Chevy Pickup Engine Mounts Removal

Because the motor mounts are disconnected from underneath the truck, and because the transmission must also be disconnected from its cross member underneath the vehicle, the vehicle must be raised with a floor jack at the truck’s frame. The truck should be raised high enough to allow easy access to the truck’s undercarriage. Always use safety stands to support the truck’s weight rather than the jack itself. The weight of the transmission is supported with a large metal piece called a cross member, which crosses the center of the transmission and bolts to the frame. Because the engine need only be raised an inch or two to remove the motor mounts, the transmission must be disconnected from the cross member to allow the transmission to lift up with the engine. It is not necessary to disconnect the cross member from the frame, only the transmission from the cross member. Two bolts are used to connect the transmission to the center of the cross member and can be removed with a wrench.

Chevrolet engines use two motor mounts, one on each side of the engine. Each motor mount consists of an upper and lower bracket. The lower bracket bolts onto the truck’s frame, inside the engine compartment. The upper bracket bolts directly to the side of the engine. The upper bracket is slightly wider than the lower bracket, which allows the lower bracket to slide into the center of the upper bracket. A single long bolt slides through the center of each bracket and is secured in place with a nut. Remove the nut from underneath the truck, where the engine meets the transmission, then tap the tip of the nut through the mounting brackets with a hammer. Remove the two bolts that secure the upper mounting bracket to the side of the engine and the four bolts that secure the lower mounting bracket to the frame. Remember that there is one engine mount on each side of the engine, so both mounts must be disconnected.

Although the engine mounts have been disconnected from the engine and the truck’s frame, the weight of the engine is still holding them in place. To remove the mounts, the engine must be lifted an inch or two. Engine lifts are available in different designs, but all designs bolt to the engine and use a hydraulic cylinder and a handle to pick the engine up. The top of the intake manifold or the front of one cylinder head and the rear of the opposite cylinder head are common locations to mount the lift’s chain(s). Actuate the engine lift’s handle just until the engine begins to rise, then pull the long bolt that secures each upper and lower engine mount out of the mounts. Raise the engine just until the motor mount brackets disconnect, then slide the mounts out of the engine compartment.