Well, I just got my Mini on the road after fixing the wheel bearings and then I started getting a vibration throughout the car. I checked the engine mounts and the one on the radiator end of the engine is screwed

I am planning on replacing it this weekend. Any tips on replacement? Is it worth taking the radiator out (I know that will be a pretty fiddly job)? Where do I get at the mount - through the hole in the guard?

Richard

Yes it is a fairly fiddly job

First off, undo any engine steady brakets. Then put the car up on jack stands - not wood, not bricks and give it a good shake to make sure its perfectly stable.

Then take off the left front wheel and remove the grill. Place a trolley jack (and a bit of wood to spread the load) under the gear box and lift that side of the power plant by about an inch. You can undo the old engine mount from the radiator with a ring spanner (easier with a rachet type ring spanner). Then you have a bit more room to undo the two nuts and bolts that hold the bottom part of the mount to the subframe. Often two people make that bit easier with one under the car and the other holding a ring spanner on the bolt heads - this assumes that the old mount is in two pieces.

Make sure you get the old type of engine mount that DOES NOT have the chrome nut spot welded on - they are never a success.

Fit the new mount to the radiator section first but dont tighten it all the way up. Now with your assistant nearby - climb under the car and have the assistant lower the engine and with the aid of a stout phillips head screw driver or an appropriate sized drift, lever the engine mount into position on the subframe so that at least one set of holes lines up. As soon as one does get the assistant to slip a bolt in it. Dont worry about the nut yet.

Continue to lever the engine mount until the other set of holes lines up and then get the assistant to slip the other bolt in. Now you can add the spring washers and the nuts and tighten up the nuts both on the radiator and the subframe. Helps if the assistant still has a ring spanner on the ones that go through the subframe though.

A note - If one engine mount is broken you generally find the other one is also fairly worn. Changing the other side is much the same procedure.

Dont forget to refit and engine steadies and for gods sake, take care under the car - if it falls it will kill you. I can't stress enough how important it is to have have it safely and securely up on jack stands.

Mike

I do find it easiest to pull the radiator out, and take the bracket off the gearbox - you can give it a good clean around that area while it's out, and flush water through the radiator backwards and forwards, shake it around, flush the water out of the engine etc. etc.

hey Mike, I buy the cheap engine mounts and weld nuts to them

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did I tell you that I won a trophy?

Simon - thats an option many do - but you weld it on properly not like Kevin Rudd's mandarin speaking mates do

I was implying that the ones you buy with the chrome round nut on them are not worth the trouble. They just never seem to start the thread properly.

Mike

You make it sound easy Mike

Well, I have good axle stands, a trolley jack, ratchet ringies (worth their weight in gold), and a helper, so I shouldn't have too many difficulties. I think I will give it a shot without removing the radiator at first and then remove the radiator if things get too difficult/fiddly.

I have heard of people having issues replacing both engine mounts at the same time because the new ones were too thick and needed some time to settle? I don't think I will be doing both at once because at the moment I just need to get the car back on the road, but if it does need to settle I will delay doing the other side for a while.

A tip for those who weld the nuts to make them captive - Make sure you weld them well enough that the welds aren't going to break. I have had to deal with an engine mount with nuts that had been welded and the weld had broken. Not only were they no longer captive, but a spanner would not fit the nut. That time things access was easier though because the engine was mostly dismantled.

I was just reading a statistic on the number of people that had died from working on/under cars the other week. About (can't remember the exact number) 29 between 2000 and 2007. That is quite a lot, although some of them were doing things that are downright stupid. Still, it doesn't include the people who were injured but not killed, or the near misses.

Since I got my axle stands I only work under the car with at least an axle stand and a jack under it (or 2 axle stands). I often put tyres under there as a backup as well, and I always wobble the car to check stability. Most of the time I try to avoid working under the car though.

Yes make sure it is firm on the stands and won't fall - Just like this guy

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David L


My greatest fear in life is that when I die my wife will sell my Mini and tools for the price I told her I paid for them!

You missed the best bit though , he's welding the fuel tank in that photo


As Mike has said though , ensuring the vehicle is well supported is vital , I won't say anymore as regulars know it's one of the things I keep saying ....

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OK but at least he has the back wheel choked

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David L


My greatest fear in life is that when I die my wife will sell my Mini and tools for the price I told her I paid for them!

Thanks for those instructions Mike, they were helpful.

I replaced the mount on the weekend. I ended up pulling out the radiator because the 3 knuckles I have in each finger doesn't seem sufficient to do the job with the radiator in place. It was nice and easy with the radiator out and the radiator got a flush while I was at it.

I ended up using a second-hand engine mount off another Mini engine because the Mini shop was closed so I couldn't get a new one. I chose one that appeared to be in good condition, so hopefully it will last for a while. I will be replacing the engine mounts in a while anyway, as I am building up an 1100 to go into the car and will replace them during the engine change. (some may remember the thread I made on here before going awol for about 6 months I should be getting back to it and reviving the thread soon though).

I ended up supporting the car using one axle stand and keeping 3 wheels on the ground (actually I put a couple of slabs under one front wheel to keep it level). This was stable enough that I could barely move it if I tried wobbling it, and I had the jack under there most of the time anyway.

how can you drink it when the car is sitting on top of it?

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did I tell you that I won a trophy?

Dont they believe in "need it" there

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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nDMkVq1jRGU