Hi All,
We've got a 2003 base Vibe here. It's making growling sounds in "D" and I noticed the engine rocking back and forth when shifting between "R" and "D".
So while there might be other issues, I decided to replace the rear motor mount (and also the front), which I happened to have lying around (from RockAuto that I ordered several years ago). The problem is that after removing the one bolt and two of the nuts, the third nut started spinning freely along with the stud because it just let go on the top side. This nut happens to be one of the ones accessed through a hole in the subframe, so I can't get a nut splitter in there (though I haven't tried, because I'd first have to buy one) or a Dremel tool to cut it off (this I did try).
Any suggestions on how to proceed would be appreciated. Do I need to reomve the through bolt holding the engine and drop the subframe? (How? I have the Haynes book but it's very sketchy on details.) I was also thinking of drilling from the top and using a bolt extractor but that seems inaccessible. Unfortunately I'm on a tight schedule. [I'm looking for a shop to do it but it's a challenge to pick one.]
Thanks!
Engine mount stud freespinning, unable to remove
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ihaveavibe
- Posts: 100
- Joined: Sun Jul 02, 2017 7:48 pm
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ihaveavibe
- Posts: 100
- Joined: Sun Jul 02, 2017 7:48 pm
Re: Engine mount stud freespinning, unable to remove
Turns out others have had this issue. There are comments on Youtube on some rear motor mount install videos and there is one with a guy installing inserts into the motor mount to stiffen it up. They seem to use a sawsall or a prybar plus a saw? I'm not sure how they get it even close to there. I used a 14mm wrench through one of the holes in the subframe to stabilize the nut (from spinning) and then drilled through the center with an M35 cobalt bit. I think it fell off with a 8.5mm bit. Was not pleasant to have metal shavings falling on me, some even got under my eye protection. Also time consuming.
After all that, I still could not take out the old mount. I have no idea how people do it in the youtube videos. There's one method to take out the bracket that holds the main bolt (the one that goes through the rubber isolator). But removing that bracket proved impossible because there's a bolt holding it to the transmission that I could not access -- very close to the steering rack. Not with a ratchet, not with a combination wrench, not with a flexhead wrench, not even after I tried moving it up or down with a jack under the transmission. I think the only other possibility would have been to drop the subframe, which I didn't want to try for lack of time and equipment. I wound up changing the front motor mount and the transmission mount myself and took it to a shop for the rear mount. A disappointing weekend. (Not even sure it fixed the engine 'bounce" or the idle vibrations.)
After all that, I still could not take out the old mount. I have no idea how people do it in the youtube videos. There's one method to take out the bracket that holds the main bolt (the one that goes through the rubber isolator). But removing that bracket proved impossible because there's a bolt holding it to the transmission that I could not access -- very close to the steering rack. Not with a ratchet, not with a combination wrench, not with a flexhead wrench, not even after I tried moving it up or down with a jack under the transmission. I think the only other possibility would have been to drop the subframe, which I didn't want to try for lack of time and equipment. I wound up changing the front motor mount and the transmission mount myself and took it to a shop for the rear mount. A disappointing weekend. (Not even sure it fixed the engine 'bounce" or the idle vibrations.)