How to lower engine, 996?

[venturawildes]

I am in the middle of a wonderful coolant tank change out.

2002 991 C2 Cab

How do you lower the engine? Impossible to change tank without doing so.

What are the gotchas? Does the exhaust need to come off?

Thanks!

[Loren]

Loose and/or remove the left rear motor mount - lower the engine using a jack just enough to let the tank clear (less than 2 inches).

[venturawildes]

Loose and/or remove the left rear motor mount - lower the engine using a jack just enough to let the tank clear (less than 2 inches).

Hi Loren, not to be totally dense, but which one is the motor mount? The one in the back (rear of car) or the one that the suspension hangs on? I loosened the one on the back and nothing happened. Are there any gotchas? Thanks! this has been amazingly frustrating.

[Loren]

Loosen and/or remove the nut (item 4).

[venturawildes]

Loosen and/or remove the nut (item 4).

I love you Loren. Actually had to loosen both sides and then Robert's your Fathers brother.

[Loren]

Yes, that will put less stress on the other mount.

[996noob]

Yes, that will put less stress on the other mount.

Just a little off topic, but still on engine mounts, I have a few questions I hope you could shed light on.

I've read alot of old threads about busted mounts from jacking the car from the engine.

It seems to me that from the design of the engine carrier and the mounts themselves, in normal circumstances the engine pulls down on the hydraulic filled mounts, and when jacked up, would put them under compression instead.

How would one be able to bust the mount under compression? The casing on the top side looks extremely robust and should constrain the compression easily. It seems more likely an issue if the top mounting bolts of the mounting can take the weight of the car, pulling the engine mounting up from the engine bay area.

[venturawildes]

Yes, that will put less stress on the other mount.

Just a little off topic, but still on engine mounts, I have a few questions I hope you could shed light on.

I've read alot of old threads about busted mounts from jacking the car from the engine.

It seems to me that from the design of the engine carrier and the mounts themselves, in normal circumstances the engine pulls down on the hydraulic filled mounts, and when jacked up, would put them under compression instead.

How would one be able to bust the mount under compression? The casing on the top side looks extremely robust and should constrain the compression easily. It seems more likely an issue if the top mounting bolts of the mounting can take the weight of the car, pulling the engine mounting up from the engine bay area.

I didn't hear any pop or other weird sound that would indicate a problem. Pretty straight forward. The engine moves quite a bit when you jack the car up though.

[perryinva]

They are liquid filled and designed for the weight and stress of a moving/torqueing motor/tranny combination. The weight of the car itself is is born by the suspension. Do not assume that because it looks like it hangs from the mount that the bolt is "pulling down". I'd bet dollars to donuts that the mount is designed such that the bolt still compresses the fluid. When you jack up the engine, you are now bottoming out/and or stretching the mount with more than half the weight of the car. A cut away of the mount would shed a ton of light on this. I've jacked it that way (once) but it is clearly Porsche policy to NOT do that. I bought this (for $1275 in a group buy) so I never have to screw with jacks again on any of my cars again (I hope).

www.ezcarlift.com

Edited July 27, 2009 by perryinva