[bentom2]

Has anyone replaced their engine mounts yet?

My left motor mount released the hydraulic fluid recently, so I need to replace it. Since one failed, I’m actually planning to do both mounts. I did some Google and YouTube searching to see if I could find a good DIY, but didn’t have much luck for M2 or 2 series, and just a few 3 or 4 series results.

Anyway, I’m trying to decide whether I want to DIY or farm it out, and was curious if anyone has replaced theirs. If you have, what had to be removed to get to them? If just the charge pipe, belly pan, dust shield and/or fender liners, I’m good with that, no big deal, but hoping not to go much deeper for access.

I already have the mounts, the bolts for the engine to the bracket, bracket to the subframe, and nut for the mount to the bracket, in addition to both mounts and a set of Bimmerworld inserts to stiffen them up a bit and hopefully prolong this set of mounts. My M2 is primarily a track toy at this point, but I’m not interested in urethane or solid mounts.

Oh, and I also already have a hoist or engine support bar to get the engine up off the mounts.

[F87source]

You can watch turbo install videos to get an idea of what you generally need to do (on the passenger side). Most of the time people who install stage 2 turbos remove the passenger side motor mount to get access to the turbo. Other than that ISTA would also explain what you need to do.


Also keep us posted if the motor mount inserts fit, I am not 100% sure if the bimmer world stuff will fit because the m2 has weird motor mounts: the left side is shared with the f8x m4, the right side is a unique p/n for the n55 m2. So I am not sure if the standard n55 will fit because neither motor mount is the n55 version, and I am not sure if the s55 one will fit because the right side is n55 m2 specific.

[M Fifty]

How old/many miles does this car have that the engine mounts have failed?

Any mods that might have accelerated ageing?

Probably best to also look at replacing the transmission/differential mounts while you're at it.

[F87source]

Originally Posted by M Fifty

Probably best to also look at replacing the transmission/differential mounts while you're at it.

+1

When the motor mounts go, those are the next things in the drive line that gets beat up.

[Zeese]

Originally Posted by F87source

%snip%
Also keep us posted if the motor mount inserts fit, I am not 100% sure if the bimmer world stuff will fit because the m2 has weird motor mounts: the left side is shared with the f8x m4, the right side is a unique p/n for the n55 m2. So I am not sure if the standard n55 will fit because neither motor mount is the n55 version, and I am not sure if the s55 one will fit because the right side is n55 m2 specific.

Good knowledge on the right side. Odd...

Seems the M235iR stiffening ring fits!

Confirmed that 22118416823 fits.

[bentom2]

Thanks F87source , good tip on the turbo upgrade video. I’ll probably get a subscription to ista before I start, but I do a lot better with video than static instructions. Good info on the mount differences as well. I’ll give them a trial fit on the new mounts and report back.


M Fifty- no mods, car was stock other than an intercooler and charge pipe. I noticed the mount had ruptured when I had the belly pan off to do the downpipe a couple weeks ago. I happened to do rogue trans mounts at the same time, so all good there. The mount does not appear to have separated, the fluid bladder has just ruptured.

As far as contributing factors, the car has somewhere in the neighborhood of 80 track days on it. Also it’s a manual transmission and I probably have flubbed more than a few heel-toe downshifts (inadequate throttle blip) as I was getting used to the car. It’s a 2018 with 37000 miles and was on track for the first time 2-3 days after the 1200 mile break in service. This is the first mechanical issue I’ve encountered, so can’t complain.

Thanks for the link Zeese , my search efforts didn’t turn up much, or perhaps I passed over this thread when I saw it was about poly mounts.

Link to what I’m going to try;
https://www.bimmerworld.com/Aluminum...2-E9X-F3X.html

[Zeese]

Originally Posted by bentom2

%snip%

Thanks for the link Zeese , my search efforts didn’t turn up much, or perhaps I passed over this thread when I saw it was about poly mounts.

Link to what I’m going to try;
https://www.bimmerworld.com/Aluminum...2-E9X-F3X.html

This is the part that did fit:
Engine Mount Reinforcement Insert Ring - M235i/M240i Racing
The fitment list is a bit perplexing. Seems the one you linked to ought to work as well!

[bentom2]

Originally Posted by Zeese

This is the part that did fit:
Engine Mount Reinforcement Insert Ring - M235i/M240i Racing
The fitment list is a bit perplexing. Seems the one you linked to ought to work as well!

Thanks! Looks like the same design. I guess I bought the knockoff.

[pablom2c]

Did you notice the car making any new noise due to this failed motor mount?

[bentom2]

Originally Posted by pablom2c

Did you notice the car making any new noise due to this failed motor mount?

I haven’t noticed a change at all. I have no idea how long the mount has been ruptured. I only knew because of the staining on the skid plate when I pulled it to install a downpipe and trans bushings.

In fact, I’m still driving with the ruptured one since I haven’t had a chance to change it out yet. Was targeting this weekend, but probably will be a week later.

Good reminder to try mating the Bimmerworld inserts to the new OEM mounts I have on hand. Will follow up soon on that at least.

[bentom2]

Finally got around to replacing the motor mounts and adding the Bimmerworld inserts. The inserts fit the OEM M2 motor mounts without issue.

We were able to get the driver side mount out, and the new one in without removing the motor mount to engine block bracket by removing the top nut and lower screws then lifting and jacking the engine. I’m glad as the brack to block bolts looked like they would require removing the charge pipe and I didn’t really want to fight with that today.

Passenger side did require the bracket be removed, but the bolts are more accessible from below.

Took us a half day, majority of which was removing and reinstalling the plastic drip trays, fender back half of the front fender liners, and skid plate. Aside from that stuff, everything went smoothly.

The motor mount inserts did add a bit of vibration/resonance in a few spots.
1) A slight rattle can be heard from outside the car with your ear near either front wheel
2) a slight resonance is causing a minor rattle in the dash at warm idle.
3) just off idle there’s some perceivable vibration through the pedals and a bit of a buzzy noise
4) during u-turns at 5-10 mph there’s a bit of perceptible vibration through the seat and controls.

However, while driving, I didn’t notice much of anything as far as noise, including sudden WOT near peak torque, sudden deceleration from high rpm, and WOT upshift a redline. Didn’t notice any new noises at a brisk pace on a twisty back road, either.

It’s probably worth noting that my car has coilovers, some solid bushings, a cage seats, and harnesses, etc, so it was not exactly quiet to begin with. On a mostly stock car, I’d think hard about whether you need these. The noises probably could get old on a commute or mellow drive.

I’ll be on a new to me track next week and will report back on what I notice in that setting. I might need to get to a familiar track in late September to have a good A/B though.

[bentom2]

Update after a day on the track. I’m aware the mounts are adding some vibration through the chassis and steering. Minor stuff but it’s present.

Edit to add that a friend (@pal on here) found a similar urethane insert from Powerflex. He’ll probably get them installed soon and I’ll ask that he add his thoughts on them to this thread. I’m sure they’ll be quieter. Will be interesting to see what they do as far as stabilizing the engine. I’ll have to get back to a familiar track to get a better sense of that myself.

[tomthomas]

The vibration generated from worn engine mounts can have a noticeable impact on other vehicle components, such as fan belts or radiator hoses, leading to stretching or snapping. So, replacing worn engine mounts is vital to the overall health of your machine.

[bentom2]

Thanks tomthomas

Agree on not putting this off. I replaced them shortly after discovering the fluid dried on the belly pan.

Interestingly, I noticed no change in how the car drove. I only noticed the failure because I had the metal splash shield/pan off for another project and saw the black stain on the top side of the pan. So I guess my advice is to check your motor mounts if you track the car regularly.

Also, looks like I never circled back with long term experience on the Bimmerworld inserts.I basically notice additional noise vibration in a few circumstances;

1) at startup/idle and when moving the car around at parking lot speeds. This can both be felt and heard.
2) a bit more vibration through the touch points while driving. This is pretty subtle.
3) on track, I can feel and I think hear them in high speed/high rpm corners.

The last point has me considering swapping them out for the urethane ones mentioned above.

[M2guru]

For anyone who has installed the Powerflex motor mount insert (black / track), have you checked them lately? I just looked at mine after a few months of driving and about 10 track days and this is what I found:

[F87source]

Originally Posted by M2guru

For anyone who has installed the Powerflex motor mount insert (black / track), have you checked them lately? I just looked at mine after a few months of driving and about 10 track days and this is what I found:

Attachment 3198572

Man that sucks, I think the engine or exhaust heat melted them.

[M2guru]

Originally Posted by F87source

Man that sucks, I think the engine or exhaust heat melted them.

Yes. The high-flow cat is right there.

[F87source]

Originally Posted by M2guru

Yes. The high-flow cat is right there.

I wonder if exhaust wrap or ceramic coating would have prevented that.

[TargaM2]

For those interested in an alternative, I’ve had the yellow ‘street’ Powerflex inserts fitted for about a year & they are still fine (at least they were last month when it was up on the hoist). Zero increased NVH from them either.

As a comparison I have Powerflex ‘black’ engine & g/box inserts fitted to my Renaultsport RS275R track car & they have definitely increased NVH somewhat but have made a big improvement in getting power down.
I also have Nolathane ‘red’ engine & trans inserts fitted to my Golf GTI daily & whilst they have also made a noticable improvement they have increased NVH terribly to the extent I’m now looking for an alternative brand.

[bentom2]

Originally Posted by M2guru

For anyone who has installed the Powerflex motor mount insert (black / track), have you checked them lately? I just looked at mine after a few months of driving and about 10 track days and this is what I found:

Attachment 3198572

Thanks for posting this. Those Powerflex inserts were going to be my replacement for the aluminum ones. I guess I’ll just deal with the NVH of what’s there, or maybe only change out the cold side and see if that helps at all.

[M2guru]

As I work to change motor mounts, I am wondering if anyone has changed motor mounts by simply lifting the engine up. It seems that there is barely enough clearance - barely meaning not really enough. I am not sure I trust my Harbor Freight engine support bar to hold all that weight. I already bent one of the tabs on the support bar. Right now I am thinking that I'll try to jack up from the bottom along the oil pan to block edge while I use the engine support bar, but I am not sure how that will go. I don't have an engine hoist (yet)... I would appreciate any thoughts on this.

[M2guru]

Originally Posted by bentom2

Thanks for posting this. Those Powerflex inserts were going to be my replacement for the aluminum ones. I guess I’ll just deal with the NVH of what’s there, or maybe only change out the cold side and see if that helps at all.

Interested in selling your aluminum ones? If you're not tracking your car, I don't think the black Powerflex will melt.