New Engine Mounts and Other Chaos

The disassembling of the engine's intake manifold has had a domino effect and today Joe and I found a series of other components that required removal. Before the coolant flush difficulties, I had intended to replace the engine mounts. Now with the entire upper half of the engine gone, it seemed like the perfect time to do so as the new mounts weren't doing anything pressing sitting in their bags. We ran into a few difficulties accessing the bolts, so since I had planned to replace the catalytic converter anyway, the muffler, CAT and brackets all came off as well.

It took some funky combinations of ratchets and extensions to get to the bolts attaching the CAT to the rest of the exhaust system. Once it was off the car, the work room was greatly expanded. The motor mounts were original and badly dry-rotted.

The new mounts are a welcome addition to the engine refurb' and tune-up. We also found a cracked mounting bracket for the muffler while in there, so it looks like it was good to get into it and sort everything out.

I also managed to get a plug-and-play upgrade into the vehicle - solid state fan relays to replace the cumbersome relay box. Made a lot of room in the fuse box.