Motor mount gone bad??

[Foggman]

Has anyone ever had any problems with their motor mounts coming loose or failing? I have been tracking down a rattle I hear comming from the left front of the truck...I have eliminated all possibilities and have concluded that my driver side motor mount is shot. WHen you look at it from the front you can see the bolt that goes up that holds the mount to the frame and the bolt that goes down that holds the engine to the mount. you can also see a "pin" of some sort that goes from the top half of the motor mount to the bottom half. I can pretty much replicate the sound I hear while driving just by messing with that pin (much quieter though..I attribute that difference in noise level to being quieter when I shake it my self cause I cant put as much touque on it as the engine can). Anyways, I cant pull the pin out but I can twist it freely and move it side to side. So what I am thinking is that the rubber inside the two halfs of the mount has either crushed down enough so that the two pieces clatter around a little bit when I go over a rough section of road or has dried out so much that it is falling apart on the inside of the mount.

I have already ordered both motor mounts and I will be replacing them tomarrow. Are there any tips that anyone can think of that I should be aware of or concerned about? I plan to support the engine under the oil pan with my floor jack and a 12" x 12" x 2" block of wood..

Any comments or concerns or personal experiences welcome!
Thanks
Lance

 

[Foggman]

Ok, so I just went down stairs to look at the motor mounts again because it was worryin my brain...I'm an idiot, while I was down there I notice that the bottom bolt on the sway bar link on the drivers side had ALMOST completely backed out...to the point where the nut was only being held on my about a 1/2 turn. So I tightened it down and took it for a spin and guess what! NO RATTLE! I will still be replacing my motor mounts though because of the visible wear and that loose pin.

So moral of the story, sometimes its ok to second guess your self and quad-droople check what you thought was right.

 

[rookieshooter]

Sometimes you can check a motor mount by having someone inside with motor running, putting in forward gear with foot on brake. And have them give it some gas. You can see the engine torque over and actually see the motor mount move. Generaly the side that torques away from the frame is the one that gets damaged. You might want to try that and then replace anyway just to see the difference.

I've also used long pry bars to move the engine to see how much flex is in the mounts. There have been some cars that I put a chain on side that is pulling away from frame.

 

[Foggman]

Hey thanks for the input! I am going to tackle that tomarrow, a buddy of mine is coming over to give me a hand so I will try those things to see how bad it is if at all.
Thanks
Lance