DIY Engine Mount Change - Biturbo

Shaheenk

Junior Member
Messages
48
So after much searching of the interwebs , I figured out there is no DIY for the classic Biturbo on how to change engine mounts on these now rare and classic , highly sought after specimens. Ok stop laughing, they not highly sought after for various reasons.

This will cover the right hand drive variations but I am 99% sure it will work on the Left side steering versions too.

Before I begin, some basics. If you dont know what you doing dont worry , its life and most of us dont .

Make sure the vehicle you are working on is cold, o has cooled down , you will be working near hot engine parts and the lack of space in an italian engine bay means at some point cold skin will touch hot metal and you will be BBQ.

Next, if you working without the aid of a lift , please use appropriate lifting equipment and make sure the car is stable. Tressels and or stands are recommended , I cannot take responsibility for the engine falling on your noggin , or worst still the car.

So onto tools. This is what you need , these are the basics you can expand on this if you have more tools, but they will lie in the tool box and laugh at you when you swear to never ever work on this italian **** again.

1/4in Power bar - needed for those bolts which firmly believe their excuse is to make your life ****.
1/4in Ratchet - Once the power bar has done its work , you can quickly swing a few turns with the old ratchet to make life easy.
1/4in sockets, - 14mm, 17mm , 19mm
3/8th ratchet and sockets - same sizes as above, you wont get to the rear bolts on the mount without this.
17mm spanner, I made use of a ratchet one as space is limited and I am a lazy bugger
10mm and 8mm allen key sockets, do not attempt to try this with normal allen keys. You wont win.
Engine cleaner - Carb cleaner - some form of cleaner , its dirty down there, soap and water wont cut it like your mum told you it would.
Container to catch all the bolts washers and stuff - also helpful to fill with some petrol , if you dont manage to change the mounts at least you can torch the car or clean the parts whichever is more appropriate
Trolley Jack - 1Ton , 2 Ton , 3 Ton.

Yes you need Engine mounts , if you plan on doing this without the express intention of changing the mounts you are a sadistic person.

Step 1 - Take a deep breath , count to 10 , Maserati state 5 hours to do this , if I can do it in under 1:45H a mechanic or able bodied workshop will charge you for 3 , you can do it in less.
Step 2, Jack the car u from the front using the front of the subframe , if you are not sure what the subframe is , step back put down the tools and call someone who does.
Step 3 - Place tressels under the jack mounts on the front , they wont do much if you put them at the back , you want the vehicle as high up as you can and where possible as safe as you feel.
Step 4 - Step back and admire your work , does she not look pretty with her nose in the air like that.
Step 5 - slide under the car as far back as possible - you need to remove 4 17mm bolts from the steering rack , you need to loosen the rack mounts from the subframe. Dont you love that word.....Sub Frame.
Step 6 - once you have the rack bolts out , put them in the container , there are 2 different sizes for each end , dont get confused. I did.
Step 7 - Grab the trolley jack again and put a piece of wood on top of it, now jack the engine up slightly, dont raise it , just use it to remove the pressure on the mounts slightly. Place a tressel under the engine again with some wood so you dont damage the sump. not that the engine is happy resting your work starts.
Step 8 Deep breath , put the 19mm socket on to the power bar, you will be loosening the bolts which run through to the engine mounting plate, using a firm hand , slap the power bar so it knows you are the boss, then use it to remove the bolt, this is quite a long bolt and should have a massive washer on the bottom.
Step 9 - once both bolts are removed its time to move to the subframe, there are 4 bolts which hold this to the chassis. - 2in the front (19mm) and two in the middle of the frame - these are 10mm allen heads. Again slap the power bar and get at it. loosen each one in turn and the subframe will gradually fall down , dont worry it wont come crashing down , the suspension is holding it in place kinda.
Step 10 - Pull the subframe down until you have enough space to get into the bolts which hold the engine mount in place......dont remove them , look at the design and think to yourself, why would anyone in their right mind put a bolt in a location which you cannot get to without having to drop the subframe, stupid italian designers.....more on this later.
Step 11 - use the spanner to loosen the front bolts, they are the easy ones, use the 3//8th ratchet and 17mm socket to remove the rears, again put all of this into a container to clean. The mounts should now slip free and with a bit of a wiggle will come out.
Step 12 --Are you still wondering about that design where the bolt goes via the top , why did they not just put the bolt from the bottom. Simple if the bolt falls out while at the bottom the mount will move and may cause damage , bolts fall down so unless u driving upside down the mount will always be in place.
Step 13 - Clean all the bolts and washers taking care which ones go onto which bolt , there are 2 large ones on each end of the mount as well.
Step 14 - Clean the area under the engine , this is a good time to inspect if any hoses need replacing .

Putting back is the reversal of pulling it all apart, if you not sure how that works read this post from Step 13 to step 1 , but instead of loosening the bolts tighten them.

Have fun , do not call me if you get stuck . I am not to be held responsible for any injury that may occur from this post.
 

philw696

Member
Messages
25,113
Love it having spent many hours intimately on my 77 Daimler XJC in the last year I can say its been totally rewarding and nice to be using my imperial kit again.
Working in a professional workshop everyday with my own bay and hoist I enjoy being at home on the driveway using stands and a jack executing tasks old school.
Well Done to you and all who sail this ship.
 

spacecadet

Member
Messages
378
If anyone needs the engine mounts for this job, I've bumped into this by accident:

s-l300.jpg

This is the engine mount of Fiat Ritmo Mk2, Fiat Regatta and a few Seats (Fiat license) and looks pretty much the same as the early Biturbo engine mounts. I can't verify this as my Ghibli II has the later version engine mounts (same as in QP4, 3200 GT), but worth a try.

Part no. Fiat 4433963 as an alternative for Maserati 314220100

For example
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Seat-Ibi...tmo-Mk2-Regata-Engine-Mount-New-/281848695451