Torque Axis Mount (Upper Engine Mount) Replacement

[wolfman]

The "Torque Axis Mount" is located on the passenger side TOP of the engine on all "S" series (DOHC and SOHC) cars made from 92'-02'. The 91' SOHC (SL, SL1) DO NOT have this mount. It is a "U" shaped metal/rubber mount secured to the engine with 3 15mm/nuts and to the space frame with 2 15mm/nuts. To change it you will need:

Floor jack with a block of wood or rolled up piece of carpet to act as a "cushion"
15mm DEEP WELL socket and wrench

Proceed as follows.

With a block of wood or carpet padding the floor jacks "pad" to protect the oil pan, place it under the front passenger side portion of the oil pan as close to the frame as possible.

Jack up the engine about 1 INCH (you'll see it move) to relieve pressure on the mount.

Using the 15mm deep well socket, remove the 5 15mm nuts holding the mount to the engine and space frame. (3 engine side, 2 spaceframe side)

Lift UP (yank might be a better word) on the old mount to remove it.

Slide the new mount down over the studs on the engine/frame and reinstall the nuts using the 15mm socket. Torque "should" be 20~25 ft pds BUT do not be overly concerned here, just DON'T wrench down to the extreme and things will be fine.

Lower the jack and remove it from under the car.


NOTES:
Often the studs will unscrew out of the engine instead of the nuts coming off the studs. This can be prevented by spraying the nuts with some "PB Blaster" or similiar penetrating oil the night before you plan on changing the mount. Even if they DO still unscrew with the nuts, you CAN just treat the entire thing as a "bolt" when reinstalling it BUT start it back into the hole in the ALUMINUM cover BY HAND to ensure you don't cross thread it!

If your mount has NEVER been changed, (and even if it has) get the part from SATURN, aftermarket mounts although cheaper, have shown to have fitment and quality issues. A new mount from Saturn "may" (depending on the year of your car) need 3 new studs and 5 new nuts to go with it at an additional expense. GET THEM. They simply unscrew out of the engine cover like long bolts using an adjustable wrench. When installing the new studs (if you do) start them into the holes BY HAND and then tighten them until they bottom (nearly all the lower threads disappear into the hole) DO NOT overtighten the new studs! 20ft pds (snug) is ALL that is required!

For you time and expense, you will be amazed at how much better the car will sound and feel with the engine running.

[Luke]

Fm Wolf
A new mount from Saturn "may" (depending on
the year of your car) need 3 new studs and 5 new nuts to go with it at an additional expense. GET THEM.

In addition: As was the case with my car, I did not need the new studs. But, when I picked up the mount, the dealer aggresively told me that I would need it. I took the studs & nuts (not cheap) under the conditions that I could return them should it be found that they were not needed. As they were not, was able to return them for a full refund. Keep this in mind with picking up a new engine mount.

[amazinghl]

Yup, get the studs and nuts if you're not sure, then if you don't need them, you can always get a refund later.

[Lurker1999]

Here's some additional tools that I found quite helpful in the process:

6 inch 3/8" extension
7mm socket, 6 point, 1/4" drive
3/4" x 2 foot pipe as a breaker bar

If you spray the nuts with penetrating oil the night before everything will go much smoother.

You don't have to jack the car up. You can use the space in front of the passenger side front tire and the wheel well to lever your hydraulic floor jack up without needing to raise the front of the car.

You will likely want the extension with the breaker bar so you can exert enough force to undo the nuts without banging into anything.

You likely will not need new nuts but may need new studs. Buy both and return what you don't need.

There are two lengths of studs differing by about a half centimeter. The new studs appeared to have been coated with something

Be sure to check that the bottom of the mount with the frame side bolted loosely is flush with the top edge of the engine before you try to tighten things down. If they don't meet up exactly use the lift to raise the engine a bit.

Enjoy the vibration free ride (I am)!

[Luke]

Fm Lurker
You likely will not need new nuts but may need new studs. Buy both and return what you don't need....

But...in advance, get understanding from the parts department, should you find that the new studs are not needed, that you can return them. Without this advance understanding, some dealers will not accept returns.

Just a safety thought -- cover yourself in advance..

[SpeedPlayer 97sl2]

Originally posted by wolfman
Jack up the engine about 1 INCH (you'll see it move) to relieve pressure on the mount.


Unless your mount is completely shot like mine was the second time I changed it, you may need to lift the engine a little more. I lifted one inch to remove the old mount, but had to lift it an additional inch once I slipped the new mount on to get the studs to stick out sufficiently.

[FrozenPilot]

The top engine mount is super-easy!! I ended up replacing all 3 studs because I had already bent one trying to reach 52 ft/lbs as in the Chiltons book! Can't believe everything you read I guess applies to instruction manuals too now. Either way, $7 for brand new studs is cheap insurance.

[s1sharma]

Wolfman: Do you know how to change lower mount? Your advise were very helpful for upper mount.

[the_skin_eater]

Wolfman: Do you know how to change lower mount? Your advise were very helpful for upper mount.


SeArch the how to section some more. I know some people have pictured steps showing how to, although wolfman did not explain them all, they are still good detailed instructions...

o yeA, search for lower transmission mounts and maybelower motor mounts, they called different things but still the same.

[David 93 SL2m]

The top engine mount is super-easy!! I ended up replacing all 3 studs because I had already bent one trying to reach 52 ft/lbs as in the Chiltons book! Can't believe everything you read I guess applies to instruction manuals too now. Either way, $7 for brand new studs is cheap insurance.Sorry I didn't catch this earlier. Wolfman wrote the torque for those nuts is 52 foot pounds for the 1992 S-Series and 37 foot pounds for the 1993 through 1997 and 1998 through 2001 S-Series in the following thread:

http://www.saturnfans.com/forums/showthread.php?t=44221&highlight=Torque+Axis+Mount+to+Engine+Nuts

The last two times I did this procedure I used only 35 foot pounds. :chicken:

[QwikSC2]

What is the part number for the TAM?

[David 93 SL2m]

What is the part number for the TAM?For the 1992 and later S-Series the part number is 21012185. (The 1991 S-Series cars did not have it.)

If you want to replace the 3 studs and 5 nuts, the studs are part number 11518885 and the nuts are part number 21006320.

[SimPlyxTriPPiN]

i would like to thank wolfman for this write up. i just replced my TAM and the difference is great especially on acceleration and gear shifts.

[jlevino]

Recently I acquired a 91 SC and I'm in the process of restoring it to drivability. Is it possible to retrofit the 91 model year to accept a top engine mount?

[Luke]

You'd be better off by moving this question over to the S-Series site, for this is the How-To Library; a source for procedures submitted by the techs.

[heromeet]

Anyone knows if 98 SL2 needs the studs and nuts?
Based on their parts number, the studs and nuts are for 92-96 saturn. However, my local dealer strongly recommended replacing them. Got confused...

Another question, can I use the small scissor jack in the trunk instead of the floor jack?

For the 1992 and later S-Series the part number is 21012185. (The 1991 S-Series cars did not have it.)

If you want to replace the 3 studs and 5 nuts, the studs are part number 11518885 and the nuts are part number 21006320.

[sunshn1972]

I just replaced the TAM this morning (98 SL2; 120,000 miles), and the difference is unreal. I had been considering trading it in because the vibration in the passenger compartment made me nervous. With the new TAM, I can't even tell the car is running without looking at the tachometer!

As far as replacing the studs and nuts, I decided that for the $12 it was worth it and ordered theem along with the TAM. When I received them, I tried putting the nuts onto the studs to see if they would fit. They only went part way down the stud then wouldn't move any more, which had me nervous about whether I had ordered the right parts.

The new studs and nuts did work. After looking at the new ones and old ones, it appears that the threading is set up so that the threads on the nuts become slightly distorted when they are forced down onto the studs. If that's true, I assume it's done to help keep the nuts from vibrating loose. Anyone know if that's true?

[FredM]

I need to do this on my 98 SL2 also. Does anyone recommend using anti-seize (sp?) compound on the studs / nuts?

Or is that a bad idea for this application?

[sunshn1972]

From what little I found on it, the nuts are "pinch" nuts. The threads on the nuts are apaprently cut so that they don't fit the studs exactly and pinch when they are turned onto the studs. I assume this is done to make sure they won't vibrate loose. I assume this is why so many people say to replace the studs and nuts (which I did).

I'd vote for no anti-sieze. I just sprayed some WD-40 on them a couple days before making the change, and there weren't any real problems getting the old ones out. Some nuts came off the studs, and some studs came out with the nuts on them. With the studs that came out the nuts came off esily once I had them out.

Let us know how much of a difference you feel.

[Creelove]

Has anyone tried doing this repair using the Saturn tire jack instead of a floor jack? My 1997 vibrates like crazy in neutral (I'm assuming the problem is the mount) and would love to change the mount myself, but I don't have access to a floor jack.

Also, what is the cost of the engine mount from Saturn?

Thanks!

[Applefool]

Has anyone tried doing this repair using the Saturn tire jack instead of a floor jack? My 1997 vibrates like crazy in neutral (I'm assuming the problem is the mount) and would love to change the mount myself, but I don't have access to a floor jack.

Also, what is the cost of the engine mount from Saturn?

Thanks!

You can use the saturn jack. It basically just need to support the motor on that side while the mount is off. Make sure you use a block of wood or something to distribute the weigh or you'll likely dent your oil pan.

Mount from Saturn is in the $70 range. Aftermarket (Anchor Brand) is around $40.

[Creelove]

Since I'm going to try to do this cheaply, I think I'll give the aftermarket part a try. Do you know if Autozone or Pepboys sells the replacment nuts? I'll try to stick with the studs that are on the mount now.

Thanks

[sunshn1972]

I changed mine a frew weeks ago using the Saturn tire jack (with a piece of wood between the jack and the oil pan). I got the parts from saturnparts.com:

mount $48.32
studs (3) $3.29 each
nuts (5) $0.43 each

[Creelove]

I replaced my engine mount tonight using the aftermarket Anchor brand mount from Autozone with the Saturn jack. When I was removing the mount, the nuts didn't come off the studs, so I just kept the original studs/nuts on the replacement.

It turns out that on the original mount, the rubber piece had torn completely free of the mount itself! Now that the mount has been replaced, I barely hear the engine when running and many of the assorted interior rattles have been alleviated.

Great repair well worth the $42.99 and the 20 minutes.

[FredM]

Let us know how much of a difference you feel.
Amazing!

I went the less expensive (some would say "cheaper") route and picked up an upper engine mount from Advanced Auto. I went with their Pioneer offering with the lifetime warranty.

The swap was very simple and I was able to re-use the old studs/nuts.

I CAN'T FEEL THE ENGINE IDLING!!! What a difference!

Question: The Haynes book shows the torque for the nuts as 150 inch pounds. My math puts that at 12.5 foot pounds. Doesn't seem like much to me, are my numbers good?

Swapped out the coolant temp sensor today, too. I'm turning into a regular backyard mechanic...

[FredM]

Mount from Saturn is in the $70 range. Aftermarket (Anchor Brand) is around $40.The Pioneer mount I bought was around $40 also. If you really want to save some money, the Anchor mount is available from Rockauto.com for around $24, shipping being the big variable there...

[David 93 SL2m]

Question: The Haynes book shows the torque for the nuts as 150 inch pounds. My math puts that at 12.5 foot pounds. Doesn't seem like much to me, are my numbers good?I think the nuts for the upper motor mount (a.k.a. the torque axis mount) are supposed to be tightened to 37 foot pounds. I usually tighten them on my car to 35 foot pounds.

[sunshn1972]

Here's a bunch of torque spes wolfman posted.

http://www.saturnfans.com/forums/showthread.php?t=44221

:banana:

[FredM]

Here's a bunch of torque spes wolfman posted.

http://www.saturnfans.com/forums/showthread.php?t=44221

:banana:Looks like I'll tightening those when I get home!

[randyg]

Just finished replacing my engine mount on my 95 sl2. It went so smoothly I could hardly believe it. Once again, thanks to Wolfman for the great how-to. I decided to try an aftermarket mount and found the Anchor at Rockauto.com dirt cheap. I ordered a pcv valve, throttlebody gasket, and the mount. With shipping, it came to $31. I ordered it on Thursday and it was delivered by FedEx on Saturday. I sprayed the nuts with PB Saturday afternoon. The old mount came off and the new mount went right on with no problems. I'll keep everyone updated as to how well it holds up.