|
Top Engine Mount |
 |
|
| The reason for this
modification is to improve quick shifts during hard accelerations. With my
Saab I have found it difficult to perform quick and smooth shifts when
running the 1/4 mile or any full throttle, high rpm shift. I had
attributed this to bad syncros or some other internal transmission part,
but I recently discovered the actually cause of the problem. With my Saab
on a dyno I was able to watch the engine, as the rpms climbed the entire
engine tilted backwards towards the firewall. By redline it had moved back
almost 2 inches. This was throwing off the geometry of the shifter and
reeking havoc with my quick shifts. Once I realized this I was determined
to reduce the engine movement, and luckily the solution is cheap and not
too difficult to install. Cost: Cheap - My total cost was $8.50 Time: 3-4 Hours Difficulty: Moderate |
 |
| The solution is to install the top engine mount from a 9000. Unfortunately it is not a direct swap, each part needs to be slightly modified. Pictured right is the engine mounting bracket, the top wish-bone mount from a 9000; and a 3/8” bold and metal plate from a hardware store. Not pictured are the two mounting bolts required. |  |
| The first part to modify is the engine mount bracket. The 9000 and NG900 have the same mounting points for this bracket. However the 9000 has a different serpentine belt configuration. What this means is that the serpentine belt and belt tensioner on the NG900 are in the way of part of the engine mount. Instead of attempting to reposition the belt tensioner and belt, which probably isn’t possible. I decided to do away with the two lower mounting points and part of the bracket. I’ve shaded the bracket to show what I have cut off. I used a dremal tool with cutting discs to remove one corner of it and the lower mounting holes. The design of the mounting bracket makes this a fairly simple and straight forward job. The bracket then bolts up to the engine block using just the two top mounting holes. |   |
| * More pictures and
instructions will be added later. I did the installation quickly to make
sure it solved the quick shifting problem, and it did. But I need to
disassemble it to take more pictures and clean up the parts. The short version of the rest of the install requires drilling a hole in the front sway bar for the mount attachment. But the top wish-bone mount is too long and new holes must be drilled at the end. The last problem is that simply bolting the mount to the swaybar is not a good idea. It would cause uneven force distribution, the engine mount must also be secured on the bottom. This is where the metal plate comes in handy. Unbolting the cruise control actuator and unclipping the injector wires reveals a nice little platform below the sway bar that can be used as a mount. Bending the metal plate into and ‘S’ shape I attached it to the platform and engine mount. The mount was now secured on the top and bottom. Full throttle shifts are now smooth and quick for the first time. |
|
| Home |