My Engine Mounts have been weak or broken (driver's side mainly) for a while now and I have not had the budget set aside to take care of it. I've been going pretty easy on the throttle because of it.

I am now in a position to do the project and reviewed quite a few threads on the subject. I am fine with changing them myself, but wanted to ask a few questions before proceeding with the project.

1. It has been noted in another thread or two that E55/CL55 mounts will in fact fit and may provide a heavier base to prevent future failures. True?

2. Polyurethane filling has been discussed and I need some more detail before embarking on that modification. (I would probably go with the #80 for mid range stiffness). How does one drain the old fluid? What is it? (oil?) and how does one pour Polyurethane into these?

If in fact the CL55 mounts will fit/work, I think I may have found just about the cheapest price on the net (NOT ebay).

partsgeek.com has the following listedLowest price for a CL55 mount was found on two sites at just under $37.00 each. WOW! If I'm going to drain these things and fill them with polyurethane, I think I'll choose the cheapest ones I can get!

I'll be getting under the vehicle to check the condition of the mounts Saturday and will post back with some pictures. Who knows, maybe the old ones are still in one piece (probably not the driver side).

 

drill a hole in the top of the mount and fill it with the 2 part mix. it comes out when mixed as a liquid and then hardens. if you want i have a set of mounts that i was going to do this to but never got around to it. pay the shipping their yours. they were given to me by another great member so it wouldnt be right to charge for them. this for the poly fill they are already empty

 

I have tried a V8 mount and the stock mount. no visiable difference between them when I had them in my hand. Exactly the same dimentions. When installed there was ~¼" difference in engine hight...

 

Mine are toast as well. Looking foward to seeing your results MMZ. Please post pics and info. Thanks!!

 

32krazy!,

I'll take you up on that offer. Free is the best price yet!

PM Sent.

 

Glad to see you back again MMZ, I missed the wit and wisdom.

 

Interesting read with some poly options..

Filling your motor mounts with polyurethane

 

onehundred80,

Thanks. Cancer is gone. Port is out of my chest and I am feeling back to my normal crazy self!

Mrmiata,

Another good read. I will stay away from the 'tube' stuff though. I stick with the true two part Polyurethane.

All,

Hopefully first pictures tomorrow as I will be getting under to assess the damage to the existing mounts. I may even purchase a new trans mount and 'reinforce' it with some Polyurethane before installation.

 

I would agree with you there.. probably a real pain to clean out and redo "correctly"..

 

Okay, so I got under the vehicle today and took a gander at the mounts. Look like they are in okay shape, but I'm sure the fluid has been blown out of the driver's side based on the staining on the cross member.

I will be ordering the 80A Polyurethane kit from energysuspensionparts.com next week (EDIT: Went with McMaster-Carr 80A Polyurethane instead - see later posts). Looking forward to getting those free (paid for shippng) mounts from 32krazy! Thanks again brutha!

If mine are in okay shape, I will drill a hole in each and drain what remains of the fluid and make them available by the same "just pay the shipping" policy to another member for use with a Polyurethane kit. Gotta "Pay it forward" yah know.

Here are the best pictures for your viewing pleasure: Driver's Side First (2 pictures)


Passenger side (1 picture) - This one may actually be undamaged.

 

your going to absolutely hate doing this!! worst diy i ever did took 13 dog and me a solid 8 hrs to do and we cussed for 7!

 

the 8 hrs surprises me, the cussing does not....lol.....truck drivers... I don't know what dog's excuse is...maybe hangin' with truck drivers too long.... I hope I don't have to do this, mine are fine right now....

 

32krazy!

Got my package today... Yippie!

Are you sure those things are empty? They are quite heavy and I can't seem to find a hole in the rubber housing, even through the drain holes? on the bottom.

They must be for an E55 or CL55 as they are completely different than the pictures I took. Similar shape, but different overall design.

Here's what I got...

 

Okay, so I got the old ones out. Only took two hours and I was fiddling around a lot and taking my time. Not quite sure what the fuss was all about.

The main thing is if your hands and forearms are really big and meaty, you will have a VERY hard time. I have average to small hands and forearms, so it wasn't too bad. Get a skinny youngster to get the top bolts loose.

Steps for removal:

1. Get the vehicle high enough to work under. (Block tires, set parking brake, etc. SAFETY FIRST!)
2. Remove the front retaining clip and four 8mm bolts holding on the under pan.
3. Remove the under pan.
4. On the driver side (Left in the USA), disconnect the steering stabilizer and close it up a bit. You may have to turn the wheels to the right half a turn to clear the steering arm with the bolt.

5. I used a craftsman 3/8" socket wrench (pictured) and a 16mm six sided socket to loosen the top bolt. Once broken free, it removes along with the heat shield.

6. On the passenger side (Right side USA), remove the heat shield around the steering arm linkage to the frame by removing the 8mm screw and 8mm nut holding it on. This gives you more clearance to work.
7. Using a 16mm open end box wrench (Craftsman again), use the box end (angled neck) break loose the top bolt and remove it and the heat shield.
8. Remove the 14mm bolt under the cross member near the lower A arms on either side.

9. Lift the engine, either by jacking from below with a 2x6 or 2x4 across to distribute the weight across the pan or from above with an engine hoist utilizing the bolt locations in the super charger. You will have to lift about a full inch or more to get clearance to actually remove the mounts as there is lots of steering components blocking access on the driver side. The passenger side can be slipped out the front just behind the alternator.

As you can see, my driver's side mount looks good... until you separate the broken pieces.


The mounts that were sent are taller by about 3/8". I will attempt to install these as they look completely undamaged and seem heavy enough to still be full of fluid. They will certainly be better than the broken one I have.

More to come!

 

Okay, Part 2,

Only took about an hour and a half to get the new ones installed, engine dropped a bit, bolts finger tightened, engine dropped the rest of the way and bolts torqued as much as I could by hand (upper ones are a PITA).

The car runs much better now, no movement at all. If the mounts have no fluid, then they are MUCH thicker rubber and give so little I can not tell.

I will leave them in while I work on the originals.

I have cut open the original broken mount after draining completely and degreasing as much as possible. There is a reservoir in the bottom of the mount with a star shaped split valve in it. I cut out the valve at the steel and then cut out the outer part of the mount to make room for the Polyurethane.


Next I will be making a jig to hold the two pieces of the mount in their original position (based on the unbroken mount) and then I can drain the second mount and cut it apart like the first.

The original mounts are quite a bit leaner when it comes to the thickness of the rubber casing that mates to the support steel and holds the fluid compared to the ones that were sent.

 

ummm did you read the poly thread? your mounts are toast . toss em. you were supposed to drill a small hole in the top of the mounts i sent you and drain them. then mix the poly which is in liquid form and fill the mounts i sent to you. after 24 hrs the poly hardens and seals the hole. THEN install them
the main objective of the poly is to replace the oem fluid with a semi solid poly fill that wont drain out

 

32krazy!,

Actually, I DID read all the previous threads pertaining to Polyurethane filling as well as about twenty threads and videos on how to make your own. Based on all the information I found about 80A durometer Polyurethane, filling these mounts that way is a real PITA and you will most definitely get air bubbles in them. The driver side one on mine is fine as the part that broke is like a key and will be retained by the Polyurethane just fine. Bare with me as this project unfolds. The mounts you sent are fine then. I will use them for about a month and be happy to pass them on to someone else in the forum for either a Polyurethane fill project or temporary holders like I'm using them for now.

And... you can NOT install them in twenty four hours! The cure time for 80A is a minimum of SEVEN days! Unless you want to try FDA compliant Urethane that cures in two hours but hardens in five minutes, then I suggest anyone who fills mounts or anything else with General Purpose Urethane make sure they go by the specifications and let them cure seven days.

I will be ordering my Polyurethane in the middle of the week and will be working on my jigs in the mean time.

BTW: In your PM to me about the mounts you sent, you said they were blown, yet above you said I should drain them. Which is it?

 

these were a used set that were sent to me by another member . according to him they were blown but salvageable. i didnt dissect them at the time because my mounts were ok. this was a down the road project. its possible they still have fluid in them i dont know. i do know they came out of a r170 m/b.

 

32krazy!,

"Blown" would imply a loss of integrity and most likely fluid as well. I could not detect any leakage from either unit even when put in a vice to apply pressure. If the rubber casing has been breached and most of the fluid lost, I can not tell. They are WAY stiffer than even my good passenger side mount. As I said, I'll use them temporarily and "pay it forward" to someone else once the project is completed.

Thanks for the quick response.

 

Another update from the Polyurethane Engine Mount project:

I have completed the jig to hold both mounts at once and will be sending this jig along with the other mounts to whomever wants to do this to their old mounts.

I have made it adjustable in height so that you can utilize the larger mounts like the ones sent to me. It does take into account the fifteen degree angle on the bottom, so it will keep the mounts level during pouring.

I will probably be milling some more material from the top bracket to make room for pouring the polyurethane tomorrow, but mostly it is done.


The next thing will be drilling a hole to drain the passenger side mount and then hog out some rubber, maybe on the mill. Not sure if I want to try and cut that by hand yet.

Until next time... Cheers!