Cheap DIY urethane motor mounts

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My motor mounts were really bad, so
I went to the wrecking yard in Coos Bay and picked up a set of AT motor mounts for $20.00 and stripped them of all original bushing material. I then filled them with 4 tubes of LOCTITE PL S40 polyurethane window, door & siding at $7.99 each.





Tje jig I put together to locate everything while fulling and curing.


 
There is a quite measurable improvement over the old mounts. Still spongy, but the engine doesn't knock around when shifting, or goosing the throttle in gear.

Front mount driver side view.


Front mount passenger side view.


Rear mount driver side view.



Old mounts were in better shape than the wrecking yard mounts. Perfect for filling gaps with construction adhesive
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Pictured below are my OE MT motor mounts. Like the AT mounts, they are fluid filled. The electronic mount is actually not an electrorheological fluid, like many believe. It simply has a servo motor that adjusts fluid damping like an adjustable shock to decrease vibration at idle.

I have cut away rubber on these two to drain fluid and fill with Locktite PL Premium construction adhesive.

You can see the rear mount on the right has a good sized cavity on the bottom that was fluid filled. I believe this was the cause of my movement.

I just need to clean these up and fill them when I have some spare cash. I will run the white mounts as long as They keep working before I swap these in, but in about three months these should be done and on stand-by.



Loctite_PL_Premium_Polyurethane_Adhesive_10_Oz_1390595-2386.png
 
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Before anyone tries to flame me for being cheap, this was an attempt to solve the problem of a [censored] design. Stock motor mounts are too soft for my liking, and replacement mounts are known to fail within months of installation.

My goal here was to make a semi-solid mount that would never break down and allow movement.
 
Originally Posted By: Shannow
You sir are a legend...thanks for posting.
Thank you.

Originally Posted By: eljefino
So you lived with a rocking motor for four months?


I lived with a rocking motor for 5 years, because my mounts were shot, despite outwardly looking good. But If your asking if I drove without mounts for 4 months, no. I modded wrecking yard mounts for zero downtime.
 
Originally Posted By: JustinH
So, on rockauto there aren't any decent motor mounts for this car?


No decent ones according to reviews on Maxima.ORG, and OEM are insanely priced. The design relies on hydraulics and valving rather than just ample rubber to locate and isolate the engine. Its a poor design in my opinion, and one that cannot be cheaply replicated with any kind of quality.
 
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Originally Posted By: Char Baby
I have never seen anyone do this. Well Done Sir!


3M window weld is the superior product as far as caulk goes, but Mcmaster Carr and energy suspension has a pourable 2 part molding polyurethane. This is a popular mod for the Honda tuners.
 
Good work! I've been debating/procrastinating upgrading the torque mount in my Focus for a year now. It looks fine but allows a little too much engine movement for my taste. I should call the wreckers and get a used mount and try filling it as well.
 
The PT Cruiser goes through motor mounts like crazy. I have seen people on the PT forums fill in the oem mounts with stuff like this. Good job!
 
Good idea. When I had an mr2 spyder someone on spyderchat was selling home-made motor mounts...but these were more or less "puzzle pieces" that filled in the gaps of the original mounts.
 
I used to use Hockey pucks on some H-body GM 3800 V6 engines. Drill a hole through three hockey pucks, put a 6" grade 8 bolt through them and slap it in.

Best motor mount I've ever used, and longest lasting by far...
 
Originally Posted By: dailydriver
COOL!
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But these cannot be as rigid as either Prothane's or Energy Suspension's aftermarket mounts (IF that is what one wants), correct?
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Correct, they are somewhere between stock and ES/Prothane but definitely on the stiffer side. After driving to work I can say I am very happy with them as long as they hold up.
 
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