E30 - Engine mount replacement

[Dog-n-Hog]

Hey folks,

Has anyone replaced their E30 engine mounts? The Haynes manual
recommends raising the engine by jacking via the oil pan. Is is actually
safe to jack via the oil pan? Is there a safer jack point (none that I can see)?

I do not have access to an engine hoist, so any other recommendations are
welcome.

TIA,
Norm
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[jrat...@360.cdpd.net]

I just changed out the engine mounts this past weekend on a 1990 325i. I
used a two-by-four on the jack to help distribute the weight more.
As long as you have the motor mounts disconnected when you start jacking
you'll only be lifting the weight of the front of the engine.
The mount on the drivers side fell out on its own as the engine was
lifted, but the passenger side was a tad more difficult. Because of the
angle of the oil pan I wasn't able to get the passenger side of the
motor to raise as quickly as the drivers side and started getting
concerned
about how high the motor was going to get before I had clearance for the
passenger mount. I stopped raising the motor there and disconnected the
whole mount from the engine. It took only a couple more minutes, but
gave me more piece of mind knowing I wasn't straining anything else.

By the way, the reason I was changing my mounts was I had heard from a
couple of different folks that had broke the stock mounts while
attending driving schools. To avoid this from happening I decided to
install some "beefier" mounts. The ones I put on are from an M5.
You have to cut off the top positioning nipple on each one, but other
than that they fit. I do feel just a touch more of the engine vibration
in the cockpit but nothing really objectionable, and I know these mounts
won't be breaking anytime soon!

BMW part number for the M5 mounts:
# 11 81 1 132 322

One last thought...my transmission mounts also had the feel of a candy
GUMMY BEAR! Replace them at the same time!

Good luck,
John Rathbun
john.r...@alltel.com
1990 325i

[Dog-n-Hog]

John,

Thanks for all the tips, and yes, I already have the
tranny mounts ready to go.

Have a good weekend,
Norm

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