Engine

Motor Mounts, Low Cost

A friend of mine & myself have found some replacement motor mounts for about $30. They are hydraulic, and off of a Ford Truck. They are about the same dimensions as the Porsche 928 motor mounts. We have installed them on 1 car so far (about 9 months ago) and they work great. I will be installing them on my car within the next 60 days. Not sure the model or year of the truck, but you wouldn't want to get them from a Ford dealer anyway because of the high markup. Instead try you local auto parts store and ask for:

Manufacturer: Anchor
Part number: 2696

-or-

Manufacturer: Sealed Power.
Part number: 270-2861

I hope this helps out some people.

VR,
Troy Postin



This is a follow-up to the research and work done by Ray Wach, which he shared with the 928OC list on 2/14/2001. I followed all his suggestions, and the job was a complete success, saving several hundred dollars in parts costs over the OEM Porsche parts.

Here are some comments which are in addition to the ones is Ray’s procedure. Ray’s observations are absolutely correct, and I would not change any of them. I have put Ray’s comments, my comments, and some pictures in a Word document. If you would like a copy sent to you, email me directly. Please to not post the requests to any of the lists, which I follow only in digest form, where I miss a lot.

I purchased the hydraulic motor mounts from a local part supplier, who tends to be on the high side, but I did not have time to shop around due to scheduling constraints. I paid $59 each (compared to around $250-$270 list price for the Porsche mounts). It’s well worth checking with the Big Three for prices of the OEM mounts first- right now the OEM mounts are $175 on sale at Devek). The Ford ones I got are supplied by Anchor Industries, part number 2696. It is a hydraulic transmission mount for a 1984-1994 Ford Tempo. There are other Ford applications, but I didn’t find out what they are. Ray said he obtained his for about $30 each so it is definitely worth taking some time to shop around. The mounting studs are 12 mm x 1.75 mm, a common size for which I already had nuts, but buy four new nuts at the same time you get the mounts. You will also need to get 6-10 steel washers with at least a 12 mm or ½ inchhole to use as shims.

Based on Rays’ suggestion, I installed shims on the bottom of the mounts totaling about 7-8 mm in thickness to raise the motor to the proper level. Even though the new Ford mount measures about 77 mm in height (close to the 79 mm for the Porsche mount), it must settle down more than the Porsche one, requiring shims to raise it to the proper height. Due to constraints on lift time available, I just threw in some big, old seat belt mounting washers I had, which were about 60 mm in diameter with a 12.5 mm or 1/2 inch hole, and they did the job just fine. It probably would be better and easier to install if you were to cut or machine a single shim out of steel or aluminum. This would need to be a big round washer 50-75 mm in diameter with a 12.5+ mm hole in the center. Do not exceed 8 mm in thickness or thelocating pin in the bottom of the mount will not catch the mating hole in the mount bracket on the car. If you want to custom-make the shims, buy your Ford mounts first and measure the big bottom surface first to get exact measurements.

My oil pan started out suspended about 12 mm below the level of the front sub frame with the squashed old Porsche mounts. When the job was finished with the shimmed Ford mounts, the pan and the sub frame were at the same level, which I guess is about right.

When you are installing the Ford mounts, the bottom surface fits fine and the locating pin fits the bracket just fine. The top surface does not fit quite so precisely as Ray mentioned but tightened up OK.

I personally would never try to do this job without a lift, but I know a lot of folks have. It’s four or five hours of nasty work at best on a lift so plan on a long day or a weekend if you are trying it on stands or ramps.

Replacing the mounts has transformed the car from back to its quiet, powerful self again. The motor vibrations are all gone, and it is once again a joy to drive. My car, a 5-speed I recently purchased, has 114,000 miles, and I suspect the mounts have been unsatisfactory since 80 or 90 K. My other 928, an automatic, is showing signs at 105 K that the mounts are going on that one, too. These mileages are consistent from what folks at the Big Three have suggested is a normal lifetime.

Is it worth it to gamble on an inexpensive replacement to the OEM mounts? Are there design parameters in the Ford mount not suitable for the 928? Ask me those questions in a couple of years! If these mounts last 50,000 miles or more, I’m sure I’ll stay happy. Meanwhile, I consider my car a guinea pig and suggest you proceed at your own risk. The original mounts are expensive, but they are designed for the specific application, are well-made and fit properly! I have access to a lift and have done similar jobs many times, so it is not a super big deal for me. You be the judge.

Good luck if you give it a try. E-mail me if I’ve forgotten something.

Chuck Bos
87 928 S4 Auto
88 928 S4 5-Speed
928OC Charter Member
PCA Potomac Region
Leesburg, VA
cbos@erols.com




This is a neat idea, and I hope that it works out. My primary concern is the weight capacity difference between the two mounts.

Engine mounts are almost invariably placed at vibration node points, and this normally ends up with two engine mounts very near the balance point of the engine (just the engine, not the engine/transmission package), and a third mount on the transmission tailpiece on conventional engine/transmission units. The weight of the engine/transmission package is thus supported on three mounts, with most of the weight being supported by the engine mounts, and a smaller portion by the transmission mount.

On the 928, the two engine mounts support the full weight of the engine, plus the clutch and approximately half of the torque tube. The transmission mounts support the rest of the weight.

We are proposing to take a hydraulic mount that is designed to support the smaller portion of the weight of a much smaller package, and use them to fully support a much heavier 928 engine, clutch and part of the torque tube.

I'm afraid that we are just going to squish the little Tempo mounts.

BTW, when you install new Porsche mounts, the engine sits about 5/8" higher.

Wally Plumley
928 Specialists



No argument, Wally. It's a real crap shoot. A number of folks have expressed
the same concern to me.

Thanks,
Chuck