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I am replacing both passenger and driver sides engine mount on my 2004 RX330 FWD. I was shocked to read in the factory service manual, which stated matter-of-factly as if it's a minor inconvenience: "Remove engine."
Holy crap! Is Toyota serious? It turns out easier than I thought though, so I will share it here.
The driver side can be jacked up far enough to remove the mount if you loosen the front mount first.
The passenger side seems to get stuck and could not be jacked up high enough to clear the mount even though the front mount had been loosened. I have read that other people lowered the subframe in order to get additional clearance. Don't do that. Instead, remove the two nuts that are holding the rear mount to the subframe. They are easily accessible through two holes on the bottom of the subframe. Now you can jack the engine up far enough to easily remove the mount.
Good to note. I did a writeup on lower A-arm bushings and ball joints and this was involved - including jacking the motor. I never lowered the subframe but if you have to jack it high you have to remove the rear engine mount bolt AND it helps to remove the dogbone upper mount above the motor. I would also be careful to make sure all the lines and hoses stayed together as my air duct line came apart from the air box.
To get your motor to raise enough to replace the lower motor mounts you also need to remove the torque mount (dog bone) by the windshield. This piece is hidden by a plastic shroud on the passengers side of the engine compartment. You should be able to get enough upwards movement with this removed and the front mount top bolt removed. For the passenger side you need to also remove the small rear mount's bolt. Just put a wood 4X4 under the transmission and jack it up about 2 inches. You may want to replace your lower A-arms while you are at it since they tend to fail often.
Last edited by RagtopXKR; Oct 10, 2018 at 03:36 PM.