motor mount problem 1932 452 V-16

[jhussey]

Rubber cushion in front passenger motor mount has deteriorated. Rubber is rotten and mushy and stuck inside the cup. I'm worried that jacking the front of the engine high enough to clear the mount will stress the rear or cause damage. Can't find any details in the service manual. Any one know a procedure for this?

Thanks
JRH

[Amer Ahmad]

I have just now changed the six mounts on my v-16 No 702298. I had the use of a pit. It is a fairly easy job. I was removing the original since 1930 rubbers as a precaution and replacing with rubber mounts sourced from Steele Co.  The engine is front heavy on the middle mounts. First I loosened and took off the bottom halves of the rear mounts. Mark the orientation and don't intermix. Then I loosened the middle mounts by screwing out the four nuts a side about three threads to take the binding out and make it easier to see saw the engine. Lastly the front mount bolts were removed. Next , using a wooden block on top of a jack, I placed the jack at the front edge of the sump .
Here a warning is in order. The right cylinder bank is nearer the firewall than the left so you have to be careful not to cant the engine too much lest it touches or gouges the firewall. For this you will need someone to watch out from above while you jack up the front.
I had removed the firewall cover plate for painting so had a quarter inch more clearance. Also my radiator was out so no danger of the fan hitting the radiator.
The awkward part was scraping the old conical rubber mount/cushion but a hefty dose of WD-40 eventually made it possible. 86 years is a long time.
The rubber mounts were still soft and light red in colour. Same for the central and rear ones. I actually regretted changing them as only the exposed part had deteriorated.
Once the new mounts/cushions are in place the jack can be lowered slowly with someone taking care that the cushions do not move out of alignment. Watch out and don't poke fingers in the gap.
The bolts use two rubber washers for isolating them and these should be changed also.
Once the engine is resting on the front mounts, replace the rear mounts halves and tighten them.
Then tighten the front mount bolts and reinstall the split pins. Note these split pins are sharp and hurt like hell with bleeding when you ignore watching out for them.
So you can remove the front and rear mounts at the same time and change them. Then having tightened the front and rear mounts, you move the jack and the wood block  to the rear of the sump, at the joint of the crankcase and gear box and raise the jack till it takes the load off the main mounts.
The main mounts are the easiest to change as you take the rear facing halves off and withdraw the main bolt of the left centre  mount. The rubber mount can then be pried off using WD-40 and a crow bar, if stuck.
The original mounts were two piece but the new one from Steele are one piece. I used a very thin film of rubber grease on the new mounts and eased them on the spindle.
Then put he bolt and the rear piece back and hand tighten. Do the right side mount in same manner. The tighten both side bolts as well as the rear pieces. After this you can lower the jack. Done.
I can give you the socket sizes etc. if you so desire.
Amer Ahmad
Lahore, Pakistan