How-To : AWR Rear Mount Install [Archive]

gar777

02-02-2005, 07:18 AM

I know alot of people have these pieces but have been putting off installing them cause they heard it was a PITA. After procrastinating about 9 months, I finally did this last Fri night/Sat morning and it wasn't all that bad. I wanted to write it up so others would be motivated to do it as well. :p
<o>:p</o>:p
I did this on my 2003 ES, manual trans with 11K. It took me about 5-6 hours but that was mostly trying to figure out how to do this. With these instructions, it could be done by 1 person in 3-4 hours, no air tools or special tools needed (except those listed below). Sorry for the lack of pics

Tools Needed:<o>:p></o>:p>

<o>:p</o>:p
all the ordinary stuff you'd find in a well-stocked tool box<o>:p></o>:p>

PLUS make sure to have:<o>:p></o>:p>

--sockets: 17mm -- 1/2" drive deep dish and 3/8" drive shallow, both 6-point, and 10mm --1/4" drive deep dish<o>:p></o>:p>

--1/2"drive socket swivel and 1/4" drive socket swivel<o>:p></o>:p>

--1/2" drive breaker bar<o>:p></o>:p>

--long jack handle (for breaker bar extension), and <o>:p></o>:p>

--LOTS of 1/2" socket extensions (maybe 30" or so in various sizes 2", 4" 6", 12")<o>:p></o>:p>

--long-handled 10mm combination wrench (mine was 7" long)<o>:p></o>:p>

gar777

02-02-2005, 07:19 AM

Step A – Getting Access><O:p></O:p>

NOTE: some of this may not be necessary but I have big hands and prefer to see what I'm doing so I found it helpful. <O:p></O:p>

1. Loosen lug nuts on passenger front wheel, just break them loose.<O:p></O:p>

2. Jack up the car and put jack stands under all 4 corners. Make sure the car is high enough so you'll be comfortable working under it but not so high that you'll have trouble reaching over the fender and working near the center of the firewall. Most of your work with be on top.<O:p></O:p>

3. Remove passenger front wheel.<O:p></O:p>

4. Remove lower front subframe cross brace—the transverse piece which stiffens up the back half of the front subframe just under your shift linkage and exhaust. This piece is held on by 4 17mm nuts. <O:p></O:p>

5. Remove front strut tower brace.

6. Unplug 2 wiring connectors going to the stock air cleaner top cover and remove the cover. <O:p></O:p>

7. Remove air flow sensor and snorkel hose going to throttle body.<O:p></O:p>

8. Cover throttle body with duct tape or stuff a clean rag/paper towels in there to prevent debris from falling in. Remove air filter or put clean rag over it. <O:p></O:p>

9. If you don't want to forget your radio presets, write them down.<O:p></O:p>

10. Disconnect battery cables and remove battery and flat tray under battery.

gar777

02-02-2005, 07:20 AM

Step B – Remove Plastic Wire Holding Bracket<O:p></O:p>

THIS IS THE PITA PART EVERYONE COMPLAINS ABOUT. While it is VERY FRUSTRATING, it isn't really hard. It just takes patience, determination and the knowledge that tons of guys before you have done this. <O:p></O:p>

This bracket is located just above the rear motor mount and blocks access to 2 of the 3 nuts holding the motor mount to the subframe. It is held in by 2 10mm nuts on studs welded to the firewall. The top nut is easily visible and removal is simple. The bottom nut cannot be seen from above but you can stick your finger in between the sides of the motor mount and feel it. Removing this bottom nut is the biggest pain in this project.<O:p></O:p>

1. Remove the fat bunch of wires which run through this bracket by: (a) on drivers side of bracket, remove electrical tape and then snip and remove zip tie which was under the tape and (b) on left/passenger side of bracket, carefully push down on the plastic tab using a small screwdriver and then use your fingers or another screwdriver to pry it out. You will reuse this piece so try not to break it.<O:p></O:p>

2. Slide the fat bunch of wires out. This will allow you to attack the bracket by itself.<O:p></O:p>

3. Remove the top nut.<O:p></O:p>

4. Use a 10mm deep dish socket (1/4" drive, with short extension and maybe a swivel) to see if you can get the socket on the bottom nut and then loosen the bottom nut. Once you've gotten pretty pissed off and have scraped your knuckles a few times (I spent about 2 hours), give up on this approach and go under the car. NOTE: Most guys who've posted here seem to have been able to loosen and remove this nut from the top so I'm including that here. I tried for like 2 hours, but wasn't successful. If I did this again, I'd skip this step and go right to Step 5 to try that approach instead.) <O:p></O:p>

5. Go under the car, lying on a creeper or your back and look up. Shine your light carefully up and you should be able to see this nut. Using the long-handled 10mm combination wrench, patiently work the wrench onto the nut and loosen it. I say patiently because it is tight down there, it's hard to get the box end of the wrench on the nut and, once on, you may be able to turn the nut only like 15 degrees at a time, but it WILL come off this way. If you want/need more room to work, then go back up top, pull the bracket off the top stud (you may need a pry bar, I did) and rotate the bracket clockwise. This will give a bit more room on the passenger side of the bracket, which is your point of entry for the 10mm combo wrench.<O:p></O:p>

6. Once you've removed this nut and the plastic bracket, take a break and celebrate. You are half way through with this project and now moving on to the easy part.

gar777

02-02-2005, 07:20 AM

Step C – Remove 3 Nuts Holding Mount to Subframe><O:p></O:p>

1. Remember that bottom stud that held the nut which was a bitch to get off? Well, now it's right in the way. Break it off. I used a deep dish socket slightly larger than the stud along with a 1/4" drive screwdriver handle-type drive. I just bent it left and right and up and down until it broke. The firewall is not that strong here and the weld comes right out with the bolt fairly easily. It will leave a 3/8" hole in your firewall which you should fill later with Form-a-Gasket or something similar before you reinstall the plastic wire bracket. It isn't really much of a hole and there is something hard behind it but, still, I don't want to have an open airway between the engine and me.<O:p></O:p>

2. Using your 17mm deep dish socket (6-point), 1/2" swivel, various extensions and breaker bar, loosen the 3 nuts. You will need to carefully position the socket, swivel and extensions so that you have room to turn this assembly without hitting the various hoses and stuff on the firewall which are more or less in your way. These bolts are pretty tight so make sure to keep the swivel as straight as possible when breaking the nuts free. I needed the long jack handle slid over the breaker bar for extra leverage. You shouldn't remove the nuts at this point but loosen them up good so you can turn them with your fingers. Use WD-40 on the threads if needed.

gar777

02-02-2005, 07:20 AM

Step D – Remove the Long Bolt Going Through the Center of the Mount<O:p></O:p>

1. Get out your 1/2" socket extensions. You want to attack this nut from the front passenger wheel opening (after removing the wheel). With about 30" of extensions or so, you should have a straight shot at the nut and have room to use a big breaker bar and possibly the jack handle as a breaker bar extension. This nut is very tight. To keep the bolt from turning, use a 3/8" socket with a shallow 6-point 17mm socket on the bolt head (drivers) side. Once you slip the socket over the bolt head, you can brace the ratchet handle against the firewall to keep it from turning and then you won't need a helper to hold it. If you want, wrap the end of the rachet handle with a rag or duct tape to keep from scratching the firewall. Now you can put some muscle into loosening the nut without worrying about the bolt turning.<O:p></O:p>

2. Once you've broken this nut free, take the weight off this bolt by supporting the engine from underneath. I used a 2x4, about 12" long, under the oil pan, exhaust and transmission. Don't lift it high, just enough to take the weight off the motor mount bolt.<O:p></O:p>

3. To remove this bolt, you may need to turn the bolt while pushing/pulling the bolt out. If it drags too much, try raising or lowering the jack supporting the engine slightly to make sure there is no pressure there. If needed, tap the threaded end lightly with a hammer (very lightly so as not to damage the threads). <O:p></O:p>

4. Once the bolt is removed, remove the 3 nuts on the top/rear side of the mount, lift the mount off the subframe studs and remove the mount.

gar777

02-02-2005, 07:21 AM

Step E – Installation and Reassembly<O:p></O:p>

1. If you've gotten this far, the rest is really easy. Just insert the AWR mount over the 3 studs on the subframe and then slide the other end in so you can insert the long bolt through the mount. You may need to use a phillips screwdriver or a large punch to line up the holes before inserting the long bolt. Just stick it through the metal outer motor mount hole and then through the inner mount hole and wiggle until they're lined up. You may need some lubricant (WD-40) to help slide the urethane of the AWR inner mount piece around inside the U-shaped bracket. I also tapped it a bit with 1/2" socket extensions to get it in place. As long as you haven't tightened the 3 subframe mount nuts, you should be able to move the mount around a fair amount and get it all to fit.<O:p></O:p>

2. Once the long bolt is through with the nut on loosely, make sure the rear part of the mount (the part slides down over the 3 subframe studs) is completely flat against the subframe. Then install the 3 nuts but don't torque down yet.<O:p></O:p>

3. Torque the long bolt down. Factory spec is 50-68 ft-lbs but I went near the high end since the stiffer mount will put more vibration on this bolt. You will need your 3/8" ratchet and 17mm shallow (6 point) socket on the bolt head again to keep the long bolt from turning. This time position the ratchet handle against the transmission case, instead of the firewall, since you'll be turning the nut in the opposite direction.<O:p></O:p>

4. Torque the 3 subframe bolts. Factory torque spec is the same 50-68 ft-lbs. I went near the high end.<O:p></O:p>

5. Install all of the other pieces in the reverse order removed. If you broke off the bottom stud holding the plastic bracket in place, fill the hole before reinstalling the plastic bracket. I was only concerned about exhaust fumes getting in to the passenger compartment so I used Form-a-Gasket but there are probably other/better things that would work.

biochembruin

02-02-2005, 02:11 PM

very nice. a couple pics would help though

ELEmental59437

02-02-2005, 02:33 PM

Man your arent kidding about that plastic harness being the worst thing about this install. I started grinding away at mine with a mini die grinder the other day, Two hours of that and I still wasnt done with getting it out of the way. I NEED to get this done today though.

Great write up, some pics may help people who havent seen any of this before. Since I have been working on this for two days I know what things you are talking about.

TheJohnny

02-02-2005, 02:45 PM

it's an awesome write up, congrats... but people need pics... ok people like me need pics.

gar777

02-02-2005, 03:12 PM

it's an awesome write up, congrats... but people need pics... ok people like me need pics.
People LIKE ME need pics, too, it helps you see what's in store. I'm just so focused working alone on stuff like this I can't really stop, wash my hands and take pics. I tried to make up for it by giving detailed descriptions but I know it's not the same. I'm planning the MSP front swaybar install next and I'll try to take pics on that one and do a proper How-to.

gar777

02-02-2005, 03:30 PM

Man your arent kidding about that plastic harness being the worst thing about this install. I started grinding away at mine with a mini die grinder the other day, Two hours of that and I still wasnt done with getting it out of the way. I NEED to get this done today though.

try getting a 10mm wrench on it from the bottom (lying under the car). it was slow going but that was the light at the end of the tunnel for me.

azeli73

02-02-2005, 04:00 PM

i got that 10mm with a small 1/4 drive, swivel extension and two inch straight extention on deep socket. After that was out of the way I took a dremel to the bolt (rant)

piece of cake install after that!

biochembruin

02-02-2005, 04:48 PM

People LIKE ME need pics, too, it helps you see what's in store. I'm just so focused working alone on stuff like this I can't really stop, wash my hands and take pics. I tried to make up for it by giving detailed descriptions but I know it's not the same. I'm planning the MSP front swaybar install next and I'll try to take pics on that one and do a proper How-to.

maybe even a pic of the finished install, with marks saying stuff like "here is the bolt from step 4 part B" would help. but this is the best write up i've seen. i just may try this myself.

ELEmental59437

02-03-2005, 02:18 AM

MSPRO

02-03-2005, 04:31 AM

Wow, that is a pretty awesome write up, very detailed. It makes me glad that I just had the dealership install the mounts when they had the tranny out for the rebuild.

gar777

02-03-2005, 12:03 PM

Man, I took another stab at the mount tonight. I got the harness out of the way but I basically grinded the bottom half off with a die grinder. Once I got that out of the way, my 18" breaker bar broke my angle adaptor. So I bought another one and rented a 21" breaker bar and broke that one. In the process I also stripped at least one of the bolts. The shop that replaced my sub frame must have REALLY torqued down those nuts. I am going to try again when I do the clutch, or whenever I feel like grinding a nut off in a hard to reach location. It might just be easier to pull the engine out and do the rods at the same time than try and grind it off in its current location.

Man that sucks! If you haven't given up, try getting a jack handle or long pipe to slide over your ratchet/breaker bar and you should be able to get alot more leverage (and not break any more breaker bars). My jack handle was about 4 feet long and, even so, I had to push it pretty hard. Make sure to apply the turning force at the very end for maximum leverage.

This way, I was able to break the nuts loose with one arm. With my other arm, I held the ratchet head-extensions-socket down on the nut, pressing down as hard as I could. Actually, I think I had my whole body leaning over the engine and trying to put weight on the ratchet-extensions-socket column so it would sit tightly on the nut and not round the nut off. Make sure to use a 6-point deep-dish socket, as well, since 12-points won't hold the nut as well and will be more likely to round it off. Also, keep the 1/2" swivel as straight as possible so the socket stays seated on the nut and all of the turning force gets translated to the nut. Use lots of WD-40 too. Good luck!

JCell

02-03-2005, 12:46 PM

wow, great write up

this will definitly same people some money (2thumbs)

twilightprotege

02-07-2005, 03:51 PM

moved to how-to

carbonkid

02-10-2005, 11:13 PM

gar777,
Thanks for the write up, I plan to attempt this weekend!!!

iluvmacs

02-23-2005, 07:52 PM

If I may offer any suggestions... these are what they'd be.

To remove the wire bracket I removed the top nut without a problem. I then took the wire out of the bracket. With a screwdriver I wedged the bracket up so that I could get a socket onto the lower stud. That made it much easier to get at.

I put a regular sized 10mm socket on there first, then I put a 2.5-3" 1/4" extension on it, which I then turned with a screwdriver. After loosening it I could turn the socket extension by hand, and then the nut by hand.

That's as far as i've gotten. I need some 1/2" extensions before tackling the actual mount.

carbonkid

02-23-2005, 09:58 PM

Thanks for the update/addition!If I may offer any suggestions... these are what they'd be.

To remove the wire bracket I removed the top nut without a problem. I then took the wire out of the bracket. With a screwdriver I wedged the bracket up so that I could get a socket onto the lower stud. That made it much easier to get at.

I put a regular sized 10mm socket on there first, then I put a 2.5-3" 1/4" extension on it, which I then turned with a screwdriver. After loosening it I could turn the socket extension by hand, and then the nut by hand.

That's as far as i've gotten. I need some 1/2" extensions before tackling the actual mount.

iluvmacs

02-26-2005, 05:11 PM

I'm finished now, so here are MY final thoughts.

The 3/8" extension kit from sears is great. You need at least 18" of extensions to get this job done. The kit has a set of adapters, u-joints, and extensions.

After removing the wiring harness, the wires will always be in the way. Oh well. I used the u-joint to crack loose all three bolts, using enough extensions so that I could push against the firewall (very top, where the hood sits) so that I didn't bend any brake lines or strip the bolt (use two hands, pushing in opposite directions).

I had 2 17mm sockets (one deep, for under the car and one regular for above the car). I got my 1/2" drive ratchet wedged between the block and driveshaft (don't pry against the fluid lines) and then used a 5' rod to pry on the stationary side of the bolt from atop the engine. No problems.

There is a spacer that goes (to the best of my knowledge) between the right side of the mount (toward the battery) between the bracket attached to the engine and the rubber/metal spacer that the head of the bolt sits in. Don't lose it.

I used air tools and lots of lights, in addition to removing a bunch of stuff on the TB side of the engine.

If I can offer any other suggestions, PM me.

carbonkid

02-27-2005, 09:29 PM

Thanks for the update. How is the vibration level, tolerable? do you also have the AT front mount? Also, would you attempt this if you didn't have air tools?

I'm finished now, so here are MY final thoughts.

The 3/8" extension kit from sears is great. You need at least 18" of extensions to get this job done. The kit has a set of adapters, u-joints, and extensions.

After removing the wiring harness, the wires will always be in the way. Oh well. I used the u-joint to crack loose all three bolts, using enough extensions so that I could push against the firewall (very top, where the hood sits) so that I didn't bend any brake lines or strip the bolt (use two hands, pushing in opposite directions).

I had 2 17mm sockets (one deep, for under the car and one regular for above the car). I got my 1/2" drive ratchet wedged between the block and driveshaft (don't pry against the fluid lines) and then used a 5' rod to pry on the stationary side of the bolt from atop the engine. No problems.

There is a spacer that goes (to the best of my knowledge) between the right side of the mount (toward the battery) between the bracket attached to the engine and the rubber/metal spacer that the head of the bolt sits in. Don't lose it.

I used air tools and lots of lights, in addition to removing a bunch of stuff on the TB side of the engine.

If I can offer any other suggestions, PM me.

iluvmacs

02-28-2005, 06:27 AM

Thanks for the update. How is the vibration level, tolerable? do you also have the AT front mount? Also, would you attempt this if you didn't have air tools?

I'm not actually replacing the mounts. I'm removing them, filling them with polyurethane, and then sticking them back in the car. I'm waiting for the rear to dry. I did the other three on Fridays and went to work on Monday, but the rear took longer, so i finished on Saturday and will go to work tomorrow.

I had vibration problems before. To be more accurate, my gauge bezel has vibrated a lot. I removed it once to kill the door chime, but I can't get it to stop vibrating. I'll PM you if the vibration is a problem.

If I didn't have air tools it simply would have taken longer. You still have to break each nut loose by hand. You just scrape your hands up less when you don't have to make every turn of the ratchet by hand.

I tried to grind off the bottom wiring harness stud, but with it halfway down I decided to bend it the rest of the way and pop, it pulled from the firewall. I wouldn't bother trying to cut or grind down the stud, just take an old socket and pound it off the firewall. I filled it with the polyurethane i had left over.

gar777

02-28-2005, 07:03 AM

Thanks for the update. How is the vibration level, tolerable? do you also have the AT front mount? Also, would you attempt this if you didn't have air tools?
I have the AT rear bushing (in a 5sp car with MT bushings up front) and the vibration is tremendous, esp. on start up and for the first 10-15 minutes until the engine compartments gets warmed up. The performance benefit is also tremendous but, for me, the vibration almost crosses the line of being too much for a daily driver. I remember that the front mount settled down over time, though, so I'm giving the rear a fair amount of time, probably until the end of the track/autocross season this Fall, to see if it's settled to an acceptable point. AWR is also testing an even softer material, durometer 70 (vs 88 for AT and 95 for 5sp) which might be the answer. Also, as an experiment, I may put the stock mount back in front. If nothing else, I think that would accelerate the break in period for the rear mount as the rear would have more room to vibrate around and soften itself up a bit. I put the front AWR mount in 6-9 months before the rear and I think running the AWR front/stock rear may have helped the front bushings break in. I'm not sure the rear AWRs would have the same chance with the stiffer front AWR bushings in there. I think others have worked on this issue and maybe tried this, though, so I should probably search before trying this.

You do not need air tools at all. (I have them but didn't use them.) Just make sure you have a jack handle or a long bar (3-4 feet) to put over your ratchet handle to break the bolts loose. I wouldn't want to use an air ratchet for this anyway as you might strip the nuts, esp. when working with a swivel.

biochembruin

02-28-2005, 03:25 PM

I have the AT rear bushing (in a 5sp car with MT bushings up front) and the vibration is tremendous, esp. on start up and for the first 10-15 minutes until the engine compartments gets warmed up. The performance benefit is also tremendous but, for me, the vibration almost crosses the line of being too much for a daily driver. I remember that the front mount settled down over time, though, so I'm giving the rear a fair amount of time, probably until the end of the track/autocross season this Fall, to see if it's settled to an acceptable point. AWR is also testing an even softer material, durometer 70 (vs 88 for AT and 95 for 5sp) which might be the answer. Also, as an experiment, I may put the stock mount back in front. If nothing else, I think that would accelerate the break in period for the rear mount as the rear would have more room to vibrate around and soften itself up a bit. I put the front AWR mount in 6-9 months before the rear and I think running the AWR front/stock rear may have helped the front bushings break in. I'm not sure the rear AWRs would have the same chance with the stiffer front AWR bushings in there. I think others have worked on this issue and maybe tried this, though, so I should probably search before trying this.

You do not need air tools at all. (I have them but didn't use them.) Just make sure you have a jack handle or a long bar (3-4 feet) to put over your ratchet handle to break the bolts loose. I wouldn't want to use an air ratchet for this anyway as you might strip the nuts, esp. when working with a swivel.

how did your stock rear mount look after you took it off? did having the awr front mount seem to do anything to the stock rear mount?

carbonkid

02-28-2005, 07:41 PM

You do not need air tools at all. (I have them but didn't use them.) Just make sure you have a jack handle or a long bar (3-4 feet) to put over your ratchet handle to break the bolts loose. I wouldn't want to use an air ratchet for this anyway as you might strip the nuts, esp. when working with a swivel.

Thanks!

gar777

02-28-2005, 07:54 PM

how did your stock rear mount look after you took it off? did having the awr front mount seem to do anything to the stock rear mount?
Good question (I had been thinking about that when I put just the front one in). I examined the stock rear and it looks just fine, no cracks, no ripping or splitting. Comparing it to the stock front mount, it is much more substantial and solid. I can twist the stock front piece all around but the rear one is harder to move (though still nothing like the AWR mount). As a result, I think the stock rear mount can stand up to the front AWR mount fairly well. This should be good news for all the guys who just installed the front mount. I should note, however, that I have only a stock powered ES motor. Guys with turbos or other power upgrades might stress the stock rear mount more.

biochembruin

02-28-2005, 08:33 PM

Good question (I had been thinking about that when I put just the front one in). I examined the stock rear and it looks just fine, no cracks, no ripping or splitting. Comparing it to the stock front mount, it is much more substantial and solid. I can twist the stock front piece all around but the rear one is harder to move (though still nothing like the AWR mount). As a result, I think the stock rear mount can stand up to the front AWR mount fairly well. This should be good news for all the guys who just installed the front mount. I should not, however, that I have only a stock powered ES motor. Guys with turbos or other power upgrade might stress the stock rear mount more.

thanks for the info

A.V.MSP

02-28-2005, 08:44 PM

I would have to agree with gar777 about stressing the rear mount. Heres a pic of my rear engine mount, found it with a big rip in the metal when I went to put the head back on today

carbonkid

02-28-2005, 08:47 PM

I would have to agree with gar777, heres a pic of my rear engine mount, found it when I went to put the head back on today

Thanks for the pic, it's a great start! Anyone else have any more??

gar777

03-01-2005, 07:13 AM

WOW, were you running the AWR front mount?

biochembruin

03-01-2005, 12:51 PM

I would have to agree with gar777 about stressing the rear mount. Heres a pic of my rear engine mount, found it with a big rip in the metal when I went to put the head back on today

could you clarify what happened? did you have the awr front mount and the stock rear? that looks like the awr rear mount. how do you think it broke?

peepsalot

03-01-2005, 01:03 PM

Thanks for the pic, it's a great start! Anyone else have any more??

A great start? Of what, an automotive nightmare?

A.V.MSP

03-01-2005, 01:12 PM

stock mounts all the way around. Dont really know how it happened. When I blew my head gasket it was fine, then I had to take the motor apart again because I had a low spot in the head and didnt know it even though I got it straight edged. Any way go to put it back together yesterday after getting my head port and polished and the manifold port matched and just before I go to put the head on im looking around the engine bay and see that.

gar777

03-01-2005, 07:58 PM

all I can say is you need AWR mounts

carbonkid

03-01-2005, 11:08 PM

A great start? Of what, an automotive nightmare?

No I didn't even catch that it was broken, I was just saying great start to having a single picture of ANY rear mount installed, thats all.

gar777

03-05-2005, 05:05 AM

OK, I took some pics. Hope these help. Here's where you start. You'll want to remove the air filter cover, air flow meter, hose behind that (up to, but not including, the throttle body), battery and probably the battery tray.

http://www.msprotege.com/members/gar777/AWR-Mount/P1004044.jpg

gar777

03-05-2005, 05:06 AM

here are the 2 electrical connectors you need to disconnect from the top of the air filter box:

http://www.msprotege.com/members/gar777/AWR-Mount/P1004045.jpg

gar777

03-05-2005, 05:12 AM

when you get the air filter housing, air flow sensor, intake tube and battery out, it should look like this. If you look between the throttle body and the master cylinder, you can see the plastic, wire-holding bracket that needs to be removed. You can almost see the top nut

http://www.msprotege.com/members/gar777/AWR-Mount/P1004048.jpg

gar777

03-05-2005, 05:15 AM

You'll want to remove the 2 bolts (nuts?) holding down the gold bracket on top of the transmission at the base of the intersection of a couple of fat strands of wires. Once this bracket is unbolted, you can push the fat strands of wires out of the way and gain more access to the mount.

http://www.msprotege.com/members/gar777/AWR-Mount/P1004049.jpg

gar777

03-05-2005, 05:20 AM

Now the pics get tricky. There is so much stuff in the way, it's hard to get a good angle but here goes. There is some yellow paint near the top nut on the plastic bracket. This is the one that's easy to remove. The hard one is on the underside of this plastic bracket.

http://www.msprotege.com/members/gar777/AWR-Mount/P1004047.jpg

gar777

03-05-2005, 05:24 AM

Once you have the plastic bracket removed, here's the view down to the mount from on top. As you can see, there's lots of stuff in the way. The mount is the bright gold piece and you can see the 2 back nuts. You will have to fish the socket and swivel behind some of the hoses along the firewall in order to keep the swivel as straight as possible and put good torque on those nuts.

http://www.msprotege.com/members/gar777/AWR-Mount/P1004050.jpg

gar777

03-05-2005, 05:43 AM

here's the view of the installed mount from the bottom:

http://www.msprotege.com/members/gar777/AWR-Mount/P1004035.jpg

peepsalot

03-05-2005, 11:12 AM

What's up with all the
:p :p :p :p :p :p :p :p :p :p
:p :p :p :p :p :p :p :p :p :p
:p :p :p :p :p :p :p :p :p :p
:p :p :p :p :p :p :p :p :p :p
:p :p :p :p :p :p :p :p :p :p
in the original write up?

It's driving me bonkers!

carbonkid

03-07-2005, 09:42 PM

thanks for all the pics! what a huge help!

MetalSpeed

03-22-2005, 04:01 PM

I read a while back that you had pick up the engine a little to take the weight of f the bolt, or is that for the front mount? Good write up by the way.

peepsalot

03-22-2005, 04:11 PM

I replaced my front mount without jacking up the engine. Just jiggled it a bit by hand, it's not that hard.

Edit: um, i guess i misread that post, nevermind.

gar777

03-22-2005, 05:29 PM

I read a while back that you had pick up the engine a little to take the weight of f the bolt, or is that for the front mount? Good write up by the way.
yes, you should put a jack under the engine (oil pan/trans - use a 2x4 across them for protection) and lift the engine just enought to take the weight off the single long bolt which goes through the mount itself. this will make it easier to slide the long bolt out.

no jack needed for the front mount - there is barely any weight on that one at rest

MetalSpeed

03-22-2005, 11:39 PM

Sweet thanks for the info. Probably try it this weekend.

MetalSpeed

03-29-2005, 03:03 PM

Got a problem how do you remove the back bracket that is holding the wire harness??? I took the nut off and it is still snug in there. Will the back one really make a difference? I have the front AWR mount on but that bracket is in my damn way.

iluvmacs

03-29-2005, 06:49 PM

There are 2 nuts that you have to get off (aren't there always???). The one underneath is the one that's tough because you can't see it.

Get both of those two off, and then you should disconnect the wire from the plastic harness. You don't need to, but it'll make your life much easier. Cut the electrical tape at the right side. The left side has a snap that has to be undone.

Good luck.

rednecks_r_us

03-29-2005, 07:28 PM

I got the bottom one off from under the car. I pulled off the crossmember to get to it. On my back looking up between the "frame" and the body I could actually see the bottom nut. My 10mm wrench was just long enough to reach the nut by holding the wrench with just the very edge of my finger and thumb tips. It was a PITA but that is the hardest part.

I had just the front AWR 95D mount on for about 3 weeks and when I pulled off the rear stock mount it was ripped.

Well good luck and have fun.

MetalSpeed

03-29-2005, 07:42 PM

I got it off finaly about hour and half ago. I was a bitch when I put the new mount on do I leave the rubber and metal piece on? Thanks in advance On the long bolt?

rednecks_r_us

03-29-2005, 09:41 PM

MetalSpeed

03-30-2005, 08:06 AM

I ended up dropping the metal spacer down into the engine bay and couldn't find it. So I put it back together with out the spacer. The bolt has enough threads on it to tighten down. I did leave the rubber grommet on the long bolt just because it came off the stock.

After I got everything back together I found the spacer sitting on the half shaft. I didn't bother undoing everything just to put it back on

Thanks so now I can tighten it all down and and see what it feels like to no have wheel hop, I almost said fu** it and just left the stock mount in there but then I am not a person that quits. I think the hardest part of the removal was getting that bracket out of the way. O h and it was a lot eaiser for me to put the 3/8 17mm on the bottom and hold the nut/ put the 1/2 17mm on the topside and take the long bolt out after supporting the engine. tried your way and almost stripped the bolt off. But either way good write up for gar777.(yippy) (guitar)

Dr.Sound

10-29-2005, 01:05 AM

question,
is everything done from the top?
i mean taking the stock mount off and putting the AWR one on.
or do i need to go under the car as well.?

rednecks_r_us

10-29-2005, 10:09 AM

question,
is everything done from the top?
i mean taking the stock mount off and putting the AWR one on.
or do i need to go under the car as well.?

I was under the car as well as the top side.

carbonkid

11-08-2005, 10:44 PM

me too.

motchai

11-10-2005, 10:01 PM

bump

carbonkid

11-11-2005, 10:49 AM

FYI,
my car is at dealership getting a new LSD under warranty (40K miles), so i am having them put the OEM rear mount BACK in while they have it all apart...Vibration just got worse over time, way too much!

Dr.Sound

11-12-2005, 02:34 PM

did u have a manual mount before?

carbonkid

11-12-2005, 02:47 PM

I am not sure, I think it is AT in front and MT in rear.

Dr.Sound

11-12-2005, 03:12 PM

hmm
today i'll be installing the AWR "street" mount.
it's the one that is softer than the automatic mount.

carbonkid

11-12-2005, 04:14 PM

Actually now that I think about it more, I have street front and rear...still way to much vibrations, but it is getting colder here. Not only that but I have both side mount poly inserts. Good luck!

Dr.Sound

11-12-2005, 09:48 PM

damn, just finished!
i let it warm up and idle.....not that much vibration.
actually less vibration with street rear mount and stock front than with MT front and stock rear.

we'll see how it is when driving.

BTW, what a PITA those 3 nuts were. SHIT!
i broke some extentions trying to get them off.

that bottom bolt of the plastic bracket was actually not that bad at all.
took 10 min to take the whole bracket off.
just need a swivel adapter or a spring extention.

all in all went pretty smooth, although i had to take a break cause i cut my hand pretty bad when the extention broke. had to clean the blood off the engine cover, lol ;)
it was a craftsman extention too!!

carbonkid

11-12-2005, 09:49 PM

good job! i bet with your warmer temps there, you wont need to go back to OEM. good luck!

Dr.Sound

11-12-2005, 10:21 PM

thanks man :)
i would never do it if it wasnt for this thread.
i'm gonna order street inserts for my front AWR mount.
i'll let u guys know how the vibration is.

carbonkid

11-13-2005, 11:39 AM

Good plan, i bet you will like it. Enjoy.

protegeric

12-31-2005, 12:54 PM

Any write-up on here about the front one? Or another post about the rear or both?

Dr.Sound

12-31-2005, 04:34 PM

front is REALLY easy.
5-10 min tops.

just jack your car up and u'll see.

JCell

12-31-2005, 05:12 PM

YEP, needs a 17mm wrench, 3 bolts

u don't even have to jack up the car :D

Zhan

12-31-2005, 11:48 PM

YEP, needs a 17mm wrench, 3 bolts

u don't even have to jack up the car :D
I needed a breaker bar for that little shit, actually.

protegeric

01-01-2006, 02:13 PM

Well the thing is, I don`t know exactly where the rear ones are. Never seen a pic. or nothin... Sounds like a real bitch too. What are the tools needed for the rear? The first post on here makes it sound like you need every single metric socket and extension ever made.

protegeric

01-22-2006, 06:47 PM

im gonna add some more pic.s maybe... anyone want `em?

Dimitrios

01-23-2006, 05:13 PM

If you can take out as much of the intake and/or throttle body, you'll be better off....

Dr.Sound

01-23-2006, 05:18 PM

i used 3 extentions.....but i didnt take our the throttle body,
broke one extention.

used a breaker bar and applied so much pressure that it actually bent a little.
bolts still would not budge.
PB blaster and 2 beers later they came off like butter.

carbonkid

01-23-2006, 11:22 PM

I put my factory rear back in, WAY better.

Dr.Sound

01-24-2006, 11:37 AM

haha
i sold my MSP with rear mount in and corksport S-pipe.
they didnt even drive the car ;)

Fai

01-30-2006, 10:02 PM

Dr.Sound

01-31-2006, 12:35 PM

no, i'm pretty sure u have to take the mount out.

Dimitrios

01-31-2006, 12:42 PM

I brought the RR racing motor mount insert, since it is the insert only which steps should i skip?? i dun have to take the entire mount out right??

can i just take the center bolt out and put the insert in?

You're either going to have to "rock" the engine forward to get enough room to slip them in or remove the mount altogether...

Dr.Sound

01-31-2006, 12:45 PM

"rock" haha
damn, i wanna see that :D

might as well take the front mount out and jack the motor up.....but i would just take the mount out.
it's not THAT hard.

nealric

02-06-2006, 01:50 AM

What are the tools needed for the rear? The first post on here makes it sound like you need every single metric socket and extension ever made.

I would like to know also.

Right now I only have the following automotive tools:
3/8 drive ratchet, 12pt sockets 8-18mm
1/2 drive ratchet, 14, 17, 21mm 6pt.

For now, I only want to buy what I need to get the job done. What else do I need? Im assuming quite a bit.

Also, the pics posted and instructions were assuming the stock airbox assembly. Has anybody gotten away with just leaving that stuff as is with a CAI?

Dr.Sound

02-06-2006, 09:11 AM

CAI has to come off.
so does the battery and the battery tray.

you will need 3-4 extentions (depending on size).
i would get an extra one just because it is easy to break an extention because of the way the bolts are set up.

USE LOTS OF PB BLASTER!!!

protegeric

02-06-2006, 08:46 PM

a CAI and FMIC piping going to the throttle body does not have to come off... I ONLY took out my battery and battery tray, and I installed the rear and front in at most 2 hours. I have a bunch of pictures also. I used 3 different length/depth sockets and an 18 or 24 inch extension.

CAI has to come off.
so does the battery and the battery tray.

you will need 3-4 extentions (depending on size).
i would get an extra one just because it is easy to break an extention because of the way the bolts are set up.

USE LOTS OF PB BLASTER!!!

your tools look OK, but like I said; I used 3 different depth sockets. you at least need a deep and shallow 10mm and I THINK 17mm (whatever the three nuts are on the actual motor mount). Also you`re going to need a swivel in 1/2 and 3/8, that`s pretty important. also the LONG ASS extensions in 1/2 and 3/8 (you can put a few smaller ones together). AND wherever it said to break off some stud... don`t do it, it`s completely unecessary. that second nut on the bracket for the wiring harness is offset to the driver`s side. don`t try to go straight below the top one. the front is a 5 min job...

I would like to know also.

Right now I only have the following automotive tools:
3/8 drive ratchet, 12pt sockets 8-18mm
1/2 drive ratchet, 14, 17, 21mm 6pt.

For now, I only want to buy what I need to get the job done. What else do I need? Im assuming quite a bit.

Also, the pics posted and instructions were assuming the stock airbox assembly. Has anybody gotten away with just leaving that stuff as is with a CAI?

nealric

02-08-2006, 11:41 PM

Well Im almost done with the hard part (just have to break that darn center bolt through the mount free).

Since others were asking here is an exact listing of the tools needed:

Jack
Jack Stands
18'' 1/2in drive breaker bar
1/2in drive socket
3/8in drive socket
17mm 1/2 drive socket
17mm 1/2 drive deep socket
14mm socket
10mm 3/8 drive socket
10mm combo wrench
2x 10'' 1/2 drive exensions
2x 5'' 1/2 drive extensions
wd-40

nealric

02-09-2006, 06:36 PM

Im now at about hour 13 on the install. I just have to get the three long bolts on the side in and torqe everything down.

Holy Balls!
I dont think I would wish installing these on my worst enemy. I thought after I got the bracket off it would be smooth sailing. But nooooooo, the damn bolt through the mount wouldnt come off for anything. I spent 3 hours trying to get it to turn from the wheel well/extension method almost completely stripping out the bolt in the process. Instead, I would strongly suggest breaking the thing free from the top drivers side (side with no nut). It came off right away.

Then from reading the guide I was like great, its supposed to be easy now. Except it took over an hour of cursing to get the damn mount back in and situated. New expltives were invented that should never have been uttered from the lips of mankind.

To compound the problem, a blizzard is coming in and now Im going to have to wait untill the snow starts melting to do anything.

If you are at all questioning of your automotive abilities or equipment, please, for the love of all that is good and holy in the world do not attempt to install these.

Dr.Sound

02-09-2006, 06:43 PM

ROFL
it's really not that bad
....funny though :)

protegeric

02-09-2006, 09:43 PM

yeah, it`s not that bad... I had all the tools I wanted and it took me about 1 1/2 or 2 hours to do both. Just make sure you have all the right tools! you need a 3/8 and 1/2 in. swivel too

nealric

02-09-2006, 10:22 PM

maybe I suck at cars, but I went out and bought all the tools I needed- and none of the delays were due to not having the right tools- well, an impact wrench might lopped off about 3 hours- but thats still 10.

That 13 hour figure is not an exaggeration: 6 hours the last two two days and one hour the day before that.

cfpkiller

02-11-2006, 10:55 AM

took me 1 hr to do both...im a mechanic so i had a lift and all the tools. the job was a bitch tho!!!!!!! damn mount nuts were tight as shit!!!!!!!!!!!!!! (rant)

protegeric

02-11-2006, 05:06 PM

u suck, I didnt have a lift... MAN! someone needs to get me one I can use anytime for free!

took me 1 hr to do both...im a mechanic so i had a lift and all the tools. the job was a bitch tho!!!!!!! damn mount nuts were tight as shit!!!!!!!!!!!!!! (rant)

Dr.Sound

02-11-2006, 05:50 PM

The official abbreviation for MAZDASPEED Protege is MPS not MSP.
Hi Eric,
Thank you for contacting Mazda. Your vehicle is listed correctly as 2003.5 MPS.
Again, thank you for contacting Mazda. Happy Holidays!
the official abbreviation for mazdaspeed protege is:
2003 - MS1P
2003.5 - MS2P

not MPS.

protegeric

02-11-2006, 08:59 PM

I`m not sure about that. My car is a 2003.5 and it`s listed as MS1. But, MAZDASPEED Protege is MPS regardless of 03 or 03.5. I`m gonna email mazda now and ask `em why my car is referred to as an MS1 and it`s a 2003.5 cause I thought what you said was correct. However, I don`t think it`s MS1P, I THINK (not sure) it`s just MS1. I`ll ask and post the reply. Since it`s saturday, I don`t know how long they will take to answer.

the official abbreviation for mazdaspeed protege is:
2003 - MS1P
2003.5 - MS2P

not MPS.

protegeric

02-11-2006, 09:20 PM

OK, I emailed Mazda right now about MPS (again), MS1/MS1P and MS2/MS2P. Also, 2003 = MS1, 2003.5 = MS2, etc. I`ll post the email as soon as I get it. BUT, that is their answer about MPS. The MAZDASPEED Protege is abbreviated as MPS (I`ve asked them more than 2 times). I THINK (not sure) MS1 and MS2 refers to the slight differences in trim. We will soon find out.

the official abbreviation for mazdaspeed protege is:
2003 - MS1P
2003.5 - MS2P

not MPS.

Dr.Sound

02-12-2006, 12:32 AM

hehe, yeah, i want to know what they will say.
i remember speaking to a tech at mazda NA HQ about it and he told me the official name was MS1P/MS2P.
also, on all of my service reciepts it said MS1P for my 03 MSP and MS2P for my 03.5.

protegeric

02-13-2006, 06:42 PM

I asked them what`s the difference between MS1 and MS2, and is the P necessary? Also, 2003 = MS1, 2003.5 = MS2? The answer confused me a little bit about the MS1/MS2. MS1 and MS2 does refer to trim as I thought. I am #2479 of 2750 BTW. I also asked AGAIN about MPS. I think they`re tired of hearing from me, but I gave them $21,000 so I don`t feel too bad...

Hello Eric,

Thanks for contacting Mazda.

Your previous e-mail history tell me you're referring to your 2003
MAZDASPEED Protegé with VIN JM1BJ227330650229.

The difference between MS1 and MS2 are basically the production builds.
(2003 and 2003.5)

MPS refers to MAZDASPEED Protegé.

For instance, our records indicate JM1BJ227330650229 shows it's a 2003
PRO MS2 P. This is our internal indication that this is a 2003.5
MAZDAPSEED Protegé. The extra "P" at the end just signifies it's a
manual transmission.

Again, thank you for contacting Mazda. It has been my pleasure to
assist you. Please feel free to reply to this message with any further
questions or comments.

Please take a moment to give us your opinion about our e-mail service.
Click or paste the link below to complete a brief, online survey.

http://www.zoomerang.com/survey.zgi?p=WEB2248YQE39U6

Regards,

Heather B.
Specialist, Customer Assistance E-Business

Dr.Sound

02-13-2006, 06:51 PM

hehe, nice

i didnt know that P stood for manuat tranny though....good to know :)

protegeric

02-13-2006, 09:41 PM

I was hoping that guy wouldve answered me. That girl doesnt seem to be quite as good... Yeah, now I know something else I didnt (P)! Thats good!

hehe, nice

i didnt know that P stood for manuat tranny though....good to know :)

tallrd

02-28-2006, 10:01 PM

took me 1 hr to do both...im a mechanic so i had a lift and all the tools. the job was a bitch tho!!!!!!! damn mount nuts were tight as shit!!!!!!!!!!!!!! (rant)

do you know what the shop charge is on the rear mount? I'm considering just paying a shop to do it.

tallrd

03-07-2006, 08:29 PM

Just did the front mount this past weekend, and I rear some of you would like some better photos to help for point of referrence. I hope they help. On a side note, the car vibrates more with just the front mount changed out--like I'm driving over those cuts in the road before you come to the toll booth or something...except that's when I'm at idle. When driving I feel little more vibration through the car. If it means I don't have to replace anymore cracked midpipes, I'll be a happy camper.

protegeric

03-07-2006, 08:47 PM

i have more pic.s of install for the rear and even tools needed. i think now that youve done the front only, the rear stock will be more likely to fail. if ur good and have all the tools, u can do the rear in 2 hours. you can also come over to my house and ill help? i dont know... BUT, get the right tools and do the rear also. wat durometer did u install? not the 95 i hope...

Just did the front mount this past weekend, and I rear some of you would like some better photos to help for point of referrence. I hope they help. On a side note, the car vibrates more with just the front mount changed out--like I'm driving over those cuts in the road before you come to the toll booth or something...except that's when I'm at idle. When driving I feel little more vibration through the car. If it means I don't have to replace anymore cracked midpipes, I'll be a happy camper.

InFeXIoN

03-07-2006, 08:52 PM

the shop here was gonna charge me to do my front sway and rear motor mount for 75 bux

protegeric

03-07-2006, 08:55 PM

thats not too bad, but its doable by yourself...
edit: maybe its not doable by yourself. i forgot hoo i was talkin about. HA, JK!

the shop here was gonna charge me to do my front sway and rear motor mount for 75 bux

InFeXIoN

03-07-2006, 09:04 PM

i could do it myself, just easier to pay 75 bux and save myself the headache

tallrd

03-08-2006, 09:09 PM

my mounts are the 70 durometer, and although I appreciate your offer to help me out in person, I'm not so sure the gas money and time off from work would justify it ;) (I'm in Madison, WI).

If it's only $75-$100 bucks then it's *completely* worth passing along the headache to a paid professional. I'm going to have a shop install mine unless they come back with a $150+ estimate or something like that.

tallrd

03-13-2006, 09:20 PM

Did the mount this weekend, and all I can say is great write up (thumb) . Once I read them while looking at the car it all made perfect sense. Those directions saved me and my buddy (a mechanic thank god) probably 1-2 hours of frusrated swearing fits.

One thing to note is how much more the engine vibrates the car. I'm not diggin' that at all. When at idle with the headlights and heat on, the car's working just hard enough to shake the rear view mirror and maybe stimulate a female driver/passenger (for better or worse). I hope that it settles in a bit, because it's a bit UNsettling as of now.

+rep for the how to.

A.V.MSP

03-15-2006, 06:23 PM

it will mellow out quite a bit when they break in, mine took about a month but after that they are not near as bad

tallrd

03-15-2006, 06:26 PM

it will mellow out quite a bit when they break in, mine took about a month but after that they are not near as bad

(cool) man, I hope I can say the same after a month.

A.V.MSP

03-15-2006, 06:39 PM

it will still vibrate but not as much. you should be happy with them. I was nervous after people on here were saying its really bad but its not.

protegeric

03-15-2006, 06:44 PM

man, ur complainin about the 70s? I have the 95s. I kind of wish I had the 70s, but right now I have the 95s. the rear view mirror is useless... ha!

(cool) man, I hope I can say the same after a month.

tallrd

03-15-2006, 09:28 PM

man, ur complainin about the 70s? I have the 95s. I kind of wish I had the 70s, but right now I have the 95s. the rear view mirror is useless... ha!

i would imagine that when you're at idle that it feels like you are being rear ended by a semi every millisecond.

Scotty878

05-17-2006, 02:54 PM

Hopefully somebody can help me with this real quick....That little metal peice along with that big rubber peice....Where do they go!?! Do they go back on!? How do they go on!? I'm lost!

Dr.Sound

05-17-2006, 03:03 PM

big rubber piece goes on the side of the mount where the HEAD of the bolt is.
the head of the bolt should be on the driver side of the mount.

when u say "little metal piece" do u mean a washer?

Scotty878

05-17-2006, 03:23 PM

Yeah, the washer too, its probably about 1/2" long....And with the rubber thing, which way does the flat side go? Like which way do you orient it!?

I just want to get this done!

Dr.Sound

05-17-2006, 04:29 PM

flat side goes against the mount,
so the head of the bolt sits in the rubber thing itself.....if i remember correctly.

Scotty878

05-17-2006, 09:35 PM

Yeah, I got it anyway...Pretty straight foward, I'm just stupid and wasn't paying attention because I just wanted to finish so bad! Thanks anyway!

tallrd

05-17-2006, 10:06 PM

1000 mile follow up:

Headlights + foglights + heater = rattle your teeth out (or arouse your female passengers...if you're an optimist). My wife calls it the rolling vibrator which is great imo, but she's pregnant and that's not good in this case.

It get's worse if you are using the A/C, so I don't see it mellowing out much. It maybe got 20% better since install. Still, I haven't been cracking anymore midpipes or getting wheel hop, so that's worth the price of admission in the long run.

protegeric

05-17-2006, 10:08 PM

do u have the 95 durometer motor mounts?

1000 mile follow up:

Headlights + foglights + heater = rattle your teeth out (or arouse your female passengers...if you're an optimist). My wife calls it the rolling vibrator which is great imo, but she's pregnant and that's not good in this case.

It get's worse if you are using the A/C, so I don't see it mellowing out much. It maybe got 20% better since install. Still, I haven't been cracking anymore midpipes or getting wheel hop, so that's worth the price of admission in the long run.

tallrd

05-19-2006, 09:17 PM

do u have the 95 durometer motor mounts?

it's in my sig :) they're 70's actually

protegeric

05-19-2006, 11:47 PM

wat a weener, wah wah wah, 70`s... haha... call the WHAMbulance!

it's in my sig :) they're 70's actually

tallrd

05-21-2006, 10:55 AM

wat a weener, wah wah wah, 70`s... haha... call the WHAMbulance!

I assume you are facetious, so...call me someone who likes to retain a little driving comfort. I was simply ignorant as to how much a pair of motor mounts would change the comfort of daily driving.

I wanted others considering doing this to know exactly what they are in for according to another memeber's exerience; after all, isn't that a big part of what these forums are about? (poke)

If you are using 90 level mounts, then I guess there is a different balance of comfort:performance for you than there is for me.

TheJohnny

05-27-2006, 12:28 PM

Did mine last night, and wow, that damn nut on the bottom of the wiring harness was a PITA until I figured it out, then it went ok. Another PITA thing was aligning the new mount to get the bolt through it. Other then that started at around 8:30 and got done around midnight, took two breaks to watch some TV and relax a bit but it went smooth just took a long time getting to everything, if you have small hands then this would be so much easier..haha! Little Asian hands that put these things together, just kidding, it was a joke, haha! Ok, haven't driven it yet but I had all three bushings to choose from and decided to go with the 70's. I will never take this thing out so I'm going to have to be happy with them.. If anything I'll change out the front mount inserts if I need a bit more stiffness which I don't think I will. OH yeah, factory rear mount was torn a bit as well...go figure. Overall I'm really happy knowing I have a solid mount in there.

Wow, first impressions: It vibrates, but so what, I know my motor is mounted down like a mofo now. Also, I used to have a 69 SS chevelle 396 that used to rock the Fark out of the car so this is nothing. Anyway, wheel hop = NO MORE! I did a bunch of launches and it's awesome to just have tire spin now and no more bouncing like I had switches. AWESOME PRODUCT!!!

protegeric

05-27-2006, 06:30 PM

thats wat i was gettin at... im a dummy and put in the 95 durometer, wish i had the 70 or 80 somethins. good for u gettin the 70 durometer. i thot WHAMbulance was funny... ehh...

I assume you are facetious, so...call me someone who likes to retain a little driving comfort. I was simply ignorant as to how much a pair of motor mounts would change the comfort of daily driving.

I wanted others considering doing this to know exactly what they are in for according to another memeber's exerience; after all, isn't that a big part of what these forums are about? (poke)

If you are using 90 level mounts, then I guess there is a different balance of comfort:performance for you than there is for me.

tallrd

05-27-2006, 09:21 PM

thats wat i was gettin at... im a dummy and put in the 95 durometer, wish i had the 70 or 80 somethins. good for u gettin the 70 durometer. i thot WHAMbulance was funny... ehh...

rep for wit (2thumbs) I appreciated that a lot more knowing it was a joke.
I can't even imagine what 95's feel like.

Anyone else worried about the next thing to go being their LSD? After all, that's where that stress is now being displaced to.

TheJohnny

05-27-2006, 09:53 PM

not me, it would be covered under warranty. I have a great service writer and I don't drag race the car or have anything else on my car except motor mounts which he wouldn't care because he wouldn't have to keep replacing them any longer so they would do it, hopefully, *fingers crossed*

Laser03pro

06-26-2006, 08:47 PM

I did the front sway bar today and had the rear motor mount all the way out and started reading this thread and decided to put the stock one back in cause I did not want all the vibration. The bolt going through the motor mount had to come out neway to do the sway bar but it still took me awhile to do the other 3 kick myself for that but o well. The way I did it was to first take out the bolt going through the mount and i had put a jack on the cross member and took all the bolts out required to lower it. After the crossmember is lowered the mount is not right up on the harness and you can get to the bolts pretty easy. I did not put the bottom bolt back in the harness connector so if I need to do the rear mount later like if it breaks i can.

Laser03pro

06-27-2006, 12:07 AM

Ok after reading all the post this time im very glad i didnt do the rear mount cause I had 70's and the guy with 70's was still saying it was bad whew. Also the 3 bolts on the mount once I could get the socket on them with the crossmember lowered it was cake with an impact it would of sucked if i had to do it by hand lol. If I did not have a impact or a friend with a impact I prob would pay some1 to do the job.

sly mantis

08-06-2006, 04:41 PM

tried this today.
got the plastic bracket out with ease, and seeing as how this suppose to be the hard part, i thought i was home free.
Then i tried to get the nuts off the mount off, i was using a 18" long handle and i broke my 3/8" drive swivel joint. went to go get a new one, and still couldnt get it off. And i think i slightly stripped the nut closest to the engine, middle one. cant gett the socket on right now. Used quite a bid to liquid wrench on there too.

ANy suggestions would be great. Im going to get a 2 foot long breaker bar and a 1/2" drive swivel so hopefully that'll be stronger.

So anyone got any suggestions on how to get these nuts out, that would really help.

Thanks

Laser03pro

08-06-2006, 04:45 PM

sly mantis

08-06-2006, 04:45 PM

just so i know, i never removed teh front cross member.
Does this help access to the nuts at all?

Laser03pro

08-06-2006, 04:47 PM

just so i know, i never removed teh front cross member.
Does this help access to the nuts at all?

If you drop the cross member down it is much easier to get a socket on them.

Unispeed

08-07-2006, 10:21 PM

To anybody that remebers what the mount looked like when they installed it, does the rear mount have one of the 3 holes (where the studs go into) that is bigger than the other 2? Is that normal or has my mount been screwed with?

Laser03pro

08-07-2006, 10:22 PM

Unispeed

08-07-2006, 10:30 PM

Ok thanks for the clarification... I will tacckle this install sometime in the next couple of weeks... if you see my car in the junkyard it means I got really mad and decided it was the best thing to do to keep from going insane...hehehe(crazy)

That is normal.

Jaysanooch

08-08-2006, 02:51 AM

I received my rear AWR mount supposedly 70 durameter, except I'm worried because it's red rubber. Isn't "street" suppose to be black like my front Awr mount in 70 durameter

I called Cullen who told me yes it's 70 durameter but it's red to confuse you but don't worry he said. I'm still very worried, can someone please comfirm this for me because I won't attempt this difficult install and find out I installed an 80 or 95 durometer. Any way of knowing for sure what durameter you have?

Bala

08-08-2006, 03:10 AM

Laser03pro

08-08-2006, 09:48 AM

My 70 was red I think its very stupid they do not stamp them tho so you know.

P-Funk!

08-08-2006, 11:21 AM

I installed my 70s. It still shakes so hard and vibes/rattles that i regret doing it. Then i drive hard and i don't... Nah. I still wouldn't do it again.

The reason for the soft/stock mounts - too many vibes/rattles and this was easier than redesigning the interior and the engine for smoothness!

Jaysanooch

08-08-2006, 12:58 PM

Thanks guys...this is why I kept this for last and also because I'm still not sure if I have 70durometer in my hands. I'll wait until my rear mount breaks or something.

Laser03pro

08-08-2006, 01:00 PM

Thanks guys...this is why I kept this for last and also because I'm still not sure if I have 70durometer in my hands. I'll wait until my rear mount breaks or something.

I did the same thing bought both then got reading on here about the vibration even with the 70's and decided to just do the front after I had the rear mount out and everything.

sly mantis

08-08-2006, 05:29 PM

hum...how does dropping the cross member make it easier to get a socket on those bolts?

Laser03pro

08-08-2006, 05:34 PM

hum...how does dropping the cross member make it easier to get a socket on those bolts?

Cause it makes them farther away from the firewall. It also drops the mount down from the harness where it makes it alot easier to get that bottom nut off.

Kansei

08-15-2006, 09:05 PM

Laser03pro

08-15-2006, 09:23 PM

hmmmmmmm I'm about to embark on this but yeah it's after 10 and I have to work in the morning. I'm starting to think this isn't such a good idea.

Oh and the whole breaking the stud off the firewall thing.. ????? what?!

For clarification I'm going down there to install rear motor mount inserts, not to replace the mount entirely. I wonder how much of the instructions apply.

Thats why if you lower the whole cross member which isnt too hard you can get to the bolts with out breaking any studs off the firewall and you can get to the bottom nut very easy on the harness.

Kansei

08-16-2006, 11:07 AM

*phew* I inspected my rear motor mount after getting the battery/tray and intake off, and it's MINT (mint for 71k miles at least). My problem isn't related to that mount, it's the mount on the tranny that is the problem. Does the mount normally have some little metal bracket with a rectangular block of rubber on it? I seem to recall removing one at some point and something of that nature would definitely make that side motor mount stop moving forward and backward like it does right now.

Unispeed

08-22-2006, 11:42 PM

I got this done a few days ago... I dont see how this was hard at all. At first I struggled with the stupid bracked but then I thought to myself: "That bracket dont know me". Thats when I went to the basemet and got the biggest one hand hammer I could find along with a piece of metal piping that I ground at a 45 degree angle. I set the sharp end of the pipe on the the bracket and starting giving it all I had. I ended up cutting it in little pieces every once in a while to make the pounding easier. Then the bottom stud finally broke and it was super easy from there. I also noticed that since the intercooler piping and the battery are out of the way this is the perfect time to clean your EGR. I was able to take it off with a ratchet and a socket, no swivel was needed. Only a 1" extensions for the rear bolt. Very easy to do.

diegosurfer5

08-26-2006, 06:40 PM

nice post good detail. i already did the front and rear and i stil haev the inserts for the side mounts does anybody know how to do the side ones i spent two hours today trying to do it i got the mount off of the car but i couldnt get the pole that goes into the mount that attaches to the motor. i dont want to break the side mounts they already have some cracks in them. any suggestions????

Falango

08-26-2006, 11:48 PM

I tackled this rear mount today and boy was it hell. The fact that it is underneath everything, and every single wire and hose gets in the way is what makes this tough. Took about 5 hours to do, mostly just staring and thinking how the hell can we make this easier?!? In the end, we didn't have many solutions, lol. The front one went in right after, and was pure and simple, took 10 minutes. We didn't take off the crossmember under the car. DOing so made it a bit tougher to get at the back two bolts, but using a load of 1/2" drive extensions with a swivel at the bottom, proved enough to crack them loose. This after we tried using lots of 3/8" drive extensions, and we snapped one, lol. After getting the stock rear mount out, it was much easier to install the lateral bolt with the new one if you unbolt the mount brace from the motor so it drops down slightly. That way, it's way easier to get that bolt in. We ended up snapping off that stud, but just filled the hole right away with some silicone. The one top stud and nut was enough to hold that black bracket in place with that gigantic group of wires. All in all, took a hell of alot of effort and swearing, but I like the result. I used the 70 durometer bushings and it's a noticeable difference in the cabin. Great writeup by the way, it made the install so much easier! Explanations were great, no pictures were needed to identify things.

Laser03pro

08-26-2006, 11:51 PM

I dont get why every1 breaks the stud off its not nessesary. Also if you take the battery out it gives you a ton more room.

Kansei

08-27-2006, 10:26 AM

I told myself I was going to do this sometime this weekend, so wish me luck :P

I gotta go under there to do an oil change anyway.

Unispeed

08-27-2006, 04:30 PM

Ahhhh, I knew I had forgotten something!!! I forgot to plug up the hole that the stud made when it broke loose. Crap! Oh well, i'll do it sometime before winter. For now I will just enjoy my car as it is.

Kansei

09-09-2006, 01:16 PM

I'm going to see if I can skip some steps since I'm not replacing the whole mount, just putting inserts in. I may write a separate how-to for the inserts if that is the case.

I'm sick of driving on the worn out old rubber :'(

Falango

09-09-2006, 11:16 PM

I don't thin kyou can really skip anything because you still have to get that bolt out that goes sideways through the mount.

Prodigy

10-22-2006, 10:08 PM

I installed the AWR rear motor mount and I had no problems whatsoever.
The new motor mount was on about 15 minutes after I started unbolting the engine(my tranny was already out).
The install was a piece of cake for me.... but I may be the only one though.

Kansei

10-22-2006, 10:36 PM

Dude come up here and install mine. I've been putting it off for over two months now.. and I just have the RR Racing inserts to install, I don't even need to remove the factory mount.

oh your tranny was out.. cheater! :P

Prodigy

10-22-2006, 10:50 PM

I'll do it for you the next time you're down south!
(excuse to join the ATL autoxs?)

Even Rogue had a hard time with the engine + trans out... don't see how.
I found it to be easier to install the rear mm than to put a stock intake back together.

Kansei

10-29-2006, 11:56 PM

Ok it's 1am and I gotta be up at 6am to get to work.. but my car's sitting in the garage with the intake manifold out.. and tons of other stuff out.

I have my RR Racing rear motor mount inserts installed, but now I can't get the bracket that goes between the mount and the engine to fit over it.. am I just supposed to bend it so that it fits over the now thicker rubber??

sly mantis

11-01-2006, 06:31 PM

finally did this 2 days ago. This was the 3rd try at it and i finally got it.
God that was one of the most frustrating things ive ever done. Not hard really as its pretty straight forward, but definitly frustrating.
The 3 nuts holding the mount on all decided to strip so i had to use a stripped nut extractor on it. (those things work great, i suggest having them on hand just in case, look up craftsman bolt out).
I had to use a 2ft breaker bar to get those nuts loose, and even then they only came out after herculean effort. And I actually sprained my shoulder doing this, (and dont think im a whimp i work out on a regular basis). They are that tough, when they finally let go they let go with a loud bang. Even then they still require alot of effort to get off due to the amount of rust that has probably built up on the studs. I even broke my 1/2" drive U-joint because i was putting so much force through them.
when you try to remove the bolt going through the mount, those heater hoses in teh back will be in the way but just turn them up and you'll be fine.
Also i suggest doing the front mount first and saving the nuts from it incase you strip all the nuts like i did (the new awr front moutn comes with new nuts). even then I had to go get one more nut as that only gave me 2 extra and i needed 3. Just for the record the nuts are M12 x 1.25. These are a bit harder to find, most places around me only had M12 x1.75, a few had 1.50. had to go to about 7 different stores to find them.

but yeah definitly have a long extension for your ratchet or a big breaker bar.

Opinions on the mounts:
Well both my front and rear mounts were really f-ed up. the rubber was completely torn on both of them, so i could feed the engine moving and jumping around every time i started it up or tryed to accellerate hard.
The new mounts definitly give more vibrations but its not completely terrible (ive got the 88 auto mounts, and i drive manual)
definitly wouldnt got with the 95, would go with the 70, but i got the 88s for a good price so i cant complain. It definitly has cured the engine moving around. the car runs and accellerates alot better, and can now shift smoother as teh engine doesn keep moving around from the torque.
I will probably try filling in my side mount in the future as people claim that the side inserts cured most of the vibration, i'll see if filling in the side mount myself with epoxy will help cure any of the vibrations.

Falango

11-01-2006, 09:38 PM

Yup, those nuts are on there so tight, I snapped a 3/8" drive extension in half trying to loosen it, also messed up the ratchet as well. Since they were Craftsman, I took em to Sears, got brand new stuff. Glad I won't ever have to go down there and do anything with those motor mounts again (knock on wood).

dannyboy17

09-07-2007, 05:26 PM

I was trying to clean my EGR valve when I noticed something.

http://i32.photobucket.com/albums/d14/cold_raven/rattle.jpg

This part right next to the rear motor mount is very loose, to the point that it rattles a lot. I tried tightening the bolt but it wasnt doing anything at all, I spin it for like 30 mins straight (due to the space limitation I had to do very little at a time, so it took a whole for a complete spin) and still its just as loose as before.

i12drivemyMP5

09-08-2007, 09:08 AM

WTF is that?

lav_s

09-09-2007, 09:18 PM

I don't know what it's supposed to do but it should'nt be loose...i've seen this on mine changing for awr's.I recall there's a flat somewhere on the circle side so it should be a kind of rotation stopper. tightenning the main bolt should get it tight though. maybe the rubber is so worn you where just getting the bolt head throught it while tightenning.??

Keno1542

11-19-2007, 04:27 PM

so i dont understand why you have to break the stud off? do you not need it on the car anymore?

madhatter

11-29-2007, 08:48 AM

so i dont understand why you have to break the stud off? do you not need it on the car anymore?

It's in the way for one of the 3 mount bolts. I didn't break mine off, just bent it out of the way, and then bent it back. The bracket is plenty secure with just the one bolt. It's not going anywhere.

I finished this last night. Took me 3 hours of wrenching, and 3 hours looking for the spacer for the long bolt that I dropped into the engine bay. doh.

The write up is pretty spot on, except I was able to hit the lower nut on the bracket from above by making a cut in the lower "shelf" of the bracket with a pair of kitchen shears to peel it up a bit to see the lower bolt. That made things a lot easier, and I was able to fit a shallow 10mm socket w/ u-joint on it from there. Once it's started, it's finger loose, so you can just spin it off by hand.

First i put the front only on (88 duro). The vibration at idle was pretty bad. The old front mount was completely torn, so i suspected that the rear was just as bad and that was part of the vibration. I put the rear on, and at idle it's not bad at all. However, the vibration at throttle tip-in is tremendous. It smooths out after about 1500 rpm. the noise is the most noticable difference. The entire cabin is now a subwoofer for the engine's hum. sounds good under WOT, but i'm hoping that the mounts soften up some before my wife drives the car. I've read on here that the side mount inserts help? If it continues to be bad, maybe i'll try that.

fr0st

12-03-2007, 02:16 PM

i'm hoping that the mounts soften up some before my wife drives the car.
good luck dude,

the wife hated the car BEFORE i had mounts in (crazy)

RABID_MP5

12-09-2007, 05:27 PM

The bad news: front and rear mounts installed when bought car LOL. Well they're red but I'm not sure which hardness they are; since they were done in like 2004, I'm thinking 95s were specd for MT cars then? Interior really resonates with engine vibrations. Other mounts are all stock.
Will going back to a stock front mount help much? If so anybody got a decent one to sell reasonable? Or maybe try to drill/remove some of the material to soften mine up - oh the irony...
AWR does sell replacement bushings for like 10 bucks per mount. Gonna try some 70 durometers. Mine gotta be 95s, they're hard as billiard balls.

loveofmoney69

12-16-2007, 08:04 PM

I just did my rear mount today. thanks to this thread i did it under 2 hours.
Just wanted to say thanks for everyone's pointers and tips.Made my life a little easier today.

nycmsp718

01-11-2008, 01:02 PM

blueprotegelx

12-12-2008, 12:08 AM

I am having second thoughts on doing the rear mount. I am a little worried about the vibrations, yes i should not worry about what other people think while riding in my car, but considering my girlfriend rides with me a lot I have to consider it. When doing my front mount and driving, I familiarized myself with the idle, and realized if giving the car a little gas while stopped, it did not vibrate as bad. Have any of you by chance done this with the rear and front installed? (raising rpm's a little at stop light to decrease vibration) Did the vibration decrease?

MSP2024

12-12-2008, 12:09 AM

damn i still need to do this one

StealthWyvern

12-12-2008, 12:33 AM

StealthWyvern

12-12-2008, 12:34 AM

i just install the front and rear mounts last night. im getting this loud transmission noise and bad vibration. i didnt install that metal spacer and that rubber part that was on the outside of the backet, do i need to install those two parts?

The little black thing you don't need I don't think. Mine doesn't have it. You will get more engine/transmission noises in the cab due to the rear motor mount. Vibrations are mainly from the rear mount as well.

blueprotegelx

12-12-2008, 12:57 AM

StealthWyvern

12-12-2008, 01:37 AM

dude is your rear motor mount cracked or is that just a bad welding job? i think that may be your rattling problem b/c it definetely looks cracked to me!

Yep thats why I made the comment earlier on it. It def loks cracked to me.

MSP2024

12-12-2008, 01:39 AM

Yep thats why I made the comment earlier on it. It def loks cracked to me.

those are speed cracks it adds 10 hp haha i want to do the same to mine,,seriously i would get that fixed asap

StealthWyvern

12-12-2008, 04:04 AM

those are speed cracks it adds 10 hp haha i want to do the same to mine,,seriously i would get that fixed asap

No those are cracks from the awsomeness that is the MSP! lol

blueprotegelx

12-12-2008, 06:56 AM

yeah i don't think there's anything about that crack being awesome. haha. would it be reliable being welded back together possible or having to buy a new one? i'm curious how that broke? i guess you guys are right, it's caused from the awesomeness power of the MSP. ha.

Falango

12-13-2008, 06:14 AM

Ya get that crack looked at. And for those that even consider cabin vibration to be even the slightest issue, do not do the rear motor mount. Even with the softest urathane bushing, it's alot more noticable than stock, and even way more than what you feel between a stock front and urathane front. I'd look into side inserts instead.

msp03.5

03-16-2009, 07:01 PM

Working on my rear mount now and I am hating life lol! I can't get those damn bolts loose. I got one but the back two will not snap. But I am thankful for this thread and site period. great write up I just need more strength or something ha.

martispeed

04-06-2009, 11:27 AM

madhatter

04-06-2009, 12:06 PM

Ok, i just have to vent... I have gotten everything off except for one nut that is halfway up the stud but is now stripped!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I am sooooo pissed right now. I dont know what to do about it??? I cant tighten it back down and i cant figure out a way to get it off??

Vice grips? torch it to burn off any crud then spin it off by hand? (use a glove) Pound a 16mm socket onto it, spin it off, then throw both away? Pliers? Is the stud all goobered up? once broken loose, you should have very little effort required to finish spinning it off...

martispeed

04-06-2009, 12:35 PM

well, there isnt enough room to fit vecegrips back there, and I dont think a torch is a good idea with all that plastic and rubber back there. I guess craftsman sells a stripped bolt remover kit so maybe i will try that and see how it goes.

dlruss

07-18-2009, 09:56 PM

WOW! That was the single hardest thing I've ever done to my Protege..

A few nights ago I gave all the bolts a good spray of PB Blaster. I think that made a lot of difference in getting the bolts loose. Of course getting the bolt under the wiring harness was nearly impossible. But I eventually got it off..

Broke 1 extension (I didn't have enough 1/2" extensions so I used some 3/4" ones I had.. Casualty of war, I guess...

Getting the new mount lined up with the engine was also pretty tough. Between my roommate pulling on the engine and several adjustments to the jack we finally got the bolts lined up.

The rear mount was in pretty rough shape. It had a tear and had a lot of give. The front mount's rubber was broken inside. So, I'm very glad I decided to tackle this project.

The disappointing part is that the side-mount that I ordered didn't contain both pieces and since I don't have a hydraulic press I need to return the one I got and get one that contains both sides of the mount...

This thread was an incredible help!!! I printed out a few pages and used it as my guide. Test drove the car tonight and the engine didn't fall out so it looks like it was a success!

Thanks for your help everybody!!!

BTW, the whole project took about 8 hours...

Falango

07-18-2009, 10:04 PM

I broke an extension doing this as well. Those bolts are stubborn. I didn't think about spraying them a day or two ahead of time, but eventually got them off. That mount is never coming out, I don't wanna go back in there, lol.

StealthWyvern

07-18-2009, 10:12 PM

You guys must use el cheapo tools or something to break an extension.... I've always used a good ol 3 foot cheater bar to break them loose and have no problem.

Falango

07-18-2009, 10:26 PM

Was a Craftsman extension, using a 2ft. breaker bar. I thought the bolt finally broke loose but when I pulled everything up and out of there, only half of the tools came out, lol.

dlruss

07-19-2009, 12:04 AM

Hehe... Yes, the extension was very cheap. I had about 2 feet of Craftsman 1/2 in extensions... But I had to improvise to come up with enough length. No big loss, though...

StealthWyvern

07-19-2009, 12:53 AM

Was a Craftsman extension, using a 2ft. breaker bar. I thought the bolt finally broke loose but when I pulled everything up and out of there, only half of the tools came out, lol.

Damn I guess I got lucky using mine. Craftsman as well.

Hehe... Yes, the extension was very cheap. I had about 2 feet of Craftsman 1/2 in extensions... But I had to improvise to come up with enough length. No big loss, though...

now their is your out of context for the day. lmfao

Falango

07-19-2009, 01:34 AM

Lmao, awesome!

OLYMP3

03-05-2010, 09:39 PM

Just tackled this ridiculous feat on my car. I was just putting inserts in though. Major pain in the ass. I was at it for about 3 hours so I thought I'd put in my two cents. First off I couldn't get the third nut back by the firewall broke free & ended up giving up after I broke an extension.

I instead took the bracket off from underneath the car (it mounts to your transmission). This seemed to be way easier than trying to access those top three nuts. Especially when that bulky harness is in the way & the bolt that it mounts to. I had way more room to remove the bolts & was able to get better leverage on them. If you take off the lateral brace from under the car it makes it even easier to see everything & get to the three bolts. When reinstalling the bracket just make sure you put the bolt through the mount first & then line up the three bracket bolts. This way you don't have to struggle trying to line up the bracket with the mount once the bracket is in a fixed position. Also one of the three bolts is longer than the other two so keep track of which goes where.

Like i said, this way seemed way easier to me & you might not even need to remove the wiring harness bracket. All in all what ever way you go about it I still think its going to be a pain. My inserts were molded a bit too big so I had to grind them down on the outside a bit to help the bracket fit over them. Hope this may help any of you that are having mad trouble with this.

xDJ DUBx

03-19-2010, 11:46 PM

I'm gonna attempt this tomorrow but I took out my trans today so I hope that makes it a lot easier having half the engine bay free but we'll see. lol.

StealthWyvern

03-20-2010, 02:27 AM

I'm gonna attempt this tomorrow but I took out my trans today so I hope that makes it a lot easier having half the engine bay free but we'll see. lol.

wtf... all the shit your done to your car and you have yet to touch the rear motor mount... how is that possible? lol

xDJ DUBx

03-20-2010, 07:52 PM

I know right? haha. Its done now though, twas a breeze ;)

protegericky

03-22-2010, 02:04 AM

are motor mounts engine specific? like 1.6l, 1.8l, 2.0l all have there own size?
i found a torn one today and it made me sad lol

imola.zhp

04-10-2010, 11:03 AM

^ I think they are...

Thanks to the OP for making this thread (years ago). I'm planning to tackle this tonight. I replaced the transmission mount yesterday but that was it. The nut on my front is rounded-off (great) and the passenger-side piece that mounts to the engine would not come out of the old mount. Brought it to work today and basically grinded the rubber off then grinded the metal sleeve thin, then it slid right off. I'll put that side back in first and have both sides done, try to get the front replaced (borrowing air-tools from work and some old sockets metric and USA of sizes close to 17, might have to beat one on then impact the nut off) first, then I'll start on the back...

Considered putting it off after reading this thread, but I'm concerned that if it is torn, the other three new ones will have extra stress on them until the rear is replaced. Might as well go ahead and (attempt) to get it done. Plus, I have all of that crap removed already (to replace the transmission mount). Thank goodness I have extra cars laying around to drive.

R-X-R

05-08-2010, 05:15 PM

guys after 10 hours of fury, i changed my rear motor mount and its vibrating like crazy. is this going to get a better after it brake in or what?

StealthWyvern

05-08-2010, 06:06 PM

guys after 10 hours of fury, i changed my rear motor mount and its vibrating like crazy. is this going to get a better after it brake in or what?

holy shit 10hrs!!!! Did you not have the right tools for the job or something?

R-X-R

05-08-2010, 06:10 PM

i had everything.lol the impact didnt do any good. long ass breaker bar ftw. no helping hands other than my sister :D i also have the side insert from awr, i have no idea how it goes, how does it hold itself? does the side insert do any diff in the vib? or is it a myth?

StealthWyvern

05-08-2010, 06:13 PM

R-X-R

05-08-2010, 06:24 PM

spend 2 hours on that POS nut, then i went to homedepot and bought a dremel and cut the hell out of it. stupid design. now i am doing carving with dremel :) have to make use of it.

StealthWyvern

05-08-2010, 06:32 PM

spend 2 hours on that POS nut, then i went to homedepot and bought a dremel and cut the hell out of it. stupid design. now i am doing carving with dremel :) have to make use of it.

Would it piss you off that I can get that bottom nut off within 10min if that once I have access to it?

R-X-R

05-08-2010, 06:49 PM

yes it would. even if u would, then how will u take the nut out without breaking that stud?

StealthWyvern

05-08-2010, 06:58 PM

yes it would. even if u would, then how will u take the nut out without breaking that stud?

I just wedge the socket down onto the nut and pry against that stud to get straight onto the nut for easy removal.

The ratchet I used was one size smaller then your standard size. Going one size smaller leaves plenty of room between the raise part of the mount for the deep socket to get onto that bottom nut without hitting aything for that firewall bracket.

Edit: You don't have to remove the TB but I did to give myself more room.

R-X-R

05-08-2010, 07:35 PM

i hate u :P

R-X-R

05-09-2010, 08:47 AM

i am planning on putting the stock ones back, not worth the vibration. i woulld rather take the wheel hop.

StealthWyvern

05-09-2010, 04:48 PM

i am planning on putting the stock ones back, not worth the vibration. i woulld rather take the wheel hop.

lol I recently went back to stock motor mounts from 3 solid ones(front side and trans) and im loving it aside from my beyond shot rear mount. Im going to put my torque damper back on the car if i can every find that damn bracket im missing. lol

R-X-R

05-09-2010, 09:34 PM

my AWR rear mount will be on the sale section soon. :) should have done better research b4 putting it on. what a waste of time.

xDJ DUBx

05-09-2010, 09:37 PM

What duro did u have?

R-X-R

05-09-2010, 09:46 PM

NEWBMAZDA

05-23-2010, 07:55 PM

Thank you gar777 for your write up it help me a lot

StealthWyvern

05-23-2010, 08:16 PM

my AWR rear mount will be on the sale section soon. :) should have done better research b4 putting it on. what a waste of time.

yeah don’t ever try to drive a car with solid mounts (especially the rear) if you have a migraine. Talk about a splitting headache. I installed a full set of SU mounts in my last auto pro and my god talk about wanting to cry do to the paint(didn’t realize I had one at the time).

R-X-R

05-23-2010, 08:36 PM

yea finally sold it. still has the front one though thinking of taking out but it didnt make any diff anyway.

pablosqy

06-07-2010, 09:44 PM

so ur saying that is better to leave the oem ones??? i heard that only changing the front one its enough... its that true?

StealthWyvern

06-08-2010, 12:12 AM

so ur saying that is better to leave the oem ones??? i heard that only changing the front one its enough... its that true?

depends on what your looking for really...

TWISFM

06-08-2010, 12:48 AM

did this install awhile ago..pain in ass..but worth it

Falango

06-08-2010, 05:17 PM

so ur saying that is better to leave the oem ones??? i heard that only changing the front one its enough... its that true?

Depends on how much you can tolerate as well. The rear motor mount is what will give you the most severe changes of the 4. I did front and rear and am alright with the addeed vibrations, but other people might not like it.

LinuxRacr

06-08-2010, 05:35 PM

Damn guys...

I installed my front and rears with the engine OUT of the car in 2003. That made it a lot easier. I think I have the highest durometer for the front and rears, since these were some of the first.... The side mounts, I installed a couple of months ago. MUCH easier!!

StealthWyvern

06-08-2010, 06:41 PM

LinuxRacr

06-08-2010, 09:16 PM

LOL! It's when I put in my forged motor...

StealthWyvern

06-08-2010, 09:36 PM

LOL! It's when I put in my forged motor...

yeah figured it was due to a blown motor or upgrade. I seriously hope no one would go to that extreme just for a rear motor mount replacement.

NocturnalSpeed

06-10-2010, 12:08 PM

Citizenpro and me just straight ended up breaking the hard plastic cover. We tryed to reach that 10mm for almost 2 hours, but ended up twisting the hell out of it till it broke. Then just tightened up the top 10mm which it stayed in place, fyi.

The middle bolt that slides into the mount was a pain also. After installing the front and passenger sides, the freaking engine didn't want to move one bit. Everytime we tryed to jack the engine up a small bit the whole car would lift.

Finally done, thank god.

Car vibrates pretty bad in the low rpms, but the car responses very nicely throught out the gears while driving. The short shifter w/ bushings help out a ton also. I'm loving the feel so far. Can't wait to actually push some decent power now.