E60I

Hey guys,

Hope all is well! :-)

I am very interested in replacing (DIY) the motor and transmission mounts for my 2006 BMW 530i (N52) at 91,000 miles.

Thus far, I have ordered the following parts from Huskerparts.com:

1. Two engine mounts
2. Two transmission mounts
3. Two sets of aluminum engine support bolts (8 bolts total).
4 Two hex nuts for the engine mounts

I will buy the 24" socket extension to loosen the two hex nuts from the motor mounts soon.

Attached are two of the threads I found kind of useful for the task. Please feel free to share your experience.

Passenger Side Motor Mount Replacement DIY (n52)

BMW E90 Engine Mount Replacement | E91, E92, E93 | Pelican Parts DIY Maintenance Article

Here are my questions:

1. For my particular year, make and model, if I raise the engine up with a floor jack from the oil pan, will it "crush" the gasket of the oil pan to cause leaks in the future?

2. If you can confirm, what is the torque specs for the engine support bolts and hex nuts for the motor mounts?

3. What are the torque specs for the transmission fasteners/bolts? Can I use the old fasteners/bolts?

Thank you in advance for sharing your personal experience and feedbacks!

Daniel

txag_530i

I'd strongly recommend buying an engine support bar, or renting an engine hoist. You do not want to be under the car with only a hydraulic jack pushing on an aluminum oil pan. I bought the Harbor Freight tool, item # 96524.

You use the tow hook from the tool kit and screw it into the threaded hole by the oil filter, and then fasten a chain to help support the engine and raise and lower the engine as required.

The engine mount bolts need to be replaced, but the Bentley manual does not say the same about the transmission bolts.

Engine mount bolts (M8) 56 N-m
Transmission mounts 19 N-m

E60I

Thanks for the reply, Txag_530i!

Yeah, I am a bit concerned about the oil pan also. But, I believe other people have done it from the oil pan without any damages.

From what I read, I thought the oil pan is made of cast iron or something else stronger than the aluminum you mentioned.

Have a great day!

E60I

Summary:

Hex nuts (1 for each mount): 56 Nm
Screws/bolts (2 for each mount) : 21 Nm
Transmission mounts : 19 Nm

Have a great day! :-)

E60I

Hi guys,

I am very tempted in raising the engine from the bottom with the hydraulic floor jack. Attached is a couple of pictures I took from underneath the car. Could someone please show me which part of the bottom of the engine should I use to raise the engine? '

What is chance of "crushing" the oil pan gasket and causing it to leak in the future if I use oil pan to raise the engine?

If I have to raise the engine from the oil pan, which section is safer to use? The lowest point (more hollow?) or the higher point of contact (less hollow and less vulnerable to getting crushed?)?

Thank you in advance! :-)

twh

Used to be a common way to support the engine on cars of old. Not sure I'd do it on this car. If you do it, don't just use the jack...get a piece of 2x4 and put that between the jack and pan.

E60I

I was under the car last weekend, finally doing my "2nd" transmission fluid drain and refill. At 96,500 miles, the fluid came out +85% comparable to the new genuine BMW fluid. For the record, it didn't make the car run any better or worse.

Anyways, the oil pan appears to be made of aluminum. With my luck, one of two things can happen if I jack it up from there:

1) Oil pan "gasket" will be squeezed from the pressure and eventually break apart after the jack is removed; resulting in a motor oil leak.

2) I will crush the oil pan, resulting into a big and messy oil spill and unnecessary cash outflow. lol

This might sound easy said than done, but from the look of it, it does not look hard if anyone is willing to take the following steps:

1) Remove the front plastic panel from under the car.

2. Remove the back plastic panel that covers the transmission and the majority of the bottom of the car.

3) Remove metal shield that protects the oil pan; covered by the plastic panel that covers the transmission and most of the car

4) Remove the plastic lower control arm covers (one on each side)

5) Remove the air filter box cover and airbox that is connected to the throttle body

6) Remove the three screws that holds each motor mount.

YOU DON'T HAVE TO REMOVE THE BRACKETS (ONE ON EACH SIDE OF THE ENGINE) THAT ARE CONNECTED TO THE CAR AND THE MOTOR MOUNTS.

FYI: The steps above are edited based on the procedures I applied to get the job done. ;-)

txag_530i

Just buy the Harbor Freight engine support bar for $80 (or less with a 20% coupon) and don't worry about it. Even if you buy the tool you are still saving money versus paying someone to do the work.

E60I

Yes, sir. I will go get one this weekend. And hopefully, I will put it to good use sooner than much later. lol

It would cost even more if I crush the oil pan gasket and cause a leak...

E60I

Two weekends ago, I finally changed my motor mounts. It wasn't as hard and scary like I thought. I must say, it is very labor intensive! You need patience and at least 4 hours to do it for the first time. With experience now, I think I can get it done in less than two hours if I have to do it again.

Bottom line: The car had about 101,700 miles and I have felt the slight vibrations from the steering wheel and car seats in the last two years. After the replacements (with BMW genuine parts), I think the vibration is 96% gone! Within the last two weeks, "occasionally", I needed to really focus to see if I can feel the vibration of the engine coming into the driver cabin. I guess that's a good thing! :-)

I want to thank txag_530i, twh and others for their recommendations. Thank you! :-)

The engine support bar from Harbor Freight was useful! I bought it at a pretty good price with the 25% Coupon. From personal experience, I recommend putting a 2x4 between it and the car inner fender panels (sorry, I don't know the official name for it) when lifting the engine up. Without that 2x4, I don't think there's enough room to lift the engine high enough to remove the motor mounts.

When you put the new motor mounts in, PLEASE BE SURE TO SCREW THE MIDDLE NUTS (ONE FOR EACH MOUNT) ON FIRST!!!! Screw in on just enough so they can hold the mounts while you lower the engine "to align and screw" the other two screws (two for each mount) in place. Warning: If you don't screw the middle nuts in first, your engine can end up sitting on those middle bolts of the engine mounts; therefore, you will have to spend more time lifting the engine up again to get them to seat in.

I hope my experience will make the job easier for the next guy who wants to give it a try.

Thank you and have a great day!