motor mounts!?!

[surfcity914]

i just tried to change the motor mounts on my 74 914. it was one of the most frustrating experiences i've ever had with my 914. i read the 914fan website article, and everything was easy up until i tried to unbolt the rubber mounts from the motor. as hard as i tried, there wasn't room to get a wrench or socket in there to unbolt them. is there a special trick or tool to get these mounts unbolted?

[Dave at Pelican Parts]

Unbolt the mounts from the bar first. Once the bar is out of the way, I found that a 1/4" drive socket and ratchet fit on there reasonably well. I forget if I had to take any of the heater hardware off or not. Ditto the oil filter--I know those are all in the general vicinity of where the end of the wrench needs to go. I was only able to get one or two "clicks" of the ratchet each swing, but eventually I got them tight.

--DD

[campbellcj]

OK -- I confess -- I paid a pro to do this one. The job sounded far too unpleasant.

The difference is AMAZING if your mounts are as shot as mine were!

Good luck,
Chris C.

[Dave Bell]

I feel for you man.... that was the first job I did on my 75 914 after I bought it because my motor mounts were sheared all the way through and the the engine would slide a bit backwards when I started out in first gear.... which you could feel at the shifter. The P.O. had obviously run it in this condition for awhile because the transmission mounts and muffler mounting metal were also damaged by the engine/tranny movement.

I took out the oil filter as Dave suggested but did not touch the heater stuff... It was by far the most frustrating job I have performed on my 914 to date.... no space... my fingers and wrists jammed in strange contorsions... lying on my back.... baptism by fire.... the end result was well worth it though.

Good Luck...

[surfcity914]

that was exactly my problem. the bolts holding the old mounts were cranked on there pretty good. i finally got a 1/4" socket on there, but my wrists were all contorted while trying to unbolt them, and i couldn't generate any torque to loosen them. my hands cramping, while getting grease all over my arms, and all sorts of dirt and gunk falling into my eyeballs. not the most enjoyable situation. i finally gave up and changed to a different 914 task. if there is a more frustrating 914 job than changing motor mounts, i haven't experienced it. having a pro do it might not be a bad idea.

[joncdeke]

I must say I'm often tempted to do the work myself, after envisioning all that money that I will be saving! Then, reality sets in. I am a terrible mechanic and I usually break more items than I attempt to fix. I took mine to the shop too! Nevertheless, it was worth it!

Jon

[michel richard]

The other possibility, which takes a little longer but may be less aggravating, is to drop the engine !

[Germain]

There are alot of options. Check out the Sears Craftmans website. They should have a good ratchet there that can do the job.

(Juding from my last two posts some of you may be asking a question, heres the answer. No I'm not a Craftsman sales rep, and have nothing to do with them. Actually, I like Huskey tools better. There the same price, and more convienant for me)

[Germain]

This might help a little more. I found this exact wrench helpful in the job.

CRAFTSMAN
3/8 in. Drive Offset Flex Ratchet

Sears Item# 44835

3/8 in. drive quick-release professional ratchet has a 22 offset handle and flex head for access to tight areas. Easy-clean fully polished finish. Guaranteed forever.

$29.99

Search for it at www.sears.com under tools. You can see a picture of it there.

[oredith]

are you SURE you're not a Craftsman rep?..

[joncdeke]

Not a sales person... OK, how much stock do you own?

[Germain]

Hmm, I dont own any NYSE stock... All my stocks are NASDAQ and computer related. (Yea, I lost some of my retirement fund)