• Welcome to the Contour Enthusiasts Group, the best resource for the Ford Contour and Mercury Mystique.

    You can register to join the community.

Rear engine mount / roll damper replacement

P

PeriSoft

New CEG'er
Joined
Aug 26, 2006
Messages
25
OK... somehow, my rear engine mount managed to loosen one bolt (which fell out) and break off, in the transmission housing, the other two.

I did a bunch of digging around the forums and read about guys replacing that mount in two hours in their driveways. My uncle (who has torn down and rebuilt race cars and road cars for 30 years) and I looked in there, and looked in the Haynes manual, and as far as we can figure you have to take the entire front suspension out, because there's just no way to GET at those bolts, even if you just need to replace them, let alone deal with broken bolts in the transmission housing.

So, any hints on some way to do this without tearing the entire front off my car? Either the two-hours-in-driveway guys are miracle workers, I'm missing something obvious, or either one of those and it doesn't matter because of the broken-off-in-transmission thing.

I doubt I could just drive it with one bolt, even if I could get there to replace it, but if everybody says, hell, doesn't matter, then I'll listen....

Any advice would be appreciated. My ability to get to my wife for Christmas hangs on this. It's like a movie. Except with car maintenance instead of a snowstorm in an airport. So it's like a bad movie.
 
What year, what transmission and when you say rear, do you mean firewall side or driver fender side?
 
Sorry - 1995, automatic, firewall side; when the engine rocks back when I get on the gas, it rocks too far and clunks against various sensors and rotating objects in the vicinity.
 
well I can't comment on the atx but one vehicles with the mtx you don't need to remove any suspension to get the rear roll restrictor out. you just remove the threw bolt and the three bolts retaining the restrictor and then the three bolts on the trans case. I would think that the atx would be similar.
 
BrApple said:
well I can't comment on the atx but one vehicles with the mtx you don't need to remove any suspension to get the rear roll restrictor out. you just remove the threw bolt and the three bolts retaining the restrictor and then the three bolts on the trans case. I would think that the atx would be similar.
Click to expand...

I can't find any way to *reach* any of the bolts. The whole area is absolutely jammed with stuff; I can just barely squeeze my hand up in there and lightly touch one bolt. Can't get in from the top because the path is bent all the way in - and that's just for one bolt; the other two you can't even see from the top.
 
PeriSoft said:
I can't find any way to *reach* any of the bolts. The whole area is absolutely jammed with stuff; I can just barely squeeze my hand up in there and lightly touch one bolt. Can't get in from the top because the path is bent all the way in - and that's just for one bolt; the other two you can't even see from the top.
Click to expand...


well like I said that is for a mtx, I know the atx is much larger but I have never been under a contour with a atx so I don't know how much space there is to work with ...
 
BrApple said:
well like I said that is for a mtx, I know the atx is much larger but I have never been under a contour with a atx so I don't know how much space there is to work with ...
Click to expand...

How much different do you think the roll resistor is on the Zetec than the Duratec? I mean, it's still mounting to the same place on the tranny, right? Because Lindsey's needs to be changed (ATX)...Maybe we can shed some light on the issue, but then again, maybe not.
 
yeah they should all be located at about the same location. with teh atx being so much larger then teh mtx I am not sure how the mounting and the brackets differ ...
 
I could have sworn I read a post from somebody changing the damper on an ATX. But I could be wrong.

And I have the additional problem of the two broken-off bolts...
 
I bought both the rubber inserts for the front and rear mounts (roll resistors). But have not installed them yet. :o Have not had issues for the front and rear yet. I did install the tranny to driver fender as the tranny was sitting on the subframe.

The rears looked like they are impossible to get to. I'll wait for someone else to try and then learn from their experience. ;)
 
Tony2005 said:
I bought both the rubber inserts for the front and rear mounts (roll resistors). But have not installed them yet. :o Have not had issues for the front and rear yet. I did install the tranny to driver fender as the tranny was sitting on the subframe.

The rears looked like they are impossible to get to. I'll wait for someone else to try and then learn from their experience. ;)
Click to expand...

Hah. If nobody else posts I suppose I'll let you know. If you haven't heard back in a month, assume it's impossible. :p
 
larger trans or not, I can't imagine what would be in the way of the rear roll resistor on a atx... take a picture or something.
 
Reebs said:
larger trans or not, I can't imagine what would be in the way of the rear roll resistor on a atx... take a picture or something.
Click to expand...

I will when I get it back in the shop (I'm an owner of a business that has a machine shop with a lot of space... lucky). But, to give you an idea how bad it is, in order just to *see* two of the bolts, I had to get one of those USB snake lights and a tiny webcam, ty-wrap them together, and slide them in there surgical-style. It's *insane*. I don't know what IS in the way, mainly because it would be easier to say what ISN'T.
 
I'm going to pm a link to this thread to aircougar since he has done alot of work on ATX cars, mainly atx->mtx and mtx->atx swaps and might have an idea
 
BrApple said:
I'm going to pm a link to this thread to aircougar since he has done alot of work on ATX cars, mainly atx->mtx and mtx->atx swaps and might have an idea
Click to expand...

He'll know for sure...

I need to see a picture of this because I still don't believe that the rear roll resistor would be so difficult that you can't even see the bolts without the use of a small snake light flashlight and a tiny webcam tied together!?!?! I think you're looking at the manifold or something! :crazy:
 
Reebs said:
....I still don't believe that the rear roll resistor would be so difficult that you can't even see the bolts without the use of a small snake light flashlight and a tiny webcam tied together!?!?! I think you're looking at the manifold or something! :crazy:
Click to expand...
The ATX rear mount is very different from the MTX. Haynes has a good illustration.
 
OK... YES the ATX is very different than the MTX rear restrictor.

It doesn't mount to the bottom of the subframe like a MTX, the ATX it is on TOP!... It bolts with 3 bolts to the ATX next to the Filler tube and the VSS. It has a normal through-bolt that holds the 2 pieces together. And it bolts to the subframe with 2 bolts, as it straddles (sp?) over the steering rack, and the 2 bolts are able to be seen by just looking at the subframe from underneath...

Basically, the 2 bolts at the subframe are the easiest.... as they are right in front of you... 2 15mm

The Through-bolt can be removed from the Driver's side wheel well, you will need a few long extensions, na dit might be little tough to loosen it at first, but it will come out :) That should also be a 15mm.

The 3 bolts holding the Restrictor's bracket to the tranny can then be removed a bit easier because there should now be much more access to them without the actual restrictor in the way... There are 2 ways to get to the bolts: From the top or from the bottom.
From the top, you would need to remove the intake and be able to slide your arm and a socket wrench down past the ATX filler tube... you should be able to loosen them without too much problem...
From the bottom, you can see the bracket now much easier from under the subframe, but you will need to access the bolts through the area between the tranny and the y-pipe/ halfshaft. You should be able to have room to move your hand and a socket wrench up in there to be able to attack those 3 bolts bolts... and usually they are also 15mm, sometimes 13mm...

In YOUR case since 2 of the 3 bolts are broken, after getting everything out of the way and get the bracket off, you will need to be able to remove the 2 broken bolts... YOU should STILL have enough room to extract those 2 bolts. Chances are if you get the bracket off, you might have enough threads exposed to get a pair of Vise-grips on them to loosen them up... They shouldn't be very tight in the tranny (most bolts that I have seen that are threaded into the tranny will come out fairly easy once they are initially turned loose a half turn or so)

Hopefully this will help you out...

But once you get it out and are ready to put a new one in, I have a suggestion for a part to add to the rear roll restrictor before reassembly... I am not sure if the mount is exactly the same for 95-00s, but if it is then you can use this:

http://www.ultrarev.com/product.php?productid=41317

This is a Front MTX roll restrictor Polyurethane insert... HOWEVER, it WILL fit into the ATX Rear Roll Restrictor!! It is a little tighter fit, but it will help prevent the inner rubber insert from ripping apart from the tranny flexing back towards the subframe when shifting... for the $15.00 its worth it IMO...

Good Luck! :)
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top