2000 SL1 Motor Mount

My 2000 SL1 just hit 88K miles and has not had any problems until now. It vibrates like a Ford Pinto at some low RPMs. The local dealership said I had a bad motor mount and to replace it would be $165 including parts and labor.

Is this a fair price? Can a local garage do it?

Is it common for motor mounts to need replacing at this mileage? Most of the time the car has been on the highway.

Reply to
Dean S. Lautermilch© ²ºº³
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Not an unfair price. Depends on local rates.

Any competent shop should be able to do the job.

Some cars eat motor mounts, some have them last 200K. A roll of the dice. Oil on the mount will cause it to fail prematurely.

Reply to
Dan Hicks

Vibration at idle is classic for a worn mount.

My 97 SL2 with 84K is on it's 3rd mount - assuming you're talking about the top mount by the cam cover. That mount is also referred to as the TAM (Torque Axis Mount).

The part is just over $100 and my 97 needed a stud kit. Labor here is somewhere around $80/hr.

A few of the guys here in the NG have saved the labor and changed their own (not me).

Reply to
Jonnie Santos

Darn, I was hoping to get some advice on changing it from you! Oh well. I just came home from the dealership with my third Torque Axis Mount for $94.00 including sales tax. I'm planning to change it tomorrow or the next day. I had it replaced at 50k miles by the dealer. Now I have about 95k miles, and it needs it again (obviously). I was talking to a technician at the dealership, and he said to put a 2 by 4 on a jack, and then use that 2 by 4 to lift the oil pan. Once you get the weight of the engine off the mount and onto the jack, you can just unscrew the bolts and put the new mount on. The mount came with new studs and nuts, because they have probably weakened.

Which reminds me....does anyone know the torque spec for the bolts on the Torque Axis Mount? Or is there one? Does it matter, or should just tighten them as much as I can?

Reply to
Ratbert

Chilton's explains and shows a couple of pics but they swap names of parts and I find it confusing. In one blurb they refer to the lower mount (dogbone looking thing) as a torque strut and in another piece of text they call it a torque axis mount. Maybe the term is interchangeable for either the upper or lower mount.

Long story short, they put a piece of 1" x 1" x 2" long wood between the lower mount and the engine cradle (chassis) to keep the engine from shifting when you change the upper mount.

I've read where the guys here have padded the lifting point of a small floor jack and placed it under the oil pan and lifted slightly instead of using the block. Sounds like this is similar to what the tech/mechanic told you.

There's another note... "If the engine front cover casting or assembly is replaced on 1992-1998 vehicles, the 3 torque axis mount studs should also be replaced. Tighten the new studs to 19 ft. lbs. (Hmmm... doesn't say aka I can't find what to torque the nuts to on the mount bracket on the mount itself.)

Maybe Kirk or Lane can chime in.

Reply to
Jonnie Santos

Jonnie,

Thanks for the invite!

Changing the torque axis mount on the SL2 is a piece of cake. I suspect that it's the same for an SL1, but I don't know.

1) Remove THE CENTER nut and stud. 2) Take it to the dealer. You can even drive the car from which it came. 3) Tell them you need a torque axis mount, and (giving them the stud) ask them whether you need to get a different set of studs. 4) Get your mount, and (maybe) the new studs. 5) Drive the car home. 6) Loosen the studs on the fender side so that there's about 1/4" of play. 7) Put a floor jack under the car, and put a phone book on top of it. 8) Pump the jack until the mount rises up a bit. 9) Now that the mount is not loaded, remove it by unbolting it. 10) Put some locktite on the studs that go into the fender, and screw them down. 11) Put the mount over the studs, bolt it onto the engine. 12) Put the stud nuts on the studs and bolt them down.

Voila!

Not a difficult job at all.

Reply to
Kirk Kohnen

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