Engine Mount / Motor Mount Replacement – Sydney Car Repair

What is an engine mount?

The engine mounts also know as motor mounts are a rubber bush located between steel brackets mounted to the engine block and engine cross member.

They can be filled with an oil type liquid to help with noise and vibration levels inside the cabin.

When an engine mount fails, excessive vibration and noise will be felt when driving, especially when at idle. Some manufacturers use polyurethane in their engine mounts. These mounts are more sports oriented, and provide less engine movement at the cost of more vibration and noise transferred into the cabin. 

These mounts are more sports oriented, and provide less engine movement at the cost of more vibration and noise transferred into the cabin. 

Motor Mount Types

Depending on your car’s make and model, it may have motor mounts of a few different types:

Rubber mounts are the most common, and are often found in economy cars, work vehicles, trucks, and older vehicles.

Certain sports cars and heavy-duty vehicles may use stiff polyurethane mounts. These don’t absorb as much raw vibration as rubber mounts but can be better when absorbing vibrations from intense car movements.

Fluid-filled mounts are standard with certain modern vehicles. These decrease engine vibration even further and are used with luxury vehicles and many mid-range sedans. Such mounts look quite similar to shock absorbers.

Active mounts are either controlled electronically or use a small vacuum chamber to absorb even more vibrations and certain shock frequencies.

Your vehicle’s owner’s manual may tell you what motor mounts your vehicle is equipped with, which may be helpful for future maintenance. 

When to Replace Motor Mounts

Depending on your vehicle and the materials used to make the motor mounts, they may last for decades, if not the car’s entire lifespan. But it’s a good idea to get your motor mounts checked every seven years or so. 

Checking your motor mounts will help you stay ahead of any maintenance problems before they become significant issues.

Your car’s transmission mount should last for significantly longer than any motor mounts. You should not need to replace it before the car is either scrapped or totally rebuilt.

Symptoms your engine mounts require replacing

• Sounds of Repeated Impacts in the Engine Bay
• Stronger Vibrations Than Normal
• Engine is Moving Around
• Engine Slightly Tilted
• Damage to Your Engine Block

How Long Does It Take to Replace Motor Mounts?

The amount of time it takes to replace a motor mount will depend on several factors, including the year, make, and model of the vehicle. Your personal skillset will also come into play, as will the vehicle’s condition (severely rusted mounts can be more challenging to replace).

How Many Motor Mounts Are in Typical Cars?

Typical vehicles have between three and four motor mounts depending on their size and the stability of their engine. Certain cars may have four mounts due to how the engine is positioned relative to its other car body components and vice versa. Again, your car’s manual will likely contain these details.

Upon inspection, you might notice a fourth or fifth mount somewhere around your main engine’s apparatus. It’s probably the transmission mount, a separate mount designed to keep the transmission in place even as it moves and shifts with changing gears and torque levels.

Should I Replace All of the Motor Mounts?

Typically, there are three or four mounts holding the engine and transmission in place. But in most cases, you don’t need to replace them all at once. In the event that one of the mounts gets worn out or busted, you can usually just change out the one that needs replacement.

In some cases, however, you may want to replace all the mounts at once as a preventative measure. Often, when one mount fails, it will put additional strain on the other mounts, leading to their early demise.

Tools and Equipment Needed to Replace a Engine Mount

The tools needed to perform a motor mount replacement will vary, depending on the type of car you have.

In general, however, you’ll need:

• Block of wood
• Pry bar
• Hammer
• Ratchet and socket set
• Repair manual or access to a repair database
• Safety glasses
• Torque wrench
• Wheel chocks
• Wrench set

Replacing engine mounts

Replacing engine mounts isn’t too difficult but it can be fiddly. Always check for obstructions between engine and wall (such as crimped AC lines or radiator hoses) before you start.

• Raise the car using a reliable jack with blocks of wood between jack and oil pan (you can damage oil pans if you jack directly beneath them). Raise just far enough to access the engine mounts.
• Loosen the engine mount bolts using a long extension and universal joint. They’ll be tight, so if you’re having trouble, spray lubricant before trying again.
• Compare the old and new mounts to ensure they’re identically sized and transfer any heat or drip shields.
• Loosely bolt the mounts into place. If necessary, check the vehicle manual for torque and make sure you have the right torque wrench. Remove the jack, lower engine and finish tightening all the bolts.