Quote:
Originally Posted by Skyline2.0
I just replaced the upper right (passenger side) engine mount myself today. Below is not a step-by-step, but some tips and pics of the damaged mount (rubber was torn in multiple places and leaking) and side-by-side with the new one:
1. I wouldn't recommend DIY'ing this repair if you're not fully committed to seeing it across the finish line. I rate this a 5-6/10 in terms of difficulty. Be mindful you'll be disconnecting a major support structure for the engine, fighting to get the old part out and taking the risk that your car may be out of commission if something goes wrong. There's a risk you may scratch up your engine bay, break clips or end up cross threading holes for the mount.
I was willing to tackle the repair myself as my local dealer would've charged $1k in labor alone. Book time was quoted as 6.5 hours.
2. As of this posting, BMW has released a 4th iteration of this mount - part # 22118835566. The new one looks like it has more bushing material to support the bracket attached to the engine side. No other significant visual differences.
3. Get new bolts as BMW states to replace at least the 3x bolts holding the mount to the engine. For extra $22, I got all new hardware for peace of mind - 2x bolts for attaching the mount to the body of the car (part # 22116858061; torque spec - 100 Nm/74 ft-lb; 14 E-torx) and 3x bolts for securing the mount to the engine (part # 07129908650; torque spec - 40 Nm/30 ft-lb THEN 90 degrees; 12 E-torx).
4. As others have noted, lifting on or by the lower engine mount is a good spot. You'll have the best chance of lining up the guide pin that's part of the bracket supporting the engine side (see pics).
5. You may need to release some of the one-time use fender clips and screws near the front wheel well area to get more flex in the plastic liner to maneuver the mount out. It may be worth the extra work to take out the entire wheel well liner first.
6. There are 3x holes for securing the AC lines located on the mount, but none are threaded. There are 2 rubber nubs that twist off with a 16mm socket. These nubs are attached to a steel bolt. You can tap new threads, or just carefully screw in the nubs into the appropriate hold. For me, the steel threads self-tapped into the softer aluminum (?) holes with ease.
7. Read the Mini forum thread linked by Jack Watts and search YouTube for potential videos on this repair. The Mini forum was very helpful to get base line idea of what to do, which is also why I'm not posting a step-by-step.
8. Remove the strut bar to make removing the 3x engine side bolts much easier. Also, you're going to want to push directly flush down on the bolts when doing the torque procedure or you're at high risk of rounding out the bolt closest to the firewall. I nearly mangled the bolt head too badly, but was able to save it. Just take a few extra minutes to get the strut bar out of the way.
9. Be prepared to bend the bracket holding the washer filler neck out of the way. I could not squeeze it out without bending this bracket. Luckily it's soft metal so bending it back into the original place was pretty easy.
10. I did not remove the metal brace running directly above the mount. I ended up scratching up the brace and the strut tower while maneuvering the old mount out. I didn't care much as it was in the engine bay and a bit of touch up paint covered it up well.
11. Another issue from trying to remove as few parts as possible was that I had to cut away some of the plastic blocking the diagonal bolt securing the mount to the strut tower. I would've tried removing the entire plastic piece, but there was a bolt way down in the engine bay that I did not think I could get back in.
12. This may sound obvious, but torque all 5x mount bolts first before tightening anything else down. I wasn't thinking clearly due to fatigue when reassembling things and did this order backwards.
Finally, I found the entire experience worth it from a monetary savings perspective and personal satisfaction that I completed this repair on my own. Also, it resolved the slight shimmy I had at highway speeds and random high pitched clunk when accelerating from a stop.
Hope this helps future folks.
|
My dealership put on the same part number mount you put on. Very helpful guide.