Was checking the oil yesterday on my 300m, slamed the hood shut as usual. Backed the car out of the garage. That's when I noticed a big rusty washer with rubber attached to it sitting on the garage floor. It was the lower isolator cushion attached to it's backing plate washer. From the rear driver's side. With a big rusty hole in the center. I looked under the car and yep, there's the bolt surrounded by rusted crud. Maybe that's the source of my front-end knock that I'be been feeling for the better part of the past 5 years?
Called a local parts place, and picked up a new "kit". For probably $45-50 I could have one from rockauto, in about a week or two. I got this one for $60 (tax in). Yellow rubber, 2-piece, with 2 long bolts. Saw a couple youtube video's about it. I figured my main battle was going to be getting the bolt out without breaking it or the internal captive nut.
Bolt came out much easier than I thought. Bolt threads looked great, could have re-used it. When I cleaned up around the bottom of the subframe it looked like there was an internal rubber bushing or sleeve and that the smaller piece that was in the kit was supped to go in there, but when I got the isolator donut out from between the frame and sub-frame, that's when I knew the smaller piece was the isolator donut. I guess the inner rubber bushing in the subframe is never replaced?
Put everything back together, the new isolator donut seemed to end up squashed thinner than the original. I'll order a few more of these for the other corners. I'm not sure if this did anything for my knocking. How common is it to replace the motor mounts on the 300m?
Called a local parts place, and picked up a new "kit". For probably $45-50 I could have one from rockauto, in about a week or two. I got this one for $60 (tax in). Yellow rubber, 2-piece, with 2 long bolts. Saw a couple youtube video's about it. I figured my main battle was going to be getting the bolt out without breaking it or the internal captive nut.
Bolt came out much easier than I thought. Bolt threads looked great, could have re-used it. When I cleaned up around the bottom of the subframe it looked like there was an internal rubber bushing or sleeve and that the smaller piece that was in the kit was supped to go in there, but when I got the isolator donut out from between the frame and sub-frame, that's when I knew the smaller piece was the isolator donut. I guess the inner rubber bushing in the subframe is never replaced?
Put everything back together, the new isolator donut seemed to end up squashed thinner than the original. I'll order a few more of these for the other corners. I'm not sure if this did anything for my knocking. How common is it to replace the motor mounts on the 300m?