RobTR3 Posted November 16, 2020 Report Share Posted November 16, 2020 Gentlemen I need to renew both engine mountings on my TR3. I understand from reading previous posts that this is feasible with the engine in situ. However, the posts do not list the steps needed i.e. disconnections prior to jacking the engine up from under the sump. The engine would need to be raised roughly one to one & half inches to clear engine mounting pin. I have identified the following steps - Drain engine coolant and disconnect top and water pump housing hose from engine. Disconnect clutch fluid pipe at clutch master cylinder. Remove gearbox tunnel. Separate exhaust downpipe at cruciform. Are there any other connections I need to be aware of e.g. the rear gearbox mountings, do I need to loosen these, or is there enough 'freeplay'. The fuel connection from the tank has a braided hose from fuel tap(chassis connection) to the fuel pump, so this should be OK. Your advice as always will be appreciated. Rob Quote Link to post Share on other sites
james christie Posted November 16, 2020 Report Share Posted November 16, 2020 I did this about four years ago and so the details of the operation have already faded into the mists of time. The height through which the engine has to be lifted is of course more than you expected so get it as high as you can. Jack up the sump at the front using a hefty piece of wood to spread the load around a bit. Removal of the old mountings is fairly easy. They may even fall out once loosened! You’ll need octopus fingers and some ingenuity to get the fasteners and washers back into place *OK for disconnecting various water hoses *No need to remove clutch hoses *I don’t recall removing the gearbox tunnel - unless you are replacing the gearbox mounting as well - and yes there is plenty of ‘freeplay’ *No need to touch the exhaust pipe Don’t forget to reconnect the earth strap! Good luck james Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Hamish Posted November 16, 2020 Report Share Posted November 16, 2020 As James said. I would get the revington uprated versions. A lot more robust and reduces engine rocking. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Lebro Posted November 16, 2020 Report Share Posted November 16, 2020 Yes I also thought same as James, no need to remove more than necessary. Bob. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Ian Vincent Posted November 16, 2020 Report Share Posted November 16, 2020 (edited) My engine mounting points on the chassis had one fixed nut and one nut and bolt on each side and the nut and bolt required triple jointed fingers to do it up, so whilst I had my engine out I fitted a couple of 8mm rivnuts in place of the nuts and bolts so I now have two captive nuts on each mounting point. It made bolting the engine back down a whole lot simpler. I also elongated the holes in the engine front plate to allow me to insert spacers should they be required. Rgds Ian Edited November 17, 2020 by Ian Vincent Quote Link to post Share on other sites
stuart Posted November 17, 2020 Report Share Posted November 17, 2020 10 hours ago, Ian Vincent said: My engine mounting points on the chassis had one fixed nut and one nut and bolt and the nut and bolt on each side and required triple jointed fingers to do it up, so whilst I had my engine out I fitted a couple of 8mm rivnuts in place of the nuts and bolts so I now have two captive nuts on each mounting point. It made bolting the engine back down a whole lot simpler. I also elongated the holes in the engine front plate to allow me to insert spacers should they be required. Rgds Ian Thats why I always weld an extra nut on the mounting plate when I do a rebuild. Stuart. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Lebro Posted November 17, 2020 Report Share Posted November 17, 2020 (edited) Something to consider while my engine is out, I am also considering changing the lower radiator mounting so the bolt goes down from the top instead up up from underneath where you cant get at it with a radiator guard fitted. Bob. Edited November 17, 2020 by Lebro Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Hamish Posted November 17, 2020 Report Share Posted November 17, 2020 Bob fireman tom gave me a really useful tip. cut a slot in the bolt ( the threaded end.) so you can reverse screw it in from the top. i think it was the one on the left next to the steering box that I had trouble with and his tip helped a lot. his pic not mine. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Ian Vincent Posted November 17, 2020 Report Share Posted November 17, 2020 (edited) 39 minutes ago, Lebro said: Something to consider while my engine is out, I am also considering changing the lower radiator mounting so the bolt goes down from the top instead up up from underneath where you cant get at it with a radiator guard fitted. Bob. At the risk of teaching Grandma.....If you are going to go this way Bob, you can get reduced head rivnuts that have a chamfer rather than a flange. There is enough meat on the engine mount to accept a small countersink to accomodate this head and allow the surface of the engine mount to be flat. You don't need a rivnut tool to install them, it is easy enough with a suitable nut bolt and washer. I used 8mm as that was the nearest readily available to the 5/16" setscrew that is the other fixing. Rgds Ian Edited November 17, 2020 by Ian Vincent Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Lebro Posted November 17, 2020 Report Share Posted November 17, 2020 All good stuff, with give both options some thought. Bob. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
RobTR3 Posted November 17, 2020 Author Report Share Posted November 17, 2020 Thank you James, looks less dismantling than I thought. Access is a bit difficult and I can see why you need Octopus fingers. I'll give it a go when I get the new mountings. Rob Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Hamish Posted November 18, 2020 Report Share Posted November 18, 2020 From memory the engine mounts use nylock nuts. you may find it easier to use spring washers and a thread lock fluid with an ordinary nut so you can finger tighten them and only need a little ratchet work to fully tighten. where as nylocks need load of ratchet work from the beginning and space is tight. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Tony_C Posted November 18, 2020 Report Share Posted November 18, 2020 21 hours ago, Hamish said: Bob fireman tom gave me a really useful tip. cut a slot in the bolt ( the threaded end.) so you can reverse screw it in from the top. i think it was the one on the left next to the steering box that I had trouble with and his tip helped a lot. his pic not mine. Thanks Hamish Warning...... thread drift....... Tom, if you are still monitoring at least, hope you are doing OK....... I, for one, Miss your input on here!.... Look after yourself and hope to see you back anytime you are ready Cheers, Tony thread drift over and Tony ‘out’.. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
RobTR3 Posted November 18, 2020 Author Report Share Posted November 18, 2020 2 hours ago, Hamish said: From memory the engine mounts use nylock nuts. you may find it easier to use spring washers and a thread lock fluid with an ordinary nut so you can finger tighten them and only need a little ratchet work to fully tighten. where as nylocks need load of ratchet work from the beginning and space is tight. Yep, worth thinking about Hamish. I looked at the access when inspecting the mounts and I took the dynamo off which gives better access to the R/H mount, but still, getting a spanner on the three nuts is still a bit awkward. On the near side I'll disconnect the radiator hose at the water pump housing, I can then push the hose and metal water pipe away from the mounting. I think the L/H side is the more awkward for access. I intend to just remove the centre nuts first and, after disconnecting hoses etc, just jack up the engine to ensure I can clear the mount centre pin before removing the mounting nuts themselves. Apart from this, my main concern is that I can line up the new mounts again and drop the engine back OK. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Ralph Whitaker Posted November 19, 2020 Report Share Posted November 19, 2020 Drifting off topic, the pic is of the engine mounting plate on my old chassis, which clearly has 2 sets of mounting holes for the mounting rubber. Both sides are the same and look to be "factory". My replacement chassis has only the one set of bolt holes. Were some engines mounted higher than others for some reason? Ralph Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Ian Vincent Posted November 19, 2020 Report Share Posted November 19, 2020 (edited) My chassis has two sets of holes in the mounting plate but I only use the bottom ones. Rgds Ian Edited November 30, 2020 by Ian Vincent Quote Link to post Share on other sites
John McCormack Posted November 19, 2020 Report Share Posted November 19, 2020 Mine had one set of holes, on both cars. TR2s. Last I did it I did not have to disconnect anything. Jack the engine up just enough to get the mounts out and new ones in. If you can see significant strain on the radiator hoses you might have to loosen them (drain the radiator etc) but I didn't need to. The gearbox mount should be replaced as they get oil soaked and give up. Remove the gearbox tunnel, take the box weight with a jack and remove and replace the mount. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Hamish Posted November 19, 2020 Report Share Posted November 19, 2020 Quite a few wrap the gearbox mount in a fairly robust plastic bag (just the threads protruding) to try and protect them a little mine was shot despite the PO wrapping it. I just occasionally spray a degreaser or traffic film remover around there now. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
BlueTR3A-5EKT Posted November 19, 2020 Report Share Posted November 19, 2020 57 minutes ago, Hamish said: Quite a few wrap the gearbox mount in a fairly robust plastic bag (just the threads protruding) to try and protect them a little mine was shot despite the PO wrapping it. I just occasionally spray a degreaser or traffic film remover around there now. ...and fill the void with sikaflex to make it stiffer Peter W Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Hamish Posted November 19, 2020 Report Share Posted November 19, 2020 1 hour ago, BlueTR3A-5EKT said: ...and fill the void with sikaflex to make it stiffer Peter W Revington uprated ones are solid rubber 70 shore rating I think Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Ralph Whitaker Posted November 20, 2020 Report Share Posted November 20, 2020 On 11/19/2020 at 7:36 AM, Ian Vincent said: My chassis has two sets of holes in the mounting plate but I only use the top ones. Rgds Ian The mountings on the old chassis were on the bottom pair of holes, the remains of the plate are still on the other side, and if you look closely at the pic you can see the top hole with the captive nut is full of muck and the bottom one clean. I never checked which pair of holes correspond the the single set on my replacement chassis. I had never heard of there being 2 sets of holes and assumed my chassis was unique, now disproved, but why are there chassis out there with 2 sets?. I did wonder if it was done for export markets with rougher roads to give the engine a bit more sump clearance. Perhaps someone out there knows. Ralph Quote Link to post Share on other sites
John McCormack Posted November 20, 2020 Report Share Posted November 20, 2020 16 hours ago, Hamish said: Revington uprated ones are solid rubber 70 shore rating I think I bought a sheet of copper and made a cover to protect the mount from oil coming aft. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
RobTR3 Posted November 30, 2020 Author Report Share Posted November 30, 2020 I changed the mountings in the last few days having bought the updated ones from Revington. Just about double the cost, but worth it for the long term I feel. Apart from the rubber being harder the centre pin is a shorter and smaller diameter than the standard mountings which does help with installation as it allows more flexibility when positioning between chassis and engine plate. I have attached photos of the old mountings. The photos show how much the steady brackets had pressed into the rubber mount and distorted the ru bber mount forward. The rubber had gone soft and was splitting where it impacted the steady mounts. Jacking up the engine worked OK, but to give better access I took off the dynamo and adjusting bracket for the R/H mount and, after draining the coolant, disconnected the hose at the water pump housing which enabled me to push the hose and metal pipe away from the L/H mount. I loosely fitted the mounts to the engine plate first and then lowered the engine to just above the chassis where I could line up the mounting holes with the chassis holes. As I said above the smaller diameter centre pin gives more flexibility. Strange sensation on starting the engine for the first time, the front of the car felt like a concrete block! Over the years you get used to the shaking I suppose. Rob Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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