny/engine connection. Once you start lifting it you'll see the mount(s) seperate if they're bad.

[Bob Barry]

They are cheap and easy enough to replace.

I used a board under the oil-pan, and jacked up the motor that way. The fact that the engine would raise up, but the motor-mount didn't, was what clued me into the fact that it might be broken (also the fact that the fan was shredding the shroud when working in low-range).

One hint; if your mounts do not come with new nuts and lock-washers, check to see what thread they use. The factory mounts use fine-thread nuts, while most replacement mounts I've seen have used coarse-thread. I discovered this only after I ruined the studs on my first replacement motor-mount.

I also came across replacement mounts that have a safety-catch, which interlocks the two metal plates in the mount so that the engine won't shift when the rubber finally separates. If you come across that design, it's a safer design than the factory setup.

[Darin]

Thanks for the info! :D