t2d2

iTrader: (8)

I'm swapping the Supra rear sway bar setup from the '94 over to the '98. Everything has gone smoothly except for one unexpected hitch: I can't get the subframe mounts to budge on the '98. The 22mm end nuts are off and I've removed the four 12mm nuts from one mount or the other at a time (not both at once so things don't shift). I've gone at both mounts with multiple pry bars and they won't relinquish their hold.

Has anyone run into this before? Solutions?? I couldn't find any mention of it. It seems like the bushing is way too tight on the shaft the 22mm nut threads onto. I'll keep plugging away at it, but if anyone has suggestions in the meantime, it would be appreciated.

t2d2

iTrader: (8)

Actually, it's a metal sleeve within the bushing. Probably metal on metal is seized. I've got PB Blaster on it for a few minutes...

t2d2

iTrader: (8)

Bump.

I had my exhaust guy work on the '98 subframe mounts up on the lift, to no avail. There's just no way to pry on them, as the rubber between the metal sleeve and outer casing just flexes. Air tools can't really get in there. His best suggestion was to [very carefully] cut them off and hope for the best...

So, I decided to put the Supra setup on the '95 instead. I started working on that today during a [not long enough] break between numbing rain and hail showers, and ran into the exact same problem. I must have gotten lucky on the '94, with the stock mounts coming off without any trouble.

At least I put on new rear sway bar end links and got my first inspection of the back half of the underside of the '95 since buying it, so it wasn't a total waste of time. Bummer that I couldn't swap subframe mounts and sway bars, though.

RXRodger

iTrader: (2)

Any pics while you were under there?

t2d2

iTrader: (8)

I didn't think to. They looked just like any other well-behaved subframe mounts, though, with no corrosion or excess road gunk. I assume you've been under the car enough to be familiar with them, but in case that was the nature of the question and not to see if there was something obviously wrong with mine, here are some random pictures I found.

Supra subframe mounts: https://www.clublexus.com/forums/sus...ml#post7662177

Where they mount on the car: https://www.clublexus.com/forums/sus...rame-rise.html

DA51

Does these photos help? Some from the Factory Shop Manual.

t2d2

iTrader: (8)

They might help others for knowing what I'm referring to, but unfortunately, they don't shed any light on how to remove a mount that's stuck on the shaft.

(The first pic is looking up at one of the subframe mounts. You remove the four vertical 12mm bolts and the one horizontal 22mm nut, then loosen the bolts on the other mount so the subframe drops enough to allow clearance for the first mount to slide off. My problem is what comes next... The mount won't slide off once un-bolted.)

RXRodger

iTrader: (2)

I have been under there looking, in fact we welded as much up as we could on the mounts to stiffen them as best we could, it's just that I haven't dropped the subframe and was wondering what you had run into. So far the crappy welds have held in our attempt to make solid for the race set up. The front ones I just took some hard rubber pads and stacked to try to stiffen those a little. Winter project is to pull the subframe and make all of that more solid.

t2d2

iTrader: (8)

^ Can you run a Supra rear sway setup, or is that penalized? I think the subframe mount bushings are stiffer, and the sway bar itself is stiffer and lighter.

jadu

iTrader: (42)

sorry to hear. i replaced mines and these slid right out after removing the bolts you described. Any chance you could take a rubber mallet to it? break the seize and these should slide off. good luck

t2d2

iTrader: (8)

Yeah, I tried pry bars, multiple hammers, PB Blaster for days (literally), prayers... There's nothing really to hammer on is part of the problem, since the mount sits right up against the subframe.

I did just have one thought that might be better than cutting the mounts off, which risks damaging the shafts: unbolt both mounts and drop the subframe enough to twist them. That might be enough to break them free. I'm just worried I won't be able to get the subframe lined back up, per the warning in the sway bar swap PDF, if removing both mounts. Maybe if I had it up on a lift, as opposed to jacking on my very un-level surface.

You did it on your '92, I assume? I wonder if something changed between '94 and '95 to where the mounts fit much snugger. They slid right off on my '94 but won't budge on my '95 or '98. None of them are heavily corroded rust belt or ocean front types. Has anyone done the swap on a '95 or newer? Seems like a crazy question, but then again, 61% of SCs are '92-94.

jadu

iTrader: (42)

I figured that you would have used a hammer, at least that's the first thing I'd try to use to break it free. Twisting it off sounds like a good idea. If you haven't done so already, when I removed the 4 top bolts on one, and loosened the 4 top bolts on the other, I noticed the subframe drop a lil bit like about 1/2 an inch to inch. Maybe that will give you a little space to place pb blaster on top or pound it out.

And, yes, it was on my 92 that I did this on. I looked up the part numbers for the 92 vs a 95 and the rear subframe and rear mounts were the same for the given years. No idea why the later years seized.

t2d2

iTrader: (8)

Tried that... That 1/2" or so of drop was necessary on mine to get the mounts to slide past the ABS or fuel hard lines (can't remember which offhand), but it isn't enough to twist them or get any extra prying/hammering/spraying room to work.

If I drop both sides, any idea how much weight I'm dealing with if it shifts?

Edit: To clarify, that ~1/2" drop does provide some room to work, but not enough to twist the mount beyond the point that the bushing willingly flexes, so the metal sleeve never breaks free.

I'm thinking if anything changed, it would be the shafts not the mounts themselves. Slightly different diameter or something in the metal that's more prone to seizing. Just enough to still be the same part but not entirely identical.

RXRodger

iTrader: (2)

No, we can't change that and remain "stock". Too bad, stuff is cheaper to buy and would perform better.

t2d2

iTrader: (8)

I took another shot at it today, having picked up some long (120mm) M10 x 1.25 bolts so I could drop one subframe mount all the way while keeping the other in line with the bolt holes, should it want to shift. Unfortunately, that didn't drop the subframe as far as I was expecting, as the diff still holds it in line.

It did give me more room to work with for trying to twist the mount off with a pry bar and block (and working it over with an air chisel and BFH), and I still got zero movement on the shaft. Argh. The rubber bushing of the mount will twist a good 30 degrees, maybe as much as 40, with the center still frozen stationary. And that's a pretty heavy duty bushing, so you know it's holding tight on the shaft to be able to absorb that much twisting force.