The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area Engine Shop Installing front mount

Quick question: the shop manual for my 54 1/2 ton seems to indicate that you can replace the front mount without pulling the whole engine. I've got my balancer and front cover off, so now is the time to replace this if I can. After loosening the rear mounts, will the oil pan support the weight of the engine if I use a floor jack and board to prop up the front end of the engine? I read some good posts here about the front mount, its parts, and tips for re-installation. None of them were clear about installing it with the engine in the truck. Thanks for your help.

Greg,

I would not attempt to lift the engine by lifting from below the oil pan (no matter how you might contrive to distribute the weight).

I'd suggest lifting the engine from above with a hoist (if the hood is off) or with a rolling shop crane.

Tim

Tim-

I agree that your suggestion is the safer way to do things, but I don't have a hoist (plus the hood is on) nor do I have a rolling shop crane. Does anyone else have any ideas or experience on the matter?

The instructions here in the shop manual under "Checking Clearance of Used Front Support" lack detail, and I wish they explain how you are supposed to "remove engine front support" after only "loosen rear engine mountings".

I really want to replace the mount, and I have the part on order. So any additional thoughts would be appreciated. Thanks.

Do you have a tree and a come along. I pulled many an engine with a tree limb and a chain hoist. As far as the hood, it's only a few bolts away from being off.

I've used a boat cushion on top of a piece of 12"X12" 3/4" thick plywood to raise the engine with a floor jack with no adverse effects. A couple folds of carpet should also work just fine.

When changing out the front mount, be very careful to follow the shop manuals instructions and get the rubber replacement installed correctly. (it can be installed upside down.) I've also noted that the replacement insert is just a tad thinner than the original. It will raise the top 1/8" plate (under the dust cover) up to the required clearance WITHOUT the engine weight. When I installed the mount and lowered the engine, the top plate and base made contact. I discovered that the hard way! To correct this situation I placed the mount assembly in a vise and applied what I felt was 600 pounds of force. There was metal to metal contact (which I had already noted inside the cab while driving) so I followed their advice and ground down the base top edge to establish the correct clearance. This correction of what I considered to be a routine operation, was labor intensive and I would advise anyone to make sure that the correct clearance is established BEFORE you button things up and drive the truck.

BTW.....no engine vibration feedback through the body or steering column.

Dave

When I did mine on the 49 I put a 2x4 under the pan, loosened the rear mounts and jacked the engine. You are not going up very high and I had no trouble with the method of lifting nor damaging the oil pan.

Here's what I did. I made a"U" shaped wood assembly out of 2 X 6 material. I cut the two pieces of 2 X 6 the proper length to go on end under each side of the pan rail. I allowed it to stick about an inch below the pan where I was going to push it up, in front of the axle. I cut a third piece of 2 X 6 to span across under the two end pieces sticking up. I assembled this "U" shaped piece and set it on the jack pad in the center. I loosened all bolts on the front mount, both the mount bolts and the engine bolts. I jacked the engine up slowly checking each time I applied some lift to the jack until I could remove the bolts. After the bolts were out, the mount slid out. I reassembled the same way. I didn't loosend the rear mounts to do this, but that might have helped. I might have been lucky, but it worked great and took about an hour. On reassembly, I also managed to get the metal protector in on top of the mount. Be sure to keep an eye on the upper radiator hose during this exercise. Mine flexed enough, but that could be an issue depending on how your hose meets the radiator.
I did the rear mounts the same way, only I atttemped one side at a time. Using the pan rail to raise the engine is the key. I will tell you, the rears took an afternoon to do - a little more time consuming than the front one. On the rears, be sure to loosen the exhaust pipe or exhaust pipes if you are running headers or a split manifold. The pipes can "float" around a little better while you are raising the engine if they are loose. After you finish, be sure not to forget to tighten them up.
Replacing totally stopped clutch chatter. My old mounts were in terrible shape. I figure they were the 70 year old originals!

Joe

One thing for anyone doing this with a fan in place - make certain it doesn't hit the rad when you are lifting the engine.

Thanks for all the great tips and suggestions. Luckily I have the fan and radiator out of the ways, so my only concern is just raising the engine. I usually try not to cut corners, but I think I'll give the engine a lift from underneath and hedge my bets. It sounds like quite a few people have done this without damaging the pan or engine. Thanks again!