Ok here's the deal, after the PAVIC Calder Drags event I noticed that my car had a strange vibration at exactly 2400rpm. The vibration was more evident if the engine was under load. Also the gear changes had become a little sloppy, with too much lurching. Conclusion for me was either a broken front or rear engine mount. Seeing as the front mount is so easy to get to (between radiator and engine) I just put a flash light down there and jacked the engine up slightly, this will usually let you see any cracks. There were none. So I took a $140 gamble and ordered a rear engine mount from Honda.
I did some research and most threads I read, ppl talk about removing the intake manifold to get at the rear mount. Stuff that I thought! So I had a good look down there and realised that it was possible to get to the bolts. The rear engine mount is located below the TB.
Tools needed:
As many socket extension bars as you can find
17mm socket,
10mm socket (deep) or 10mm spanner.
Universal joint,
Torque Wrench,
Flashlight,
Blue Tac,
Hammer,
Scissor jack.
1. Remove Intake pipe
2. Connect 17mm socket to universal joint followed by extension bars.
3. Remove the #1 bolt (pictured below)
4. Remove the #2 bolt. Stick blue tac inside the 17mm socket. Slide the socket & bar straight down, between the TB and engine. Once the bolt has been undone, carefully lift the bolt out. The blue tac should keep the bolt attached to the socket.
5. Remove the #3 bolt. This one is tricky. Remove the universal joint. And just stick the 17mm socket onto the extension bar. With the blue tac still in the socket, slide the socket between the TB and the firewall. You should be able to go straight down onto the bolt. Undo the bolt and carefully lift the bolt free.
6. Place the scissor jack under the engine and jack it up so it only just lifts the engine.
7. Remove the #4 bolt. You will have to pull it straight out after you have unthreaded it out.
8. On the fire wall you will see a heater hose and valve that is bolted onto the firewall. undo the 10mm nut holding it on. You will have to unclip the cable.
9. With the valve/hose free you will be able to lift the old engine mount free.
10. Slide the new engine mount in the same way the old one came out.
11. Reattach the heater valve to the firewall and reclip the cable.
12. Reattach bolts 1-3. You will still need the blue tac in the socket to maneuver the bolts into place. Don't tighten the bolts yet, just thread them in.
13. This part is tricky. You will find that when you try to put bolt #4 back in, it won't go in. This is because the engine has dropped down slightly on the firewall side. You have to use a hammer and wedge it between the engine mount bracket (that is bolted to the engine) and the subframe. Careful not the rest the hammer on any hoses. Use this as a lever to lift the engine up and your free hand to push the bolt in and thread it in a few turns. Remove the hammer.
14. Tighten bolt #4 using the torque wrench to 65nM.
15. Tighten bolts #1-3 to 95nM.
16. Go into the car and slide the heater adjustment and go outside and make sure the heater valve operates normally.
17. Reattach the intake hose.
Here is where my old engine mount was cracked.
All done and vibration is gone. Throttle response is back and so is smoother gear shifting. Car is also quieter at idle now with fewer vibrations.
Moral of the story? If you are going to do 5000rpm launches on a very sticky drag strip, be prepared to replace your engine mounts afterwards. This happened to me in my 3rd gen as well.
I have Energy Suspension Motor Mount Inserts on the way, so these will go into my front and transmission engine mounts to help prevent future breakages and reduce wheel hop.
Total time take to replace the mount was 45 minutes. Level of difficulty (1-10 scale) 4.
Linear Mode
