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Motor Mount Replacement

40K views 22 replies 11 participants last post by  Pilgrim 
#1 ·
Ok, I have replaced 3 of the motor mounts on our 2005 Nissan Murano 2WD.
I went back with solid rubber mounts, from Oreillys, cost was about $400 for all three mounts.

Tools;
1. 17mm sockets, end wrench, stubby wrench, and 65* offset wrench
2. 14 mm sockets and end wrenches
3. 10 mm sockets and end wrenches
4. 1 bottle jack and some 2" x 6" 's, a square 2" x 6" under the oil pan will work for jacking up the engine without causing any damage.
5. Impacts will help a lot, 1/4" cordless and 1/2" air if you have them.
6. Floor jack and jack stands

First thing I would do is put the vehicle up on jack-stands, remove the front tires, remove the inner splash guard on the passenger side.
The mount on top of the engine is the easiest by far, remove the radiator reservoir, disconnect the hose from the radiator, and set the whole assembly out of the way. Now you should be able to see the 2 bolt holding the top engine mount to the body, just remove the 2 bolts from the body, then one nut on the mount from the top along with the bolt in the middle, next go through the splash-guard service section to remove the nut from the under side of the top mount.

The rear mount was probably the worse out of all three. There is a bracket that strengthens the mount that runs from the mount to the cross-member (front drivers side of mount), remove the 2 bolts holding this on and get it out of the way. There is a heat shield on the passenger side that is bolted to the cross-member, 2 bolts holding it as well, remove it and get it out of the way. I would get as much as I possibly could off of the car and out of the way as room is limited, your gonna need all the space you can get and you are going to probably reposition yourself from several different angles. I would also suggest that once you have the majority of the bolts off and you are down to that last bolt that runs through the center of the mount, I would get a sawzall or something and cut that bolt in half, just so I could get the mount off. Take the bracket off the engine, hog that threaded hole out and pass a bolt through the hogged out side and put a nut on the other side. Nissan used a 5" bolt and made that mount so you would have to extract it from the passenger side, which the exhaust manifold is directly in the way and they only leave you 2.5" to remove a 5" bolt. Where as the other side (driver side) has tons of room. Absolutely makes no sense to me and you can argue engineering all you want, but what difference does it make when they use huge bolts on a mount that is going to fail long before the bolts do. Anyway, that's my take on the rear mount between the engine and the firewall.

The one located between the radiator and the engine is relatively easy. Just remove the air-duct assembly for the intake, disconnect your battery cables, pull the battery on out, remove the battery pan, it has 5 bolts holding it in position, slip the black box off of the battery pan and push it to the side, you are going to need the battery pan out of the way so you can finagle the fan shroud assembly out of there. Now you can disconnect the 2 bolts in the top of the dual fan mount, disconnect the electrical connections to both fans, I just cut all of the factory zip ties loose, and snake the dual fan assembly up and out of the way. You will also need to loosen the lower splash guard, just disconnect it from the radiator support so it will swing down and out of the way so you can access the mount from both sides of the radiator support. There is a weight on the drivers side of this mount, maybe 40 lbs or something, has 2 nuts holding it on, real easy to remove and it helps to get it out of the way. Once everything is out of the way this is probably the easiest mount to do.
The bottle jack will come into play when you are doing the lower 2 mounts. Which is also why you do not install the top mount until last (no reason to be torquing on a new mount before it goes into service.

I was having trouble getting the bolt to pass through the center of the front mount, I could not get it to go through. So I finally decided to remove it then with the bolt and mount in each hand I tried to pass the bolt through, it would not go, the bolt was straight and not damaged or distorted in any way, it was the bushing inside of the mount that was distorted and would not allow the bolt to pass through. So check all of these parts before you put the on and have problems.

Another note on the new mounts is I had to bend the mount out so it would slip over the bracket on the car. I used 2 crescent wrenches and just tweaked them somewhat and it was still a tight fit. But not to worry once you get the bolts in and tightened down all of this will straighten right up!
Maybe the new mounts from Nissan are made in a plant that has higher quality control than the China knock-offs and are easier to work with????
 
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#2 ·
Jakson-

:29: Excellent write-up.

I will copy your post into a separate thread under the Maintenance section and make it a "sticky".

-njjoe
 
#4 ·
I have a question, a few of my mounts are bad I here it bump bump bump noise and I'm certain that's what it is. Main question if I don't replace mounts will it cause more expensive trouble to something else?
Well, I don't think I would let this maintenance issue go for to long unattended.
The motor torquing around, unlike it is supposed to, probably is not good on other components on down the line, like the transmission, half shafts............

Plus I would think that this would hurt performance and mileage.
Motors are not supposed to torque around! Well, no to that extent.
 
#5 ·
Question in the rear mount. You say cut the original bolt so you can get it out, then hog out the threads on the mounting bracket. Did you have to shave off the bolt in order to get a nut on the other side?

My rear mount is leaking on my 04 SL AWD as it's fluid filled. I picked up another OEM bolt since I heard the original bolt had to be cut to get out the mount. I'm thinking about going down to get a new nut from a local bolt shop but am worried about the bolt being too short.

Thoughts? Maybe you went with a non-OEM bolt?
 
#6 ·
Need to replace the front and upper right motor mounts on my Murano. I called a place and they asked if they have wires :confused:

How do I know if these two mounts have wires? The upper right mount doesn't looks like it has any wiring. The front mount I can't tell.
 
#7 ·
Question: is the "rear" mount referred to the one on the driver's side at the lower end of the engine?

I would normally refer to this as a "driver's side mount"....but mine is bad and I'm trying to get the referent correct. It appears to be one with an electrical connection.

Transverse engine mounting makes my brain hurt.
 
#8 ·
I believe the front mount is the one between the radiator and engine. The rear one is the one between the firewall and engine; by the power steering rack and pinion. The upper right, is the one by the coolant reservoir.

Technically though, since the engine is mounted on the vehicle sideways (transverse), the upper one by the coolant reservoir would be the "front", the one by the radiator would be the left, and the one by the rack and pinion would be the right.

Did I just confuse you more? Cause I think I just confused myself :)
 
#9 ·
Diagram of Motor Mounts

Here's a picture of a diagram which shows the mounts and locations on a '05 Murano like mine. The two highlighted in red are the two I am replacing, the other two highlighted in green I am not replacing as they seem to still be ok.
 

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#10 ·
I just replaced two motor mounts on my 07...the one at the top right of the vehicle and the front center one.

The comments in the first post are VERY helpful. Some additional notes:

- To get the radiator fans out, you will have to take the top radiator hose off the radiator. No way to snake them out otherwise. Since the car isn't running you won't lose a lot, but have some 50/50 antifreeze/water ready to fill up afterwards.

- There are a number of bolts that are best approached with a socket on a "wobble extension" which allows the extension to be angled off-center from the socket. This is especially true of the right top mount.

Here is an image of wobble extensions....



- The bolts on the front center mount were INCREDIBLY tight. I mean, they were "use a breaker bar and brace both feet on the sub-frame to get enough purchase to break them loose" tight. They were as tight as my strength would go...if they had been any tighter I'd have had a problem. I came very close to rounding off the head of one bolt, but went to a parts store and bought a 1/2" drive, 6-point 17MM socket which fit exactly correctly. DO NOT try removing these bolts with a 12-point socket or you're likely to create a big problem for yourself.

I don't know whether all these are overtightened from the factory, but they are very difficult to break loose. Be warned, be careful to get perfect socket-to-bolt contact, and don't try it without a breaker bar to get enough leverage.

- I bought an OEM Nissan front center mount, but I ran into an odd problem. The top bolt goes through a metal sleeve which is mounted in the center of the rubber mount. The replacement mount had a sleeve about 3/16" too wide to fit inside the ears of the receiver bracket into which it fits. I solved this by using my bench grinder to take around 1/8" of metal off the sleeve on both sides. Otherwise I'd have had a big project prying the ears of the receiver out enough to get the mount in.

I spent about 5 hours total on this job. Of that, probably 90 minutes were spent fighting that stinkin' overtightened bolt on the front center mount, and another 30 minutes finding a socket to remove it. Another 30 minutes were spent in grinding down the sleeve so I could get the replacement front center mount into the mounting ears of the receiver bracket.

Now it's craft brew time.

EDIT: How did I know I needed motor mounts? (This may help someone else.)

When the car was first started, put in gear and driven, there was audible noise from the lower engine area, sounding very much like the exhaust system was touching the frame and transferring noise and vibration to the interior. After the car warmed up for a few minutes, this went away. I checked the exhaust but found nothing out of place. After a while, I figured out that failed motor mounts must be letting the engine shift far enough to transfer more noise to the interior.

This theory was confirmed this AM after changing the mounts. I started the car on an 18 degree morning and the sound level was just as it should be when I put it in gear and drove off.

So one tipoff to bad motor mounts can be increased engine noise and vibration when it's cold - diminishing after it's warmed up.
 
#11 ·
So one tipoff to bad motor mounts can be increased engine noise and vibration when it's cold - diminishing after it's warmed up.
I replaced the same two motor mounts you did back in early December. When I first replaced them I noticed some engine noise and vibration when turning the vehicle on and cold then going away as the vehicle warmed up, just like you stated. As I mentioned though these are new motor mounts.

Also, it's been extremely cold in NJ so the vehicle takes longer to warm up. While cold the rpm stays at around 2,000 then as it warms up it gradually drops to around 500-1,000 rpm.

As the rpm drops the engine noise and vibration go almost completely away. There seems to be a correlation with the engine noise/vibration and the higher rpm, and also the engines temperature.

What do you think?
 
#12 ·
I'm not sure. I think that somewhere on this forum someone offered an opinion as to why the electrical connections exist.

The front mount was really torn up and not holding much, and it's the only one with an electrical connection that I replaced. I used an OEM mount there because of the mysterious electrical connection.

I can only guess that the electrical connection is supposed to change the characteristics of the mount in some way...but I don't recall any specifics.

The change in noise level for me is especially audible when starting the car cold and first driving it. With the bad mounts is was really noisy then - replacing them reduced the noise transmitted from the engine.
 
#13 ·
I'm not sure. I think that somewhere on this forum someone offered an opinion as to why the electrical connections exist.

The front mount was really torn up and hot holding much, and it's the only one with an electrical connection that I replaced. I used an OEM mount there because of the mysterious electrical connection.

I can only guess that the electrical connection is supposed to change the characteristics of the mount in some way...but I don't recall any specifics.

The change in noise level for me is especially audible when starting the car cold and first driving it. With the bad mounts is was really noisy then - replacing them reduced the noise transmitted from the engine.
I did some research before buying the motor mounts and based on what I found, the front mount has a sensor which monitors the engine rpm and depending on the rpm the sensor either stiffens or loosens the rubber in the mount to lessen the engine noise and vibration.
 
#14 ·
Thanks! If it really works that way it's a miracle that it doesn't cost $400.

EDIT: One more note - after the motor mount replacement, the car is perceptibly faster quicker to respond to throttle inputs, and the driveline feels more responsive.

I can only figure that the motor mounts were allowing enough engine movement that it was causing slack in the driveline and a small but perceptible lag in throttle response. I remember that before replacing the mounts, I was not feeling great about the way the car was accelerating or responding to throttle inputs.
 
#16 ·
My front - radiator side - mount has finally leaked out - 11270-CA003/11270-CN20B. Same deal as mentioned above, removing the battery and tray, top radiator hose and radiator fan assembly.

One tip to lessen the coolant mess. Get a clean thin clear tubing (aquarium air pump size) and inserted it in the radiator cap end. Siphon as much as you can - hose does not sink too deep. Got about 700ml. When you slowly disconnect the top radiator hose, put a rag around it to catch the little coolant that will come out. Have a small cup ready to pour the rest of the coolant in the hose twisting/tilting it to the right. Now you can bend the hose back towards the cvt dipstick pointed upwards and tie it there with a wire.

Removing the 3 bolts of the mount was fairly easy for me- no rust - no stuck bolts. Removed the old mount - comes out from the top in the space between the radiator. Sure enough there is a tear in the rubber on both sides. Decided on OEM - ebay $176 - Did not want the wife to complain about any new vibration from aftermarket. The trick in putting the new one in is raising the engine until the top half bolt hole weld inside the mount bracket clears the center hole of the rubber mount. The bottom half of the bracket hole has no weld and thus wider enabling the mount to slide without much effort once you lift the engine high enough. I think this is where Pilgrim went the extra effort of grinding down the mount center hole thinner to make it fit. Once I got the correct height of the engine, all bolts went in easy enough. Put a dab of anti-seize. Torque the 3 bolts 65 ft.lb. Then its just a matter of putting back everything in reverse order.

I will be checking the passenger side mount if I need that one replaced as well, most probably. Will update. I need to do a store run for a gal. of prestone coolant/distilled water.
 

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#17 ·
Nice post! One more think I'll mention, although this is dim memory now...I think I used a hydraulic bottle jack to support the engine when the front lower mount was out. If this is necessary, be careful not to put excess pressure on the oil pan - find a way to support it that spreads out the load, or make the point of contact on the block instead of the oil pan. I often use a section of 2x12 between jack and engine, or some other way to spread the weight and support the engine. I honestly don't remember this part of the procedure clearly now, but I think that the engine support was needed.
 
#18 ·
Easiest way to hold the engine is from above. Find a place to strap and hold it with a come along. I’ve put cushions under a 6”x6” that rests on the fenders on cheap cars. They make supports that look kinda like strut tower braces. They come in handy. I don’t work like that on cars anymore though so I can’t tell you where to go to buy the best.
 
#19 ·
Never planned in using the thin oil pan. I place a 4X4X10" -lengthwise - just to the left of the cvt fins - its fits like a niche. Sitting where the engine and cvt is joined. Then another 4x4X5" a bit shorter to sit on my floor jack cradle. Works great and no movement. I'll take a pic next time I do the passenger mount.
 
#21 ·
Hey guys so I just bought a 07 Nissan Murano front wheel drive. Found a cable hanging down that goes into the rear motor mount the one that sits right next to the rack and pinion and above the exhaust. Can’t find any where the cable would plug to you I’m trying to figure out if maybe whoever had the vehicle before me bought a universal part that had the sensor and that doesn’t plug in anywhere on mine, Or if I can’t just see where it plugs into. Any help would be greatly appreciated
 
#22 ·
I believe that both the front and rear mounts in the 1st generation are electronically-controlled. You can post some pics of the area, but I would guess that the connector is up high and probably best accessed from up top so I would suggest removing the whole airbox and seeing if you can find the connector on the wiring harness side. Given that you just bought the car, I wouldn't be surprised if that's been unplugged for a long time and may be quite corroded.
 
#23 ·
On a 2007 Murano, the mount under the battery is not electronic. The one at the left front of the engine does have an electronic connection, but it's just a single connector if I recall correctly. I think the connection in front is behind the fascia on the bottom of the front end, so it wouldn't be visible without removing some of the plastic material under the bumper.

I changed both on my 07 and this is the way I remember it.

But the OP notes that it's near the rear mount, so the front two mounts are probably irrelevant. I haven't messed with the rear mount, but comments here have indicated that it's a bit difficult to reach.
 
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