JKS/Currie 1" Lift Motor Mount
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Short Cuts |
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By: Jeff Yokomura - 2/2001
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This project started off like many others. "What if we
could raise the engine a inch to gain some clearance and help out driveshaft
angles?" Well, as it turned out it was easier said then done. The only
one inch lift engine mounts on the market are for 4.0L YJ's and TJ's. We learned
from our fellow staff member, Paul Nasvik, that it was possible to use the 4.0L
engine lift on a 2.5L TJ. So we figured since the 4.0L YJ and TJ were covered
along with the 2.5L TJ, then shouldn't the 2.5L YJ also be covered? Sounds logical
doesn't it? Well, with a quick phone call to JKS we ordered a pair of their
1 inch engine mounts. Turns out these are the same mounts that Currie sells.
We talked to the guy's at Currie Enterprise and asked them if anyone had been
able to use their kit with a 2.5L YJ. To our surprise they said no. To add to
that, they said it was not possible. Some companies said the reason they didn't
make a kit for the 2.5L YJ was because they changed the engine mounts often.
Well with the parts on hand we weren't going to let this stop us now.
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| This is what was left from the broken engine mount. Notice
there is a lot missing. |
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| JKS and Currie sell the same 1" Motor Mounts |
With a quick visual check the mounts look like they would
work. Turns out we located a problem that had stumped us before. There was a
clanging noise when the Jeep hit a hard bump or turned sharply. It turns out
our passenger side engine mount was busted. Well not exactly. The mount on the
passenger side sits on a one inch riser for some reason. This allowed the engine
to rock on the drivetrain's axis and drop on the frame mount. The riser bracket
was stamped out of some thin steel and had broken in two places leaving some
metal tabs and two studs as the only sign it had existed. So we went ahead and
ordered a new bracket from our local Jeep Dealership.
Once we had our hands on all the parts we were ready to dive
in and see what would have to be customized. Before starting, we sprayed everything
with some Hammerite Hammered Black paint to protect them from the elements.
With that done we started dissembling the driver side engine mount and took
some rough measurements. The bushing and inner sleeve would have to be cut down
about a quarter inch. For some reason the 2.5L YJ uses a narrower bushing on
the driver side then the 4.0L Jeeps. You can use a band saw to cut the bushing
down some or try your hand at using a hand saw. On the other side was yet another
bag of problems but it would be easier to work with. The passenger side engine
bushing was just the opposite of the other side. It would need some spacers
to take up about a half a inch gap.
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| Passenger side engine mount. Notice how it is sitting
on the frame mount |
The weight of the engine now sits on this one bolt and
the stud on the otherside. |
Since the riser plate was missing, the engine sat an inch
lower then it should. |
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| Here is what the new riser plate look like
intact. It is twice as thick as the original. |
The new engine mounts have slotted holes so the new mount
can be adjusted some to account for any other differences you may come upon.
To remove the passenger side engine mount requires a little more work then just
unbolting from the engine. The bolt is very long and is threaded in from the
front. This forced us to unbolt the alternator to be able to pull the bolt out.
There are two bolts holding the alternator in. One on the top and one down at
the bottom. The tension adjuster is on the power steering pump. Instead of loosening
those bolts and adding more steps then needed, we used a pry-bar to put tension
on the alternator so the bottom bolt could be removed. This is also how we'll
reinstall the alternator without having to worry about squealing belts.
Care must be taken when supporting the engine with a jack.
Do not use the oil pan as a jack point. If anything, lift from the bellhousing
or use something long like a pipe and jack front below the engine mount tabs
off the block. Because one of out engine mounts was already broken we were able
to move the engine around with little effort. Be careful not to have the engine
fall off the jack. We jacked the engine up from the engine mount tabs and used
a jack-stand under the bellhousing to be on the safe side.
Installing the new mounts was pretty straight forward. With
the passenger side, the new mount was bolted to the riser plate and then bolted
to the frame. We used some large washers and the quarter inch sleeve that was
removed from the other side to act as a bushing. The driver side needed a little
help to line up straight. Some screwdrivers work well for this. With all the
mounts bolted down and the engine lined up all that is needed is to put everything
else back together. Two people make lining up the bolt for the alternator possible.
Otherwise, we would have to loosen the tension bolt on the power steering pump.
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| Notice how much narrower the driverside engine mount needs
to be. |
The passenger side mount needs some shims to take up the
extra distance between the engine tabs. |
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| This is the only area where there is contact between the
engine and the body. |
The engine is now raised up so there is sufficent clearance
for the York that was installed last month. Also, because the Jeep has a 1.25"
JKS body lift the fan shroud was now back in perfect alignment with the fan.
There wasn't any need to modify it when the body lift was installed. Driveshaft
angles look really good right now. This should give us enough room so we are
able to raise the transfer case flat with the frame rails later on. The only
problem is that the rubber elbow that attaches to the throttle body is now in
contact with the brake booster. This could be a problem if we had a metal air
tube.
First thoughts with the new engine mounts, the Jeep shakes
a lot more at idle. It smoothed out after 1000 Rpm and then starts to shake
past 2300 Rpm. It settled down again, once we got to cruising speed. Now maybe
we can remove those transfer-case shims since the driveshaft angles look even
better then before.
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| Before: As seen at the rear driveshaft. |
After.. |
Trending on 4x4Wire TrailTalk Forums
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Bumper?
by TOASTY. 06/20/18 02:59 AM
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