Lower engine mount

[Matt]

I managed to remove my shot lower engine mount today but couldn't get the new one in, which is a pain cus i've replaced one of these before with no issue. The lower ball-joint nut just spun round and i lost patience so i'm gonna send it to the garage so they can press it in properly.

Can i still drive the car without the lower mount or will it risk damaging anything else?? obviously pug wouldn't have included a lower mount if it didnt need one but i'll need to get this to the garage

[Quinny]

My guess is the engine may move substantially under acceleration if there is no mount, and put stress on any of the other components, which may end up with a bigger bill.

Depending on how far the garage is, could it not be towed?

[Matt]

I haven't got anything powerful enough to tow it, my other car is an mx5 lol

I've put the cross bar back in and some of of the old bush but it does move around, that said it was moving around before, what parts could be stressed?

[gumby6371]

I wouldn't risk it mate, the flexi section on the eggsauce may well go south under the extra strain. A garage would have to pull the drive shaft to get the mount off anyway.

Have you tried leaving the new mount in the freezer over night to shrink it slightly?
Copious amounts of grease and a home made press fashioned from an old scissor jack and some big sockets and it is possible to do on the car. Check out you tube as I got the idea from there and it does work if you're a bit patient.

[Matt]

Oh yeah the flexi section

What size socket did you use? I might be able to get some steel plate, I remember trying that before with my old 406 and ending up stripping the threads on the rod, I smacked it in with a lump hammer but it wasn't perfect. How did you set it all up?

How much is the garage likely to charge to do this job? Cus I don't have a lot of time to mess with it right now

[jasper5]

If you lost patience with the mounting off then you won't have the patience to replace the mount on the car!!

If the ball joint spins around you should get a block of wood or a scissors jack under the lower suspension arm and put pressure on the lower arm to stop the ball joint turning.

[Matt]

The mount was on the car, I was running out of light and was half way through taking the driveshaft out, I'd drained the gearbox oil earlier but I called it a day when the balljoint spun so I refilled it, but I might make up a tool to press it in

[jasper5]

Good luck with that, I would never attempt to replace the mount whilst still on the car.

It's so simple to remove the driveshaft and the whole mount block...as I said, if the ball joint spins put pressure on the lower arm to stop it spinning.

[scoopeydiesel]

I tried to replace mine with mount still on the car and tried the freezing job. Managed to get the mount in half way and then stuck. As Jasper said better to take mount and replace bushen. I pressed mine out and in with a large 3/4 inch socket and the lump hammer on the bench, worked a treat. You will do damage to the flexi section as i had to replace mine.

[lozz]

Some of these bushes are made too big so they don't press in easy.
id take a angle grinder too them (grinding blade not cutting blade) and shave them down abit.
smear of grease and tap it in.

[Matt]

Some of these bushes are made too big so they don't press in easy.
id take a angle grinder too them (grinding blade not cutting blade) and shave them down abit.
smear of grease and tap it in.

I might give that a go, just shave a flat on a few sides?

[lozz]

Some of these bushes are made too big so they don't press in easy.
id take a angle grinder too them (grinding blade not cutting blade) and shave them down abit.
smear of grease and tap it in.

I might give that a go, just shave a flat on a few sides?

no just go all way round it with the grinder.
don't take too much off it.

where did you buy the mount bush from?
if its agenuwine one from mainstealer it shouid go straight in with just a few taps',

[Matt]

I got it from eBay, i should probably get a dealer part, how much are they?

[lozz]

Icarnt rember tbh
ithink it was around 20odd quid with v.a.t last one igot

try getting the one in you've got already.. these ebay ones are tight but they do go in with persuation.

[mjb]

I botched together a home-made puller when I replaced my coupé's bottom mount - not a process I'd ever want to repeat. So when it came to replacing the missus' mount I did some research on the freezer trick. Worked out that freezing from ambient temperature to -20c would only shrink the diameter by something daft like 0.001mm so didn't bother. Instead I grabbed a cheap wide-opening vice from Machine Mart which made easy work of pressing the new one in (lubed up with fairy liquid)