How do I support engine while changing motor mounts

Hi and thanks for using 2CarPros.com.

Take a look through this link and let me know if it helps. Remember, only do one at a time.

https://www.2carpros.com/articles/replace-motor-mounts

Take care,
Joe

Thank you for the reply. The link was helpful. I watched the video and copied pasted a picture of the jack supporting the engine. Is the jack placed under the oil pan? I see that a broad surface area with a cloth was used to protect damage.

My concern is that the oil pan on the car may not be strong enough and I’ would rather not damage it trying. Thanks again.

Hi.
First, make sure you only do one mount at a time so that part of the weight is held by the one not being done. If you place the jack under the pan, I strongly recommend using 3/4" plywood or something similar in strength no smaller than the size of the pan. That way you will distribute the weight evenly and not damage the pan. Just make sure to follow what was in the link. And no, all the engine's weight should not be placed on the pan.
Let me know if you have other questions.

To avoid having all of the engine's weight on the pan, I obtained an engine support bar. I assembled that tool and positioned it on the car just to ensure fit, which it does, but the tool would probably be too small for a larger car.

I was not sure if the chains that came with the support bar should be looped under the engine lift hook, which is what I did, or if a single chain link should be attached to the hook. I attached a few pictures of the tool set up as I would use it, which I plan to do tomorrow.

I am thinking that I will still put a jack (with a piece of wood to spread the force) below the pan to do some lifting, as the support bar is intended for holding rather than for lifting. I will need to jack a little, tighten the chains a little, etc., to move the engine higher if that is something I will need to do in order to remove and replace the engine mount.

That is a great idea. For some reason, I cannot open pictures two and three and they are too small for me to make out exactly what they are. However one and four I can. Picture four looks correct. You are using the removal bracket. Is the other side of the hoist also attached to a lift point? If so, you should be fine.

Let me know.

Joe

Torque Strut Mount and Engine Mount are installed and test driven.

As far as tools go, I also needed to use a half inch drive, as my three eights inch sockets that I initially tried seemed like they might break before the bolts would come loose. I also needed some long socket extensions to allow the socket wrench room to move. I needed a longer handle that I have with my half inch socket wrench/ratchet in order to get enough force to break the bolts free. When I put the bolts back I used a beam torque wrench to tighten the bolts to just over 50 foot pounds, but I am not sure whether that is what is appropriate for a 2001 Camry 5S FE engine. The engine support bar held the engine fine, but I did need to do a little lifting with wood under the oil pan and other nearby parts that I expected would shift with the engine. I simply put the car’s scissors jack under a 2x4 as I did not have any plywood. I did lift a little, then tightened the chains on the support bar, then lifted, then tightened, until I was able to remove the old Engine Mount and install the new one.

The old Engine Mount on this car had a flanged bolt on its top that attaches through a subframe to the Engine Mount. The subframe attaches to the engine. That bolt attaches to a female threaded post on top of the engine mount, and that post literally fell out of the old unit after it was removed. The new unit is slightly different in that a male threaded post that passes through the subframe and requires a nut to fasten it. I also added a washer. The nut a washer did not come with the new Engine Mount, and I had some difficulty figuring out what I needed, which was a metric M12-1.25 nut.

It looks like you did a great job. It wasn't an easy one, either. Regardless, good job and take care!!!

Joe

Thanks.
Are there other mounts that I can check on this 2001 Camry? I still have a little vibration which may be normal, but I also might have damage. Is there a way to check?

Four cylinders usually have some vibration. However, you can check mounts by simply using a bar between the areas the mounts are located and the object they support. You move the bar and watch the mount as it moves. Ideally you only want the mount to move very little and be sure there are no spots where it rubs metal to metal. Also check the exhaust and suspension mounts as noise and vibration can be transferred through those as well.