Date: Thu, 01 Oct 1998 17:36:09 -0700 From: Justin VanAbrahams <jvanabranopsamnet> Subject: Re: 9000Turbo motor mounts --$850? Yes or No?
alandzijanopsamoffice.worldnet.att.net wrote: > > I couldn't find the replacement process described in the factory service > manuals. Would appreciate any responses as to whether this is a DIY > repair, is dealer price fair, is diagnosis consistent with age of car > (seems to be) and are there any repair alternatives in the Philadelphia > area? Response greatly appreciated. 90% of the job can be done by a DIY-type of person - ask me how I know. After paying about $1000 to have it done on my '86 9000T, I decided to tackle the job myself on my '88 9000T. There are two gotchas in the process - one of the top engine mounts (the one on the engine side of the torque arm) is pressed into place, and unless you have a press you won't be able to do it yourself. Ywan Mason at Townsend Imports tells me uses an air hammer with a chisel to get the sumbitch out. The other possible gotcha is the tranny mount, which you'll find on the driver's side, just forward of the suspension. On some cars, this mount is pressed in (just like the above-mentioned mount) and on some cars it is retained with a semi-circular bracket. If you've got the pressed-in variety, you're looking at a trip to the mechanic; if you've got a retainer variety, it's the second-easiest of them all to do. Ywam tells me that\ most ATXs have the retainer variety, while most MTXs have the pressed-in ones - my '88 9000T was an ATX, and has the retainer, FYI. The two lower mounts are a royal PIA, but it's more time than effort involved. You will need to support the engine from above, which means either having an engine hoist (as I used) or some sort of pulley system attached to the roof of your garage... :) You will get very dirty and cuss a lot, but it really isn't that hard - took me about two hours to do it myself. The final upper mount, on the firewall side of the engine torque arm, is a cinch - takes five minutes, tops. All that said and done, what I did: 1. Ordered the mounts from Ywan Mason at http://www.townsendimports.com or mailto:saabmasternopsamsendimports.com - it came to about $300 all said and done, shipping included, for all four engine mounts plus the singular tranny mount. 2. Replaced the three lower mounts (two engine + one tranny) myself. 3. Removed the torque arm and engine-side bracket from the engine, and took the bracket to my mechanic, who then pressed in the new mount for 30 mins labor ($30, IIRC) 4. Reinstalled the bracket and torque arm, using a new mount. So, all in all, the deal ended up costing around $330, which was a lot more palettable than $1000... If you need to rent an engine hoist, you'll be looking at a little more, but MUCH less than $850... Yell if ya need some help... -Justin
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