Refit new lower engine mount - Pug307 - It won't go in (and yes I know I'm an idiot but the internet said...)

HAL2100

HAL2100

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Tadpole
Joined
May 16, 2013
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Location
sydney
Hi, I removed the lower engine mount from the car while in place by cutting the old one out while it's up on blocks. That's a hassle, but done successfully.
However, I cannot get the new mount bushing into place.
I do not have a bush pull/push kit so am doing this with whatever's at hand (as seen on the internet). Bolts to pull it through and hammer to encourage it.
I can't get it to go in straight, it keeps going out of alignment.
Can anyone give some tips to ease this process?
- I've cleaned up the bearing cavity (sand paper wheel on drill flexi)
- Also did the same to the new bush/bearing because it was very oxidised.
- Can I use lubricant? I tried a bit of isoprop, because it will evaporate, but I thought oil would be a bad idea.
- I noticed the new mount is now very slightly out of round (about 0.5mm). Probably due to it not going in straight.

If I can't get it in I might resort to using the Powerflex mount, but that's over $100 and apparently a bit stiff. The OEM (copy?) one was $40.

Bob
 
A thin film of engine oil on the mount and the outer face of the bush will assist.

And patience - lots of patience.
 
This may have nothing whatsoever to do with your problem, but here goes anyway.

I had to replace the anti torque engine mount on my 406 a few years ago. The bush looks similar to your lower engine mount. No matter what I did, I couldn't get it to go into the housing. Eventually, I compressed one end of the bush with a suitably sized hose clamp. The resultant compression was just enough for it to start going into the housing.
 
Bush mechanic technique.
Ensure you have cleaned up the bore with no burrs.
Oil all metal parts
As it is out of round grind off these parts to give a lead into bore
I then use some a flat plate > all thread centralised in bore with any suitable socket to start > two nuts to lock all thread
Then larger plate /washers so you do not push on centre of bush
One more plate > best part, thrust bearing if you have one and tighten nut
Finished time for a beer, or should be Moet
 
In the time it's taken you to faff about with it, it sounds like you could have just removed the driveshaft, taken the mount assembly off the back of the block, pressed in the new bush, re-assembled and be onto that beer mentioned above. Sometimes the proper method is quicker than the shortcut.
 
Demannu said:
In the time it's taken you to faff about with it, it sounds like you could have just removed the driveshaft, taken the mount assembly off the back of the block, pressed in the new bush, re-assembled and be onto that beer mentioned above. Sometimes the proper method is quicker than the shortcut.
Click to expand...
And there is the common sense approach
All that kerfuffle for nowt
 
Job done. Thanks for the helpful tips.

In addition to the tips above:
- The left (passenger) side of the bearing has a chamfer (which is hard to see if it's not polished up). This is the side I was using, so lining up the bush is still tricky.
- A bit of fine lubricating oil may help (I used sewing machine oil), but it still requires a lot of force to pull the bearing in.
- Having a good guide/pull tool makes the world of difference. I began copying what I'd seen people do on the internet. Their bearings obviously do not have as tight a fit as mine. Tapping with a hammer and a bit of pull using a bolt on the rubber is not a good idea!

My "bearing puller/pusher":
Two rings of metal about 80mm OD and 50mm ID (you need it to be a ring not a disk or plate to avoid applying pressure on the rubber bush, which stands proud of the metal bush). I then used a 6mm flat steel plate with a hole in the centre across each end with a 120mm M10 bolt through the middle of it all to pull the bearing into the mount. My 80mm rings were made from 50mm galvanised fencing post oval mounts trimmed down to nearly round with a hacksaw. These are strong and the not-quite-round shape allows you to position them where you need them. You then tighten in increments with the judicious tap of a hammer to ensure it starts to go in straight. After that it's just torque! I loosened off the tension occasionally to allow the bearing to relax before tensioning again. That may not be required, but I figure better safe than sorry.

Like most things, once you know what you're doing it goes relatively quickly. It's the "faffing about" that means it takes time. If I was doing it again, I guess it would take me about 2 hours and that's mainly because I'm doing it on the ground, not up in a hoist.

Maybe next time I'll be brave enough to remove the whole bearing and drive shaft, but I don't think so! This is the most "engineering" I've done on the car. I don't even change the oil.
 
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