How to change your front engine mount

[vwdubs 0]

I have recently had to change my front engine mount so thought I would type up the quickest and easiest way I found.

 

I will add bolt/spanner sizes needed at a later date when im not working. Am I working now mmm :lol:

 

Before even looking at your car, Purchase an Oil filter at £8 squid from G&S

 

Before starting remove front grill and slide the horn to one side, then unscrew the vent in the way and slide out of the way (I found this the best place to remove the old engine mount from and enter the new engine mount) everywhere esle is tricky.

 

1.) First of all Jack up the car and place jack stands either side.(I always tend to use a small block of wood under the jacking point to prevent damage)

 

2.) Now the fun part, removing your Oil Filter... If you have a spanner big enough all well and good, if not I tend to use a pair of MoleGrips and if seriously desperate a screwdriver.. ( I do not recommend using the Oil Filter ever again, remove it throw it)

 

3.) Unbolt both nuts/bolts on the underside of the engine mount, but do not remove them yet(if you have got the replacement which I hope you have before starting you know what it looks like :))

 

4.) Then unbolt the top nut and remove the nut and remove the lower nuts/bolt.

 

5.) Place a small piece of wood on top of the jack and jack the engine up gradually until you can see it has cleared the thread pertruding from the top of the egine mount and slide the engine mount out (now take it out via the grill and enter the new mount via the grill.

 

6.) Place the new engine mount in the correct spot and screw the lower bolts in lightly, do not screw in very far or you will not have any movement.

 

7.) You may need someone to help you lower the jack carefully whilst you ensure the thread of the petruding bolt from the top of the engine mount enters the hole in the engine bracket.

 

8.) Tighten all bolts/nuts.

 

9.) Ok fill your new Oil Filter up with Oil (try not to fill to the top unless you want it as hair gel) and then screw it onto the car.

 

10.) Remove jack and jack stands and retrieve the old mount via the grill and replace grill and horn.

 

As I have to replace my rear and gearbox mounts soon I will also type this up, no pics as I have no digi cam but perhaps someone can help me out there.

 

If any of this is unclear or does not make sense (or god forbid you disagree :evil: )please do say and I will rewrite it accordingly.

[Bally 0]

Thats nice.. :D

[Supercharged 2]

Nice one :wink:

 

You didn't need to take the oil filter off then?

[vwdubs 0]

Oh shit I knew I forgot something that was messy :)

 

I will add that one minor detail to the list :?

[vwdubs 0]

Also just to add. as of 21/10/04 JMR = £70 OEM = 121 inc vat Vibra-Tech = £141 inc vat

 

I went for Vibra-Tech but hear JMR's mounts are quality, I have also heard that any cheaper models are ****** SH***te and not to go anywhere near them, the rubbers perish quicker than your Mrs can say no to a *****

[Mike Edwards 0]

The (even quicker) method:

 

- Undo lower bolts in front cross-member;

- Place bottle jack under handy lugs on front of gearbox and lift weight of engine off the front cross-member;

- Undo upper bolts in bracket;

- Lift engine until old mount can be removed and replaced by new one;

- Do up the upper bolts finger tight;

- Lower the engine until just incontact with front cross-member

- Do up lower bolts finger tight;

- Remove the jack and torque the bolts up.

 

Less messy as well... :D

[dinkus 10]

I'll get this up as a how-to in a bit. You got any accompanying pictures?

[Tempest 0]

The (even quicker) method:

 

And you have easy access to the upper bolt without removal of the radiator fan?

 

Anyway, I did it just about 3 weeks ago or so pretty much as described in the 1st post, just never got round to a write-up, or even piccies, didn't have the digicam with me, especially not in the dark, as I did this with a torch after work, when it was already dark :lol: .

 

And yes, can recommend the VT front mount, try Stealth, mention CCGB membership, beg a little, and voila, 10 Quid off :D

 

The rear engine mount is a doddle by comparison, the gearbox mount should also be simple on UK cars, as there are far fewer gubbins immediately above the mount than on my LHD US-spec Rado, where it was a right pain :mad:

 

Tempest

[stevemac 0]

I went for Vibra-Tech but hear JMR's mounts are quality, I have also heard that any cheaper models are ****** SH***te and not to go anywhere near them, the rubbers perish quicker than your Mrs can say no to a *****

 

Don't use ours - they're shite :shock:

[Mike Edwards 0]

WIth the engine lifted up, access gets a lot easier.

 

Alternatively, buy yourself a 1m long extention for your socket set...

[16VG60 0]

Thanks for the shout ref my front engine mounts, they are proving to be a very popular product in the line up. Mind you at half the price of a Vibratech and pretty much same diff for OEM part, on price allone they represent a great deal. So vwdubs, why did i not get to sell you one of these :shock: :roll: :wink: :lol: :?:

[vwdubs 0]

Just a quick question Mike, where do you take the old engine mount out from and where do you put it back in

via your method? Because believe me, I do not know anywhere you can take it out, even with the airbox out of the way.

 

John, Er mmmm er er, Im going to be honest, basically I do not have a good reason as to why I didnt except the fact that I am going to replace all of them and thought I would go for an all round VibraTech approach having found out they now do all 3 engine mounts although they do not advertise the fact.

[Rawhide 0]

Guys - scuse my ignorance but is the procedure any different for VR6 lumps? You guys run G60's right?

 

I think my front mount is up for replacement and I was planning on putting a standard VW mount in there as the engine's not tuned. I want a smooth ride rather than stiff chassis.

[vwdubs 0]

I would have to honestly answer I do not know, although the engine mounts are different I am not sure how the underneath of your car looks.

 

With regards to going for the straight OEM, Personally I would not as you can get a much better deal via JMR who is producing the VR6 soon or Vibra-tech but JMR is half the price of Vibra and almost half the price of OEM.

These mounts will provide you with a smooth ride, they are not made for racing neccessarily.

[16VG60 0]

The procedure for changinging the VR6 mount is very simillar to that of the 4 cylinder engines except they are held in place with two bolts, one in the top and the other in the base. The VR6 mount sits into the front crossmember as opposed to the 4 cylinder engine mount which sits on the crossmember. The VR6 front mount is typically easier to change than the 4 cylinder equivalant.

 

If you can afford yourself the wait Neil, i will be able to supply you with an alloy front mount.

[Mike Edwards 0]

Like John says.

 

With the engine tipped back sufficient to take the mount out from between the cross-member and engine I've always found there was sufficient room either from above or below to remove it.

 

But yes, take the airbox out.

[-Neil- 0]

how much are these VT front mounts? I think im going to get one.

[boost monkey 0]

Before even looking at your car, Purchase an Oil filter at £8 squid from G&S

 

 

Nooooooo :shock:

 

Get a VAG oil filter ALWAYS. The VAG one has the tiny non-return valve in that stops the smallest swarf recirculating with the engine oil, and it's this swarf which is known to kill bearings DEAD :cry:

[The Hub 0]

Just realised why no one writes wiki guides........... tbh this thread was the start of one, but instead of fine tuning the first comments members seem determined to prove they have more knowledge :cuckoo: isnt it better to pool the info and then we'd have a much more comprhensive wiki :clap:

[boost monkey 0]

The Hub,

 

This thread still can be a wiki guide, we've all just chimed in with recommendations and our own experiences to make the guide even better.

 

What's the problem in that? :shrug:

 

personally, i don't use the wiki for these kind of things because I know the front mount is the same as a mk2, so should I suffer from memory loss, I will pull out my trusty haynes :D

 

p.s. I'm sure a lot of the people on here who know a thing or two would write wikis if they had the time, photos and inclination.

[VR6 0]

Indeed, I think everyone has tried to contribute to improving the original guide with their own experiences and knowledge. That's the idea behind creating what should be close to a definitive Wiki article. That's how we came up with the buyers guide, for example.

 

We always want Wiki articles but often it's the time and effort for people to put them together which means that we don't have as many as we would like.

[stevemac 0]

Before even looking at your car, Purchase an Oil filter at £8 squid from G&S

 

 

Nooooooo :shock:

 

Get a VAG oil filter ALWAYS. The VAG one has the tiny non-return valve

So has the GSF one . :wave:

[stevemac 0]

One thing that I would warn people against is the fitting of solid aluminium front engine mounts. The threads are not strong enough & engine torque will rip the mounting bolts out - I speak from experience.

[boost monkey 0]

Before even looking at your car, Purchase an Oil filter at £8 squid from G&S

 

 

Nooooooo :shock:

 

Get a VAG oil filter ALWAYS. The VAG one has the tiny non-return valve

So has the GSF one . :wave:

 

 

Really? I love the factor parts and only go to dealers when I have to, but i've been warned off factor oil filters even after using them!

[stevemac 0]

Really? I love the factor parts and only go to dealers when I have to, but i've been warned off factor oil filters even after using them!

I just spent 4 years working for GSF & whilst some of their items may be worse than others, the G60 oil filters are excellent quality. One thing to be wary of is wether they supply the correct filter or not - the G60 filter is unique to that model only & is the only one that I'm aware of with the non-return valve.

 

The factor oil filters that you speak of are not necessarily bad quality - they are just not intended for fitment to a G60. This is a cataloging error & not a quality issue.