Good point! I will be ordering a nice Craftsman torque wrench when i order the rest of my parts next week. I'm a lil ocd when it comes to my rides so by the book it will be. As far as the struts and UCA, i will inspect them thoroughly but they do seem to be in good shape so far. I am getting the usual symptoms associated with ball joint, LCA, and mount failure so off they go. At 165k, its about due anyways. I will be very happy to get the original ride back on this car. Even with the 18's, its unreal how this car glides down the road.

 

Hey, did you ever post pics on the engine mounts? Looking for a diy for the engine mounts and noone has one. Thanks

 

There's not much to photograph. Just four bolts holding the hollow fitting to the block for each mount. Maybe a procedure will be helpful:
- remove BOTH driver's and passenger side bottom engine mount nuts, up inside the frame in a hollow tube. (17mm deep well socket.)
- lift the engine about 3-4 inches. (apparently I have no business working on my car, cause I used a wooden block and lifted on the oil pan)
- check the power steering fluid reservior as you lift. Make sure it disengages from its bracket as you lift. No need to remove the bracket. The reservoir should rise with the engine.
- remove four bolts that hold the hollow aluminum fitting to the block. (14mm socket) Driver's side access is much worse than passenger side due to the dipstick tube and steering. Driver's side forward bolt was the worst to access.
- Now it gets tricky. You must reach inside the hollow fitting to access the top engine mount bolt. On passenger side I was able to rotate the rubber mount and hollow fitting enough to get an impact gun on it. On drivers side I had to remove the hollow fitting from the car to remove the top nut. Note! Both my engine mounts were completely separated so I could remove them in two pieces. If yours is still intact it will be freaking tough to rotate the parts around to access the top nuts. The hollow fitting and engine mount are trapped by the engine, suspension and frame. I probably couldn't have got the job done if both mounts were not completely separated (torn free at the very top of the rubber mount) Since they were torn, I could remove them in pieces.
- For both mounts, I had to thread the hollow fitting and engine mount into the car separately, then bolt them together. There's no way you can thread the two parts in with them already bolted together. So it's like building a ship in a bottle.
- Tighten up the four bolts threaded into the block, on each side.
- Lower the engine back down. Be sure the reservoir settles back into it's bracket on top. Be sure the bottom stud for each engine mount settles into the steel tube in the frame.
Another note - both L and R engine mounts have the same part number.

 

Is lifting the engine 3-4 inches to gain more room to remove the engine mounts or can you use an engine support bar to just hold the engine in place?

 

The engine must be raised to make room to maneuver the engine mounts from below. Even with the engine lifted as high as possible, clearances are very very tight to jiggle, twist and disengage the mounts in the limited space. I'm sure a support bar is a better way to raise the engine.. It will be heavy though, with transmission and exhaust etc all connected.

 

thank you for mentioning this so I don't have too.


leave the oil pan alone!!!

 

...and I forgot to ask. Ive looked but haven't seen any, are there any options for a polyurethane engine/tranny mount?


I don't think there are, but I thought I would ask.

 

You will most likely develop an oil lean from the upper pan if you support the weight of the engine across the lower pan. Bad idea.

 

a cracked pan is much worse than a leak. (which will also cause a leak )

 

I found this and the guy said he jacked under the oil pan:

http://www.justanswer.com/lexus/4nia...html#re.v/417/

I think it can be done as long as you get a big block of wood to spread the load. Something like a piece of 2x10 may work. Have to be careful for sure.

 

Lift the engine up at the transmission? what's the proper way?

 

Check out the link below...
https://www.clublexus.com/forums/ls-...ine-where.html

 

Here are with pix: http://www.flawlessfitment.com/2015/...66018625791795

 

Been debating what to do when this eventually becomes an issue for mine. It's a pretty daunting idea to be underneath the car with a 500 lb engine also lifted a few inches in turn. Probably, letting a shop do this, but if I were going to tackle it, I'd probably use two engine support bars, one for each hook due to their offset positioning.

Then there's the issue of getting things apart if the mounts are not already torn into two bits. Looks like the mount's center section is only rubber and could possible be cut in half with a hot, nichrome wire.

Just some fun thinking about how this could be done. In reality, it's too scary for me. Kudos to those with bigger cajones.

 

I bought the 2 engine mounts and trans mount and had my indie mechanic do it. My indie told me he would only do it if it was the Lexus OEM mounts. He said he won’t do aftermarket because whenever he has done that, the customer would bring it back a few weeks or days later saying it still vibrates.