Engine Motor Mount
Many of us never think about our engine motor mount because we do not have a full appreciation for what it does. Without a fully functional engine motor mount as you motored down the road your engine would literally twist its way out of the engine compartment, forcing your vehicle to literally rattle apart and come to a stop. Your engine mount is responsible for giving you that smooth ride as you go down the road, allowing you to reap the benefits of a powerful engine while you are comfortable inside the interior of the vehicle.
The engine motor mount has yet another job when it comes to the safety and capabilities of your vehicle. The engine mount has the task of keeping all of the steel under your hood from vibrating or rattling as the engine creates the power to move the vehicle. If it wasn't for your engine motor mount everything would move around and wouldn't work properly for very long, if at all. Most engine motor mounts are very simple, consisting of just a couple of metal pieces with rubber insulation in between them, but their job is immensely important. The rubber is involved because it allows for a small amount of movement while insulating the rest of the engine components from such movement.
Many people have to consider replacing or repairing their engine mounts. Why? Because we stop and go thousands if not millions of times while we own a vehicle. The result is that the engine mount is always working hard. The problems are usually seen in the rubber pieces which can crack or slowly fall apart over time. You can generally determine when the engine mount needs to be replaced if you accelerate and you feel a lot of shaking from under your hood.
When you need to replace your engine motor mount you will first need to make sure that there is clearance between the firewall before you attempt to raise the engine. You should also check to be sure that you are not going to tear your radiator hose, smash the AC lines, or crack the distributor cap during the process of raising the engine. Next, you will want to either support the engine with a jack or you can use large blocks of wood placed under the engine. It's important when you are jacking up the engine not to do so directly by the oil pan, as this could damage the oil pan and cause leakage.
After you have raised the engine you will need to loosen the engine from the mount bolds. After you do this you will need to get under the vehicle to loosen the bolts that exist between the engine motor mount and the frame. At this mount you will want to jack up the engine just a small amount at the time, until you can remove the engine mount. When you remove the mount you should compare it to the new mount that you have purchased and if there are any heat or drip shields on the old mount you should place them on the new mount. Place the new mount into the engine and then thread in the mount to frame bolds and lower the engine. Finally, lower the engine and tighten all of the bolts.
As you can see, the process of replacing your engine motor mount really is not that difficult. If you had this done by a mechanic you may find that it actually takes quite a bit of time and money. If you do it by yourself you will need very little in the way of money and more in elbow grease and time. Many people successfully replace their own engine motor mount and you can, too!
