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HOW TO: Install all 3 motor mounts

103K views 46 replies 23 participants last post by  p.jai312 
#1 · (Edited)
This thread is based on my experiences installing the 3 engine mounts a few times, so this allows you to install your mounts with the greatest amount of ease possible, getting the job done quickly and accurately! Please make sure to reference the pictures for jack placement, this is crucial in lining up the bolts correctly.

Please see below post for Rear and Transmission mounts, with the Passenger mount a few posts below!



Motor Mounts Installation Instructions




Tools
  1. Breaker bar
  2. Deep well and regular socket sets, with 6" and 12" extensions (always use regular to torque, if possible)
  3. Rubber mallet or hammer
  4. Pry bar
  5. Ratcheting angled wrenches
  6. 2 jack stands, and wheel chocks or wood
  7. Torque wrench (capable of at least 100ft/lbs)
  8. Floor Jack (low profile ideal)

Setup
  1. Place wheel chocks or a solid piece of wood behind each of the rear tires, put car into gear, and pull e-brake up.
  2. Jack up ONLY the front of the car using the front jack point-see the pictures below for the jack point (this allows engine to lean backwards, greatly aiding in the rear mount install)



  3. Place one jack stand on both the driver and passenger side, in between the two metal bulges marked with red lines in the picture below. Once both jacks are in place, gently lower the floor jack, leaving the car on the two jack stands



  4. Disconnect the negative and positive battery terminals using a 10mm deep well socket or open ended wrench (negative first)


  5. Remove the battery tie down bracket using a 10mm socket (2 bolts)
  6. Remove the battery

  7. Remove the battery tray using a 10mm socket (2 bolts)



  8. Remove the under tray of engine using a 10mm socket (7 bolts)


  9. Support engine using a padded jack, or with a piece of wood in between the motor and jack, to avoid damage. Then, lift engine 1 inch to relieve pressure from engine mounts (see picture for jack placement)

**Jacking up car is only needed for rear mount- other mounts will require car to be level on the ground-under tray removed.
**If lowered, you may need to be on 4 jack stands to achieve a level car with access to the engine with your jack




Rear Engine Mount Removal

  1. At this point, you should be on 2 jack stands, with the engine supported using the floor jack (see the above picture for jack placement)
  2. Remove the lower bolt from the triangle bracket using a regular 17mm socket (breaker bar may be needed)
  3. Remove the rearward engine mount bolt using a regular 17mm socket
  4. Remove the engine mount, some wiggling and pulling may be required (use a crow bar or rubber mallet if stubborn)


Rear Engine Mount Installation
  1. To allow for easier install, use plyers or a crow bar to slightly bend back the two tabs on the engine mount bracket to allow for easier installation


  2. Hand-thread the rear bolt through the mount, leaving the mount hanging downwards
  3. Hand-thread the front bolt of the mount into position
  4. Tighten the lower triangle bolt to 85 ft/lbs using a regular socket
  5. Tighten the rear engine mount bolt to 85 ft/lbs using a regular socket


  6. Slowly lower the engine, support car at front jack point, then remove the 2 jack stands (Install under tray if not installing other mounts)

**Lifting the engine up or down to align the 2 bolts WILL be required. Slightly lift engine up and down, pushing it if needed to align the bolts.
**Do not try to force any bolt in using force, as this may damage threads.




Transmission Mount Removal

  1. Support engine using a padded jack, or with a piece of wood in between the motor and jack, to avoid damage. Then lift engine 1 inch to relieve pressure from engine mounts (see picture for jack placement)


  2. Slightly loosen, but do not remove the 17mm bolt/nut running through the OEM mount using a regular socket with 6" extension (2 turns of the bolt)


  3. Loosen the 4 14mm bolts 2 located on the top and side of the mount using a ratcheting angled wrench (use a hammer to tap the wrench to help break bolts loose if needed)



    Driver Side Rear



    Driver Side Front



    Top Bolts




  4. Remove the previously loosened 17mm bolt running through the OEM mount (slightly lifting or lowering the engine to line up the bolt for extraction WILL be required, do NOT force it through)
  5. Remove the 4 previously loosened 14mm bolts using the angled ratcheting wrench
  6. Remove the mount

**Removing the Fuse box is NOT required, but may help if you have large tools-3 10mm bolts/nut
See Jamie's instructions for more info on removing the fuse box. Please note my jack point is different, which makes my install guide easier: Link



Transmission Mount Installation

  1. Lift/lower engine as needed to align the 4 14mm bolts/align mount into place
  2. Hand tighten the 4 14 mm bolts
  3. Hand tighten the 17mm bolt running through the mount (lifting or lowering the mount to line up the bolt WILL be required, do not force it through)
  4. Tighten the 2 top bolts as much as possible with the ratcheting wrench (55ft/lbs is OEM spec)
  5. Tighten the two side bolts as much as possible with the ratcheting wrench (55ft/lbs is OEM spec)
  6. Lastly, tighten the main bolt running through the mount to 85 ft/lbs using a regular 17mm socket with 6" extension
  7. Slowly lower the engine/remove floor jack
  8. Install battery tray and battery tie down, gently torquing the 3 bolts to 10 ft/lb's, and 6 ft/lb's on the battery rod nut
  9. Install battery terminals, first the positive, then the negative



**Note** Lifting the engine up or down to align threads WILL be required. Do not try to force ANY bolt in, as this may damage your threads
**Note** Check torque on bolts during your next oil change, and tighten if necessary



Impressions at 10 miles:

With the mounts in street urethane, it added close to no vibrations into the cabin. The transmission is more audible, meaning you can now hear the gears spin-up, but this has gotten much quieter since driving just 10 miles. From past experiences, I expect the mounts to become very quiet, and I will update the thread with further input once the mounts are settled-in.

Shifting is amazing, I have never been able to shift into gear at WOT like this-there is now no chance of missing a gear, it is very crisp and clean. Additionally, the car is much more connected and crisp all-around, it feels like it is ready to take a beating anytime, anywhere.
 
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18
#2 ·
Awesome write up man! Hopefully ill be using this if I upgrade into a speed :D


Sent from AutoGuide.com App
 
#3 ·
Awesome, thanks for including torque specs, need to tighten mine.
 
#5 ·
Your car is so shiny. Damn winter. Are you running a bsd? Glad your liking the mounts I was curious about the vibes. Appreciate your hard work man
 
#7 ·
I haven't been keeping up, but wasn't there a SURE-hate thread on MSF about how their mounts have been failing?

Either nice, nice write up. Will definitely be referring to this when doing the transmission mount.
 
#9 · (Edited)
Passenger Mount Removal

  1. Support engine using a padded jack, or with a piece of wood in between the motor and jack, to avoid damage. Then, lift engine 1 inch to relieve pressure from the engine mounts

  2. Remove the engine ground from the engine joint bracket using a regular 10mm socket (circled below)
    Loosen all 3 of the 17mm nuts/bolt using a deep well socket with extension (breaker bar may be needed)


    Remove the mount's main 17mm bolt

  3. Remove the engine joint bracket by first removing the two 17 mm nuts, then lift engine until bracket becomes loose ~2inches





  4. Remove the 2 bolts and 1 nut securing the OEM engine mount to the frame using a 14mm socket with either a 6" or 12" extension as needed



  5. Remove the OEM Mount

**It is a tight fit with the socket/extensions, take care not to damage anything



Passenger Mount Installation

  1. Place the mount into position, aligning the two bolts onto the mount as much as possible, and the mount base through the single bolt (previously removed nut). The mount will not fit onto the threads at this point

  2. Secure the two 17mm nuts to the mount using a deep well socket. To do this, lift the engine slightly using the floor jack, then use a crow bar to push the engine towards the driver side. Go off/on on the crow bar, to "shake" it into place.


    **Do NOT use a socket until the threads are through 100%, or you will cause damage


  3. Tighten the two 17 mm nuts to 75 ft/lbs using a deep well socket

  4. Secure the mount to the frame. To do this, lower the engine until the mount comes into position with the bolt holes. You may need to push the mount in a certain direction to align the holes-use the crow bar if this is the case.

    Once aligned, first, hand tighten the two 14mm bolts and one nut, then tighten each to 55 ft/lbs




  5. Tighten the mount's main 19mm bolt to 65 ft/lbs. To do this, first, tighten using two 19mm wrenches on either side to make the bolt very snug.



    Loosen the electrical assembly
    Now, loosen the two 12mm bolts (circled below) using a socket with 12" extension and ratcheting wrench, to allow for a torque wrench to be used.



    Use a ratcheting wrench on the side bolt



    Use a regular 12mm socket with 6" extension on the nut



    Once the two bolts and one nut are off, gently move the assembly to align your torque wrench onto the mount's nut.


    While using a wrench to hold the nut, torque the bolt to 65 ft/lbs


    **Take care to not move the electrical assembly too much

    Now, re-install the 2 bolts and nut back into place

  6. Tighten the ground wire bolt onto the mount using a #5 allen key - tighten as much as possible (OEM spec is 100 ft/lbs)



  7. Slowly lower the engine/remove floor jack



**A magnet stick will be handy to get bolts during this install



Hope this helps folks out, good luck, and let me know if you have any questions :)
 
#27 ·
Passenger Mount Installation

...

6. Tighten the ground wire bolt onto the mount using a #5 allen key - tighten as much as possible (OEM spec is 100 ft/lbs)


...
Just want to point out that the above torque spec for that little ground bolt should be in in-lbs, not ft. I'm pretty sure no-one would try 100 ft-lbs there while sober or not on drugs, but it should be corrected in any case :).
 
#10 ·
I have the AWRs and found all three together, to be way too much vibe, but I found replacing the upper two and leaving the dogbone to be the best alternate route... Great shifts plenty of vibe, but more liveable overall...

Let everybody know long term how these mounts rate and hold up, I'm not going to MSf for any info..
 
#11 ·
Thanks for sharing! I'm definitely going to be using this "How to" once I save up enough money for new mounts :)
 
#12 ·
so if i read correctly.... RMM, TMM, and PMM? have you thought about doing a FMM too? i've been pretty interested in that mount to limit the motors rotational movement from the torque.
 
#13 ·
Looks correct. All SURE road mounts too. (black are street, blue are track)

Has SURE taken care of their blowing up mount inserts? I'd rather have all the same which leaves us with SURE or AWR.

someone with a FMM chime in? I know it requires some modification to get in, does it kill ALL movement? Vibes?



As always, a professional write-up. I think your write-ups are getting more concise and more professional as you do each one. Nice pictures too. Thanks, as always!
 
#18 ·
The folks running the FMM are generally the "hardcore" guys, so their interpretation of a little NVH is generally a little different ;)[/QUOTE]

too true.....running the TT FMM & JBR RMM and the ride is stiff as f*#$% and it feels completely different from the stock setup.

MWSpeed6 is running a similar setup, perhaps he can chime in as well.....

as a side note JBR just released their own over the w'end (TMM), PMM to come, looks solid as heck - love his products!

& good job on the post Chris, excellent how to!
 
#19 ·
too true.....running the TT FMM & JBR RMM and the ride is stiff as f*#$% and it feels completely different from the stock setup.

MWSpeed6 is running a similar setup, perhaps he can chime in as well.....

as a side note JBR just released their own over the w'end (TMM), PMM to come, looks solid as heck - love his products!

& good job on the post Chris, excellent how to!
Thanks, I know this will help anyone upgrading mounts, including the JBR crowd, since Jamie's instructions reference the wrong jack point on the TMM at least, and that is the most important part of making the install smooooth.

I personally chose SURE since I wanted a lifetime warranty, and Jamie's mounts are always on the stiffer side...I couldn't handle his RMM alone lol :cool:
 
#28 ·
This is an excellent write up, can't wait to get around to replacing my mounts. Been a member of many a car forum in the past and the DIY posts on the Mazda 6 club forums have been the best by far. Having all this information gives people like me with only basic wrenching skills the motivation to attempt doing this on my own. I can't wait to save $ for more mods by installing stuff myself instead of paying my local shop to do it :)
 
#29 ·
Do it! The how-tos definitely help you shake the fear and get a lot done yourself... very rewarding feeling at the end, and you save $$$. Just takes will power and sometimes a little bit of courage lol.
 
#30 ·
Think of it as lego's but with more rust. The shit only goes in one way.
 
#32 ·
Lol.. Balance shaft delete.
 
#34 ·
Just did the MM on my 6 Wagon. One note, for me the only way to get the holes for rear mount aligned was to thread the front top bolt on the transaxle first, then the other two, then the rear one last. When I did the rear one first like these instructions recommended, there was no way I was able to get the three front holes to line up, no matter how I lifted or lowered the engine. I think this was because the other two mounts were shot (I replaced those next).
 
#35 ·
...
Rear Engine Mount Removal

...
  1. Remove the lower bolt from the triangle bracket using a regular 17mm socket (breaker bar may be needed)
...

...
With the JBR mount, I also had to loosen the 2 other bolts on the triangle bracket, or it would be impossible to slide the mount in. Having the bracket loose makes it a whole lot easier to line up the mount and run the bolt through it.
 
#36 ·
I did too @MWSpeed6. Just a tad, maybe 1/2 -1 turn then used a rubber mallet to encourage it to go in. Followed by a few forward and rear taps to get the holes to line up.
 
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#37 ·
I have an '04 3.0 that needs the passenger side mount replaces (leaking fluid). I've read through the instructions here (thanks for this) and have a couple of questions.

1. What is the best/safest jacking point? I can't tell from the picture. Is it the oil pan?
2. These instructions refer to 2 bolts for the engine bracket but mine appears to have three. Does that seem correct?
3. I'm reading about people having trouble sourcing an OEM part (different bolt size, shallow threads, etc). Suggestions where I should get one and which manufacturer might be best?
 
#38 ·
I don't know the answer to two of your questions, but please do not jack the car up from the oil pan..ever. There is a jacking point right around the radiator drain plug that you can use for the front, if you aren't going to put all 4 corners up on jacks or a lift.


Sent from AutoGuide.com App
 
#42 ·
Great effort

This thread is based on my experiences installing the 3 engine mounts a few times, so this allows you to install your mounts with the greatest amount of ease possible, getting the job done quickly and accurately! Please make sure to reference the pictures for jack placement, this is crucial in lining up the bolts correctly.

Please see below post for Rear and Transmission mounts, with the Passenger mount a few posts below!



Motor Mounts Installation Instructions




Tools
  1. Breaker bar
  2. Deep well and regular socket sets, with 6" and 12" extensions (always use regular to torque, if possible)
  3. Rubber mallet or hammer
  4. Pry bar
  5. Ratcheting angled wrenches
  6. 2 jack stands, and wheel chocks or wood
  7. Torque wrench (capable of at least 100ft/lbs)
  8. Floor Jack (low profile ideal)

Setup
  1. Place wheel chocks or a solid piece of wood behind each of the rear tires, put car into gear, and pull e-brake up.
  2. Jack up ONLY the front of the car using the front jack point-see the pictures below for the jack point (this allows engine to lean backwards, greatly aiding in the rear mount install)

  3. Place one jack stand on both the driver and passenger side, in between the two metal bulges marked with red lines in the picture below. Once both jacks are in place, gently lower the floor jack, leaving the car on the two jack stands

  4. Disconnect the negative and positive battery terminals using a 10mm deep well socket or open ended wrench (negative first)
  5. Remove the battery tie down bracket using a 10mm socket (2 bolts)
  6. Remove the battery
  7. Remove the battery tray using a 10mm socket (2 bolts)

  8. Remove the under tray of engine using a 10mm socket (7 bolts)
  9. Support engine using a padded jack, or with a piece of wood in between the motor and jack, to avoid damage. Then, lift engine 1 inch to relieve pressure from engine mounts (see picture for jack placement)

**Jacking up car is only needed for rear mount- other mounts will require car to be level on the ground-under tray removed.
**If lowered, you may need to be on 4 jack stands to achieve a level car with access to the engine with your jack




Rear Engine Mount Removal

  1. At this point, you should be on 2 jack stands, with the engine supported using the floor jack (see the above picture for jack placement)
  2. Remove the lower bolt from the triangle bracket using a regular 17mm socket (breaker bar may be needed)
  3. Remove the rearward engine mount bolt using a regular 17mm socket
  4. Remove the engine mount, some wiggling and pulling may be required (use a crow bar or rubber mallet if stubborn)


Rear Engine Mount Installation

  1. To allow for easier install, use plyers or a crow bar to slightly bend back the two tabs on the engine mount bracket to allow for easier installation
  2. Hand-thread the rear bolt through the mount, leaving the mount hanging downwards
  3. Hand-thread the front bolt of the mount into position
  4. Tighten the lower triangle bolt to 85 ft/lbs using a regular socket
  5. Tighten the rear engine mount bolt to 85 ft/lbs using a regular socket
  6. Slowly lower the engine, support car at front jack point, then remove the 2 jack stands (Install under tray if not installing other mounts)

**Lifting the engine up or down to align the 2 bolts WILL be required. Slightly lift engine up and down, pushing it if needed to align the bolts.
**Do not try to force any bolt in using force, as this may damage threads.




Transmission Mount Removal

  1. Support engine using a padded jack, or with a piece of wood in between the motor and jack, to avoid damage. Then lift engine 1 inch to relieve pressure from engine mounts (see picture for jack placement)
  2. Slightly loosen, but do not remove the 17mm bolt/nut running through the OEM mount using a regular socket with 6" extension (2 turns of the bolt)
  3. Loosen the 4 14mm bolts 2 located on the top and side of the mount using a ratcheting angled wrench (use a hammer to tap the wrench to help break bolts loose if needed)



    Driver Side Rear



    Driver Side Front



    Top Bolts


  4. Remove the previously loosened 17mm bolt running through the OEM mount (slightly lifting or lowering the engine to line up the bolt for extraction WILL be required, do NOT force it through)
  5. Remove the 4 previously loosened 14mm bolts using the angled ratcheting wrench
  6. Remove the mount

**Removing the Fuse box is NOT required, but may help if you have large tools-3 10mm bolts/nut
See Jamie's instructions for more info on removing the fuse box. Please note my jack point is different, which makes my install guide easier: Link



Transmission Mount Installation

  1. Lift/lower engine as needed to align the 4 14mm bolts/align mount into place
  2. Hand tighten the 4 14 mm bolts
  3. Hand tighten the 17mm bolt running through the mount (lifting or lowering the mount to line up the bolt WILL be required, do not force it through)
  4. Tighten the 2 top bolts as much as possible with the ratcheting wrench (55ft/lbs is OEM spec)
  5. Tighten the two side bolts as much as possible with the ratcheting wrench (55ft/lbs is OEM spec)
  6. Lastly, tighten the main bolt running through the mount to 85 ft/lbs using a regular 17mm socket with 6" extension
  7. Slowly lower the engine/remove floor jack
  8. Install battery tray and battery tie down, gently torquing the 3 bolts to 10 ft/lb's, and 6 ft/lb's on the battery rod nut
  9. Install battery terminals, first the positive, then the negative



**Note** Lifting the engine up or down to align threads WILL be required. Do not try to force ANY bolt in, as this may damage your threads
**Note** Check torque on bolts during your next oil change, and tighten if necessary



Impressions at 10 miles:

With the mounts in street urethane, it added close to no vibrations into the cabin. The transmission is more audible, meaning you can now hear the gears spin-up, but this has gotten much quieter since driving just 10 miles. From past experiences, I expect the mounts to become very quiet, and I will update the thread with further input once the mounts are settled-in.

Shifting is amazing, I have never been able to shift into gear at WOT like this-there is now no chance of missing a gear, it is very crisp and clean. Additionally, the car is much more connected and crisp all-around, it feels like it is ready to take a beating anytime, anywhere.
Thank you for such a complete and outstanding effort to help us fellow members to replace our motor mounts--- which we all know happens too often. Thanks again. Oldvet
 
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