Rear Engine/Gearbox Mount replacement

[austieman]

Hi, I was wondering if anyone on here had had experience in swapping out the rear engine/gearbox mount on a MK8? I’ve picked up the Haynes manual and it seems pretty straightforward as long as you prop up the engine with a jack. Is there anything else I should be aware of or would anyone have any tips?
Thanks in advance!

[metalworker0]

Sump is made of thin metal, so use a block of wood with large contact area on top of the jack.
that's all i can think of, other than support on axle stands to get the height needed to access it. make sure the tools you have, will reach and undo the nuts and bolts before you start. maybe douse the whole lot with some releasing oil a couple of days prior.
To avoid rounding things off, use flank drive hexagon sockets. or ring spanners

all the best.mark

[Frag]

If the vans the one in your signature L3H3 I’ll assume it’s RWD ?

If so,the crossmember will have to come off or down to replace rear gearbox mount….

What’s wrong with the mount on now ?

If it’s FWD,and your talking about the lower torque restrictor that goes from bottom of gearbox to crossmember,you don’t have to support engine at all,engine will swing on its mounts but won’t go anywhere.
Undo the big bolt through mount,and 4 onto crossmember,prize it out and fit new one.

[austieman]

Thank you both for your responses.
It is a FWD and I believe it is the lower torque restrictor that I’m referring to (link to the replacement part https://www.gsfcarparts.com/products/en ... osQAvD_BwE).

The Haynes manual says to support the gearbox with a jack - do you think it isn’t needed?
I had a look at it again earlier and it seems to just be a case of getting the van high enough to have the space underneath to get the job done. I got a few quotes to have the work done and it’s coming to £300 which seems a lot for what looks to be a relatively simple job.

[metalworker0]

its telling you to support it to make it easier to get the bolts out, just to take a little weight off the thing is enough to help.

all the best.mark

[austieman]

Sorry I should have added:

The problem I’m having is that I’m getting a when the engine is under load and the steering is on full lock. I’m very aware that it will probably be drive shaft/CV joints but I read that it can also be the torque restrictor which has failed. Incidentally when it was in for its last service the torque restrictor was pointed out as an issue then but they weren’t willing to change it because the ceiling in the workshop was too low and they couldn’t get the van high enough or something.
In any case I’m now looking to do this myself in case it is the drive shafts which is something I’m less keen on doing and I’ll therefore have to pay to get done.

[metalworker0]

Driveshafts are not hard to do, if you are replacing them rather than repairing them.

all the best.mark

[austieman]

Driveshafts are not hard to do, if you are replacing them rather than repairing them.

all the <span class="skimlinks-unlinked">best.mark</span>

That’s good to know - the reason I’m not keen on doing the driveshafts is because I read that you have to drain the gearbox oil which I really don’t want to do.
If I get to that point though I’ll reach out again and get your thoughts.

Thanks!

[metalworker0]

if you have the van lifted on one side, the oil should not come out.. the level is roughly equal to the bottom of the driveshafts i think ... a 2 litre milk carton top will usually fit in there to keep it clean and to stop it coming out.

All you have to worry about with drive shafts is:

1 Sometimes hard to get them out as there is a bulls nose ring on the end that goes into the gearbox, you need a selection of tyre levers... and knowledge of what's really going on, when you encounter difficulty. you tube
2 . You may have to undo the pinch bolt on the end of the shock absorber and pull the hub off it - sometimes rusty and difficult . or the bottom ball joint and track rod end.
3. Driving out the shaft from the hub .. sometimes it just pushes out .. sometimes you need an air hammer impact gun.
4 The torque of the drive shaft nut is i think 500Nm .. and a 3 foot 3/4 drive breaker bar to loosen and a need a substantial torque wrench to put it back on .

all the best.mark