aloha friends,

i need to remove a torn mount, but it's located right in front of the firewall and i can't fit any known tool i have onto the nuts. there's just not enough space. can anyone please point me in the right direction. I really am stumped and don't want to lower the whole front suspension just to remove this one mount. this is the mount that located just under the intake manifold. there's also one in front of the timing belt, one under the exhaust manifold and one under the battery, i've already changed those because all four mounts were torn, isn't that ridiculous. any ways, any ideas???

 

Judging from the way the shop manual is written, which is sometimes vague, you will need to remove the outer joint, lower arm and drive shafts to get to that motor mount. If it is manual, you will hve to also take out the control rod, extension bar, selector cable, and clutch release cylinder. I would suggest you email Babyhuey, he has been working with these for years and may have a better work around. If you want to email me, I will scan my 1996 shop manual pages for you. Good luck.

 

the engine is an automatic. the retail manual explains it as if it's a cake walk, but they must be covering the other years included along with the '97 protege 1.5 liter model. I can't imagine anything besides a special tool or lowering the whole front engine/suspension just to change that one mount. I really really am hoping that someone like babyhuey can give an alternative besides starting to remove a bunch of parts and lowering this whole dang front end just to switch out this one mount. I am praying for a special tool or using a tool that i am overlooking at the moment. please someone help.

 

Will these work??

http://www.gearwrench.com/catalog/wr....jsp?part=9900

I haven't looked under my car, but these have gotteb me out of jams before...

 

i went to sears and bought a few different tools and am still not able to get at that mount. i'll get some pictures to show and maybe someone can see a way or tool that i'm not picturing. I really thought that those flex wrenches would've worked but the bolt that the nut is on protrudes so close to the firewall that nothing can squeeze over the bolt and onto the nut. I'm seriously thinking of cutting a hole in my firewall to change this thing out.

 

here's some photos to help

[IMG]local://upfiles/11377/A5F23371391B4C6BBCDCB7CB8DDE9C99.jpg[/IMG]

[IMG]local://upfiles/11377/F96A8B2B19D3406ABC6B88E689C03E4C.jpg[/IMG]

[IMG]local://upfiles/11377/10636C734092468AB4A99A8A23BEDD3D.jpg[/IMG]

[IMG]local://upfiles/11377/08E96FEDAA4F4F2FB39EFF6E98902ED9.jpg[/IMG]

[IMG]local://upfiles/11377/80945C54CD3341C588B6143623C07FC3.jpg[/IMG]

 

i know someone must've changed these out before, anyone got clues?

 

You will need to drop the front subframe about 1-2 inches to get enough clearance to not only get to the bolts but to get them off of the studs coming up from the subframe. Does not need to come all the way out but only lowered a few inches. Make sure to take the steering rack loose as it is also attached to the subframe and dropping it down that far will cause damage to the steering column shaft. Not a very good diagram below of the subframe but best I could find. I think there are only like 4 or 6 bolts holding the entire assembly up into place.

[IMG]local://upfiles/1377/15620937C5AE49CF9E3C7CC43B6949CE.gif[/IMG]

 

Aloha,

Thanks for getting back to me and thanks for your time which I know is precious. Can you please help so I don’t make any mistakes?

1. To drop the subframe, do I just remove the two straps holding the steering rack and leave it alone or do I need to physically push the steering rack aside/lower so I have room to drop the subframe?
2. when I looked at the steering rack, it is only about 1-2” below the mount that I want to remove. If I drop the subrame (which the mount is connected to) wont the bottom of the mount end up resting directly on top of or even pushing down on the steering rack? Does this mean that I can only drop the subframe until the mount just touches the steering rack?
3. do I still need to get a flex wrench to remove the mount bolts or what tool did you use to remove the nuts on the mount?
4. as far a dropping the subframe, do I put a jackstand under the body of the car so the suspension, engine, and subframe is not being help up by anything? Then do I put a jack under the middle of the subframe, loosen and remove all four bolts on each side and then let the jack down slowly? Once the subframe has lowered just enough to rest on the detached steering rack, use a flex wrench to remove and the nuts?
5. Is that all I need to do to drop the subrame? There is a lot of suspension parts as well, do I need to do anything else to drop the subframe a couple inches?
6. anything else you can think of?