Front Motor Mount

[Lex3486]

okay, so i've noticed my car's been shifting a little rougher, plus it has a bad "clunk" to it if you floor it. so last night, i opened the hood, cranked it up, put it in drive, held the brakes, and floored it, and much to my dismay, discovered that i am in dire need of a new front motor mount! im surprised that i havent broken anything else drivin it that way for long. anyhow, what i was wondering is if anyone here could tell me if its poss. to replace this without pulling the engine. i could prob. tell myself, but i havent gotten a chace to look it over really good. its in plain sight, but i dont know how easy it is to get to as far as removing it goes. also, is this a fairly common prob.? i know my 92 needed it too, but not as bad as this one!

[SKperformance]

i havent looked at how hard it is to replace

but can the dogbonejust be replaced

the smaller one on the rights side of the car connecting it to the body

[Lex3486]

yeah, i've already replaced that; i think the reason it was torn up to begin with was because the front motor mount broke first. im really just wondering how bad it is to drive it as it is.... its not terrible, but there's definitely somethin wrong, and im almost positive thats it

[Lex3486]

Okay, I looked at it again tonight after a mad dash home, and its definitely broken in two now! I guess now i have no choice but to replace it, and soon too. I'm for sure not gonna drive it now. Oh, and to top things off, the dogbone thats only about a month old is broken again, as a result of this little problem. AHHH! I'M BEGINNING TO GET *BLEEP*ED WITH THIS CAR!!!!!! It's one thing after another seems like! I just hope this fixes all my problems for a while, b/c i'm sick of having to worry about my car. Isn't that why we all buy these expensive imports, anyhow? <_<

[SKperformance]

i know the feeling with the stupid mounts i am on my 3rd set

that is why i know will only uise the custom ureathane dog bone one

i am not sure if you have to remove the engine i think it is just a matter of using a jack to keep it in place while you remove the bolts for the front mounts

so it doesn't crash down or forward into the rad

[Lex3486]

yeah, thats what me and my dad were thinkin. I just can't wait to fix it b/c until i do, im stuck with my dad's Land Cruiser. now i know that doesn't sound too awfully bad, but lemme put it this way; my Lexus is a Ferrari compared to that thing! Oh, and gas mileage wise, its like comparing a motorhome to a new Honda Civic Hybrid (the Lexus being the Honda, but only for comparison's sake. we all know the Honda couldn't even come close to stackin up to the Lexus!) :P i guess we'll find out soon if we can tackle it or not. I just hope we can, but we've never found anything on these cars we couldn't fix, so....

[khhoang]

Hey Lex3486,

are you still around in the forum? Can you update us on this thread about changing the front motor mount? Is this a DIY? If so, any advices in detail? If not, where you have it done and how much was labor? I'm in need to do this mount replacement and the dogbone (which i can do myself but need to do the front mount first). I found an eBay seller selling the dogbone($24) and front mount($44) for dirt cheap, brand new and all.

Update us asap.. thanks!

[lexus400]

I just did this myself on my mother in laws '96. The dogbone is easy, just the two

bolts that you see. Are you talking about the front mount below the oil filter ?

If so, it's a 17mm bolt on the top (center of the mount) and three mounts on the bottom (two bolts and one nut, also 17mm I believe). On the bottom, two of them are on top (meaning facing up) and the other one you get from underneath. You'll know what I mean when you look at the mount. You'll need a floorjack with a about a 2' piece of of 2x4 across the oil pan to hold and jack the engine up a couple of inches when all the bolts are removed. Put the new one in and jack back into place. I had a little trouble lining up the top/center bolt and had to push on the mount with one hand (it'll flex a little) while starting the bolt. That's really the only pain is just getting the bolts to line up when reinstalling. Took me about an hour all told.

Bob

P.S. - Take off the narrow belly pan 1st and you'll have easy access from underneath.

[khhoang]

Thanks Bob for the good info! and yes it is the front motor mount under the oil filter. I've been told by Lexus that both dogbone and frnt motor mounts need changing. Couple more questions if you dont mind,

1. was there anything on top of the engine, i.e. intake hose, other mounts, etc, that needs to be loosened or temporarily unattached to prevent any stress/breakage when the engine is jacked up high enough.

2.Does the dogbone mount stays off while changing the front mount or can it be changed at any time (I've read that the front motor mount may be suspect of constant torn dogbone mount).

Looks like a DIY project.. Thanks again!

[lexus400]

1). No, I don't think I loosened anything up top. You don't need to go up that far

to get enough clearance to get the new one in place.

2) The dogbone can be done anytime and you don't even need to support the

engine from underneath. The engine didn't even move when I took mine out...

Let me know if you need any other advise...

Bob