The rear motor mount on my 98 Protege 1.5L is totally destroyed and needs to be replaced. I've got the part, but when I went to change it I had no clue how to get the old one off. There's a bulge in the firewall directly above two of the nuts I need to loosen, so there's no way to get a socket on it, or even a closed wrench. It appears that an open wrench from the back is the only possible way to get it, but even then with that I can't get it down onto the nut because of the firewall.

Usually I don't like looking like an idiot, but if someone wants to tell me something obvious that makes me feel like a moron for having to ask, that would be great. I'm totally lost on how to get this thing off.

Thanks!

 

you need to get this off from the top. it is really hard to do if you don't have the right tools. when i did mine, i pulled everything off of the motor behind the intake manifold and pulled everything off of the firewall. then, i used a 2 foot extension with a pivot and a 17mm socket, i believe. it is good to have someone under the car guiding the socket onto the nut while you drop it down into the engine bay. this is still not easy to do, but it is the easiest way to do it.

 

THE MOUNT IS BOLTED DOWN TO THE SUB FRAME SO U HAVE TO REMOVE OR LOWER THE SUBFRAME JUST ENOUGHT TO FIT A SOCKET OVER THE 3 NUTS BEHIND THE MOUNT. THERES NO OTHER WAY AROUND IT TRUST ME. I SPENT HOURS TRYING TO FIGURE OUT A WAY AROUND IT.

-1ST REMOVE THE ONE BOLT GOING THRU THE MIDDLE OF THE MOUNT BUT MAKE SURE TO SUPPORT THE ENGINE..I USED A JACK ON THE OIL PAN..
-U ALSO HAVE TO LOOSEN UP THE STEERING RACK SO IT DOESNT GET PULLED ALONG WITH THE SUBFRAME..ITS HELD BY 4 NUTS..2 ON EACH SIDE..
-THEN U STARTREMOVING BOLTS ON THE SUBFRAME...ITS HELD BY 6 BOLTS..1 ON EACH SIDE LOCATED ON TOP OF THE LOWER CONTROL ARMS AND THEN 2 MORE ON EACH SIDE AT EACH END OF THE SUBFRAME.

BECAUSE OF THE CROSSMEMBER BEING BOLTED TO THE MIDDLE OF THE SUBFRAM..IT WILL KEEP IT UP BUT USE JACKSTANDS ON EACH SIDE SO THAT IT DOESNT GO TOO LOW TO THE POINT WHERE U CANT RAISE IT BACK UP....ITS VERY HEAVY..YOU'LL PROBABLY NEED A JACK TO RAISE IT BACK UP..I DID.. HAVE FUN!!

 

i have never dropped the subframe. i have done a few of these on my cars and other people's cars and above is the way that i do.

 

I removed mine with a flexable head 17 mm wrench, it was a bear to do.

 

For anyone who is looking to do this, (I was!) I finally got mine done with a combination of the above - No need to take anything off the engine from above (or remove wheels) - as long as you have an extension that will reach down to the mount bolts you're good, just weave it down between lines. Jack up the car, support on frame not subframe or control arms/joints.Douse all nuts in wd40 or PB. You HAVE to have a wobble socket adapter - I got to the front nut (the one by itself) with a 17 mm socket, universal joint, 2 ft extensions back up to top of engine and an 18" breaker bar to crack the nut - they break loose with a nasty crack, like you've just rounded out the socket,( which you can do with cheapo sockets - get a good one), but the rear two nuts cannot be reached with anything. You can reach a flex head wrench from below up over the subframe along the firewall angle, but you can't get any purchase and the flanges on the mount bracket stop you turning anything anyway. You HAVE to then drop the subframe almost as far as you can get it. First, remove that round rubber thingy that is mounted to the engine crossmember - where that awful Haynes manual tells you the rear engine mount is connected (it's be so easy if that was the case - guessing 90-95 was there and they missed it for 98-00?) to give you more access from below. Support engine at oil pan on a jack or block of wood - wedge it in. Remove rear mount bolt from bracket/bushing - inside nut is a pain to get at. Loosen up the steering rack (remove the nuts and U-brackets, a bit fiddly but not too bad) and pull the rack off the bolts - the inner one is a bit of a bear, ther're only so much flex in the PS lines and the rack catches on the top bolt a bit. With this rack loose (someone elsewhere suggested that you could disconnect the steering column in the cabin at the U-connection below the universal joint (mark the orientation on bolt and bracket to realign first - but I wasnt sure so I did it this way) you can put a jack under the subframe and remove the two nuts either side of the control arm bracket (2 inner ones just hold lca to frame,) and the nut up through the LCA on the top of the K frame - the one with a long pointy stud. These might be tough to break loose too. Then you can start dropping the subframe a little at a time via the jack - might need a crowbar to break it loose from some rust. keep checking on the steering rack to make sure it doesnt get hung up, use a crowbar if you needd to to get the subframe moving, you'll reach a point where the rack gets tight again and stop - this is as far as you can go - 2-3 inches - but should be enough that you can get a 17 mm socket on the two rear nuts now! Firewall is still in the direct way, but a wobble drive gets you to the angle needed to get the extension on from aboe/back of engine, and heave away to break loose the nuts. mounts hould come out easy, and bracket off too. Reverse to put in new bracket/mount and get the nuts on - at this point I did them up tight cos once you start to raise the frame you loose access to them again! Check mount to ensure the bushing is straight (mine got caught on the bracket and it was a b@tch to get it straight since I didnt notice until I'd put everything back together and went to put the mount bolt back in - bolt won't go back in until you've raise up the subframe with the jack. Getting it up far enough to get the nuts back on might be tough - think without the weight of the car the front springs push the engine up and the LCA down! But it should all go back fairly easily, keep checking the rack so it doesnt catch; you should be able to put the brackets back and tighten the rack up, then try getting the bolt back through the bushing - crobar and big screwdriver helps here but once you get it started and wiggled it goes through ok. Thats about it - took me a sunday, on and off. The other three engine mounts were easy.

 

I was scrolling across automotive repair websites the other day and I found a fairly modern one https://www.wrenchxd.com You can ask questions and have other experience members help you out cheers!

 

So after 6 years I managed to get husband to put rear mount in. First up, the question was you know u have a tranny leak right? No I said . Then the cussing began. He is not a happy mechanic, but on good side he has every good tool to do repair for he works on heavy equipment. Wish us luck.