question about motor mounts?

[newprot5fan]

Hey all,

I have a torn passenger side motor mount insert. The front seems ok and haven't checked the others.

Now, the actual mount on the passenger side looks ok. Are the AWR inserts good enough to use or should the whole mount be replaced? The car is a daily driver (no racing), but I have alot of movement in the engine and the gear shift (it is a manual). Any thoughts if that is a good idea (it would be the softest mounts - 70 I think.

I know the debate on which mount has been done to death...right now everything is stock and am wondering a few things:

1. Are INSERTS in the passenger mount going to cause a substantial increase in vibes?
2. Which mount is responsible for the most vibration?
3. Are there 4 motor mounts (front, rear, pass, and is the driver one called the transmission mount or is there a separate transmission mount)
4. Should all be replaced if one is ripped (meaning the other ones are going to go soon )

Thanks for your answers.

 

[StealthWyvern]

Replace the side mount and go with inserts if you are worried at all about vibrations!

 

[sethro_GT]

the front and rear will give you any sort of performance gain as it limits the torque lost from engine rotation. I suspect these would also generate the most vibration if they were harder.

 

[MazdaSpeeder]

The stock mounts are weak and should be replaced with better than stock when they begin to tear...new oem mounts will just tear again.

Here is what I found when I did inserts.

I have RR-Racing up front and AWR sides. The back is stock. I did the RR-Racing first, and had reasonably annoying vibes (not horrible, but definitely noticeable...sometimes I got a cabin buzz that sucked big time). I was about to take other measures to try and eliminate the vibes, but installed the AWR side inserts before doing anything else. IT MADE A HUGE DIFFERENCE. The AWRs are softer than the RR, and actually lessened my vibes to the point that I hardly notice them any more. I have the rear inserts, but probably will never do it because apparently that causes major vibes and it is a huge pain to get back there to do it. Many people say that doing 3 mounts and leaving the 4th stock is asking for trouble, but I still have minimal stick movement and wheelhop and I've had this setup for 2 years.

So I would highly recommend what I have done. Going full mounts is going to give you lots more vibes, and the inserts setup is perfect for even aggressive driving. To answer your other question, there are four mounts and the driver's side is called the "transmission mount." I would also recommend an impact wrench when doing this, as many of these bolts are on tight. I also needed an engine lift just to support the engine while removing and reinstalling mounts. There is an old thread around here about all this, and if I come across it I will send it on to you. Good luck!

 

[newprot5fan]

The stock mounts are weak and should be replaced with better than stock when they begin to tear...new oem mounts will just tear again.

Here is what I found when I did inserts.

I have RR-Racing up front and AWR sides. The back is stock. I did the RR-Racing first, and had reasonably annoying vibes (not horrible, but definitely noticeable...sometimes I got a cabin buzz that sucked big time). I was about to take other measures to try and eliminate the vibes, but installed the AWR side inserts before doing anything else. IT MADE A HUGE DIFFERENCE. The AWRs are softer than the RR, and actually lessened my vibes to the point that I hardly notice them any more. I have the rear inserts, but probably will never do it because apparently that causes major vibes and it is a huge pain to get back there to do it. Many people say that doing 3 mounts and leaving the 4th stock is asking for trouble, but I still have minimal stick movement and wheelhop and I've had this setup for 2 years.

So I would highly recommend what I have done. Going full mounts is going to give you lots more vibes, and the inserts setup is perfect for even aggressive driving. To answer your other question, there are four mounts and the driver's side is called the "transmission mount." I would also recommend an impact wrench when doing this, as many of these bolts are on tight. I also needed an engine lift just to support the engine while removing and reinstalling mounts. There is an old thread around here about all this, and if I come across it I will send it on to you. Good luck!

Thanks guys,

Is there an easy way to tell if the rear is torn without too much hassle? I am assuming it is bad to leave any torn mount in even if it is a pain in the a** to get at (or am I wrong)? From what I am hearing, maybe a stock rear mount with inserts on the sides and a AWR front might be ok for street?

 

[SocialStealth]

IIRC someone bought awr 70's and was miserable with them, and ended up getting oem replacements.

Usually the stock mounts start to break down around 100,000 miles.

If you replace one while others are torn/weak, it will put more stress on the single mount that you just replaced.

For comfort, get replacement OEM mounts. As far as them 'ripping again', it'll last another 100,000 miles.... the AWRs will increase performance, as well as vibrations. And they'll pretty much last forever. But then again, do you really think you'll still be driving your protege in 10 years?

 

[sethro_GT]

The car may not last as long with all the vibrations though. vibration = random failures of weird schite. I agree with just getting stock mounts, vibration will drive you insane for the minimal performance gain. Maybe design up a Ubolt bracket thats easy to lock down over the stock mounts for race days. This would get rid of all torque losses, yet be quickly removable for the rest of the year.

 

[newprot5fan]

The car may not last as long with all the vibrations though. vibration = random failures of weird schite. I agree with just getting stock mounts, vibration will drive you insane for the minimal performance gain. Maybe design up a Ubolt bracket thats easy to lock down over the stock mounts for race days. This would get rid of all torque losses, yet be quickly removable for the rest of the year.

WOW, I just called Mazda for the price of the mounts - $500 just for parts! Does Napa or somebody sell oem mounts? I'm in SE ALberta if anyone has some suggestions..
Thanks!

 

[sethro_GT]

Dealers are a freaking joke. I'll talk to one parts dude and get $7, another guy at the same place quotes $13 (for an oil filter). Look up the prices onlinemazdaparts.com and request that they match or just order em. I'd only order whats needed but thats me.

Trans mount, protege, 2.0l, manual trans - 01-03 $67.51
Mount, protege, 2.0l, side, manual trans - 01-03 $143.95
Mount, protege, 2.0l, rear, manual trans - 01-03 $69.37
Mount, protege, 2.0l, front - 01-03 $41.91

I bet local parts stores carry some, though Rockauto.com didn't so no gaurantee.

 

[newprot5fan]

Dealers are a freaking joke. I'll talk to one parts dude and get $7, another guy at the same place quotes $13 (for an oil filter). Look up the prices onlinemazdaparts.com and request that they match or just order em. I'd only order whats needed but thats me.

Trans mount, protege, 2.0l, manual trans - 01-03 $67.51
Mount, protege, 2.0l, side, manual trans - 01-03 $143.95
Mount, protege, 2.0l, rear, manual trans - 01-03 $69.37
Mount, protege, 2.0l, front - 01-03 $41.91

I bet local parts stores carry some, though Rockauto.com didn't so no gaurantee.

Are those original stock mounta (same as I would get from a dealer up here)?

 

[sethro_GT]

I think onlinemazdaparts is all OEM, they list mazda part numbers.

 

[MazdaSpeeder]

Most guys on here have seen their mounts tear between 50-70k miles. Mine were torn when I bought the car at 58k miles. Even when they are in good shape, you still get wheel hop and you're always wondering when they are going to tear. Inserts are cheap and easy and give you performance, reliability, and drivability. I would just do that rather than replace all with OEM only to have a sloppy shifter and them tear again in 2 years!

 

[ganzhimself]

Pretty sure that at least one of mine is shot, my 03 has just under 84,000 miles. Going to replace with SLS mounts... 90% of the time I'm the only person in the car, so hopefully they don't drive me nuts with vibrations. I just can't see replacing them with OEM parts to have them fail again in short order.

 

[sethro_GT]

Are all you guys worried about wheel hop doing a lot of drag racing with the car? I accelerate hard but have never even come close to wheel hop. I suppose if your constantly dropping the clutch you may want hard mounts. Not to mention that constant stress can't be good for the oem motor mounts. Under normal driving conditions my guess is that the mounts last much much longer.

 

[MazdaSpeeder]

I don't drag, but I drive the car aggressively from time to time. Also, it really helps with wheel hop on wet days. Plus, you're losing less power from drivetrain lash, and with the P5 every little bit helps!

 

[sethro_GT]

true.

These engines are not that smooth, perhaps its just the nature of the beast to kill the mounts. If my engine goes I'm getting the front clip of a 626 and going V6.

 

[ganzhimself]

Well, I decided to prep my car to do the front mounts, so far so good. Bolts were a pain in the @$$ to get loose on the drivers side mount. Removed the intake, coolant overflow bottle, battery, and battery tray to get all three bolts on the motor side. Awaiting my new mounts that are scheduled to come by FedEx in the AM to finish those up. Thinking about tackling the rear mount too since I have everything off that I think I need to get to it. Seems like a PITA to get back there though.

 

[StealthWyvern]

Well, I decided to prep my car to do the front mounts, so far so good. Bolts were a pain in the @$$ to get loose on the drivers side mount. Removed the intake, coolant overflow bottle, battery, and battery tray to get all three bolts on the motor side. Awaiting my new mounts that are scheduled to come by FedEx in the AM to finish those up. Thinking about tackling the rear mount too since I have everything off that I think I need to get to it. Seems like a PITA to get back there though.

Here is a trick that has helped me swap out more then 3 rear motor mounts... Long breaker bar(obvious), and the biggest is to use a small 1/4inch ratchet with a deep 10mm(i think) socket to get the harness off the firewall. GL and have fun!!

Edit: See it will fit inbetween the stock motor mount and the harness mount with little issue

remove the #'s from the link
http://www.street##unit##forum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=3443&d=1223582863

 

[ganzhimself]

Is removing the throttle body necessary? I'd think that might make it a little easier, but it's hard to say. Looks like it would allow some more room to work back there, but then again, it just adds something else to take off and put back on...

 

[StealthWyvern]

Is removing the throttle body necessary? I'd think that might make it a little easier, but it's hard to say. Looks like it would allow some more room to work back there, but then again, it just adds something else to take off and put back on...

nope, I just did it for more room and to make life easier.