'How to' Change S14 Engine Mounts (Not 56k Friendly)

[E5_ARW]

Changing Engine Mounts!

Parts you will need:
-Replacement engine mounts (I used Apex ones)
-Someone to help at times

Tools you will need:
-Trolley jack
-Axle stands
-Decent ratchet and socket set (I used Halfords professional ones)

Completion time around 3 hours using this guide!

Step 1

Remove the Air box or air filter if you have an induction kit fitted





Step 2

Remove the pipe arrowed in the picture below





Step 3

Remove the intake pipe from the car





Step 4

Locate the driver side engine mount and spray the nut with WD40 or similar solution



Step 5

Jack up the car and locate the Engine mount from the underside of the car and spray the nut with WD40 or similar solution



Couldnt get a good enough pic of the bolt

Step 6

Whilst the car is jacked up locate the other Engine mount and spray the nut with WD40 or similar solution





Step 7

There is a black triangle shaped plate that gets in the way of the drivers side mount that will require removing. Locate the three bolts and remove them

It looks like this


Top Bolts


Bottom Bolt


Step 8

Locate the driver side mount (just below the oil filter) from the top and spray the nut with WD40 or similar solution

Step 9

Undo and remove the passenger side mount bolts (Top and bottom)

As you can see the top mounts are tight to get at


Step 10

Undo the drivers side mount bolts but do not remove them. Leave them attached by one or two threads to prevent the engine coming off when jacking up

Step 11

Undo the nuts that hold the radiator brackets to the car to allow the radiator to lift with the engine to prevent restriction and/or damage
Be careful not to snap any of the bolts like i did as they were super rusty

Step 12

Remove the plastic guard located on the underside of the engine if it is there. This will allow you better vision when jacking up the engine and allow you to monitor the underside

Step 13

Place a block of wood across the sump and place the jack on the front passenger side corner of the sump with the wood between the jack and the sump and start raising the engine. Check the mounts often to prevent you having to raise it too much. Once the engine is raised high enough from mount bolt you should be able to remove the mount by turning and tilting it

Step 14

Replace the mount by turning and tilting it into position. I pushed the top bolt up through the hole on the engine and did the nut up a bit so the bolt didn’t miss the hole on the way down. Lower the engine making sure it sits nicely onto the mount and attach the bottom nut onto the mount bolt. Make sure the bolts on the mounts are only attached by one or two threads to prevent the engine coming off when replacing the second mount

Step 15

Remove the bolts from the driver side mount (Top and bottom). Place a block of wood across the sump and place the jack on the front driver side corner of the sump with the wood between the jack and the sump and start raising the engine. Check the mounts often to prevent you having to raise it too much. Once the engine is raised high enough from mount bolt you should be able to remove the mount by turning and tilting it

Step 16

Replace the mount by turning and tilting it into position. I pushed the top bolt up through the hole on the engine and did the nut up a bit so the bolt didn’t miss the hole on the way down. Lower the engine making sure it sits nicely onto the mount and attach the bottom nut onto the mount bolt

Step 17

Tighten up the engine mount nuts top and bottom on both nuts. Refer to the manual for torque settings. I couldn’t torque the top bolts because I couldn’t get access to the nuts with my torque wrench but I made sure they were tight enough. I would advise using some loctite thread lock but I didn’t have any to hand at the time

Step 18

Replace all the pipes and airbox or filter removed earlier and replace the black plate and plastic cover on the underside of the car

Step 19

Take her out for a spin and enjoy

Is this worthy of the useful threads section?

Cheers

Adam

[Dan@DB-Power]

Pretty good write-up but what the hell is all the orange stuff around your exhaust manifold

I'd say it's worthy and it's worth knowing , the principal should be similar to all 200sx's whether it has an SR20 or a CA18

Dan

[E5_ARW]

what the hell is all the orange stuff around your exhaust manifold

Previous owner used some instant gasket shite on it mate. Its never started blowing so i've never replaced it. Not sure if it has a normal gasket too or not.

[Mark]

Is this worthy of the useful threads section?

Cheers

Adam

Yep

[MEL]

Good write up. I vote for a space in the next newsletter (if this hasnt already been covered)

[skink]

What is the benefit of replacing the engine mounts? (if they are not knackered of course)

[Mark]

Less twist in the engine so more torque applied through the box and to the wheels

[E5_ARW]

What is the benefit of replacing the engine mounts? (if they are not knackered of course)

These uprated engine mounts prevent the movement you get with the original mounts. They make the car more resposnive to drive and prevent the lurching between gear changes that you get with the originals which allow substantial engine and gearbox movement

Taken from the apex website

[blue boy]

excellent job make and not as bad to do as i thought

[Chem200]

Another good write up. Hows the car feel with the new mounts?

[AdamB]

Did you have to remove exhuast or gearbox to do this? or is there enough play in everything to allow engine to raise high enough?
Thanks.
Ace how to but you`ve tempted me back into the garage in this weather

[E5_ARW]

Did you have to remove exhuast or gearbox to do this? or is there enough play in everything to allow engine to raise high enough?

No need to remove the gearbox or exhaust as there is enough play to raise the engine

Another good write up. Hows the car feel with the new mounts?

My standard mounts were knackered so it feels so much better with the apex ones. But i have noticed the car is more responsive and has smoother gear changes

[adsmithy]

Just did this. How important is the heatsheild that sits over the passenger side mount, as I forgot to put it back on!

[thedazman67]

Thread bump. Thanks for this, I've only gone and put my mounts on back to front so this should come in handy

[200SXNICK]

Hi, I was just wondering: I've heard stories about oil starvation problems from the slightest dint/concave in the sump pan. Is it really safe to jack the whole engine up on the sump pan even with the piece of wood as stated?

[kinglewy]

use a block of wood between jack and engine, regards to oil starvation i wouldnt worry

[munkul]

good guide, used it today thanks

Only thing I'd like to add, is that I couldnt get the engine high enough! I had to chop a bit off the bottom threads of the old mounts to get them out, AND the new mounts to get them in.

[CillianS14a]

I used this thread today it was great but one or two more things to add in would be when removing the driver side mount nut its really hard to get any leaverage on it what made it miles easier,

Use a 14mm ring spanner and run a rope through it



Fit the spanner onto the nut and then run the rope through here



use the rope as as the leverage and it makes the job so much easier.

Also if your having trouble getting the engine high enough, drop the 4 big gearbox mount bolts but not all the way just loosen them a nice amount as it allows a much better tilt on the engine to get it high enough

[Alec]

Thanks for the guide:-)
Used it earlier to swap out my tired originals for Nismo mounts.
I found that I just couldn't get the height on the engine to twist the old mounts out. I tried the suggestions of lowering the gearbox. I even dropped the front suspension frame about 10mm (which lowers the mounts from the engine). Like Munkul, I had to cut a few mm off each end on the new mount to fit it in. No biggie though, the sections I cut off were te unthreaded "leader" sections of the bolts.
Just to save straining the intake pipe, I disconnected the short boost hose that connects the front mount to the throttle body. The only area that looked under stress when I raised the engine was the spark plug loom that exits the spark plug cover. This had a tendency to tuck under the brake lines on the bulkhead. I just kept an eye on them and pushed the loom forward and away from the lines as I jacked the engine.