N00b engine question

[kingdutka]

Should there be some kind of plate or other mounting piece on the very bottom of the engine that makes it NOT sit in the rack and pinion? Like a lifter or something?

I pulled my SR20 because it was water locked. I put in the new one, it starts up and revs good, but it moves when i turn the steering wheel cuz it's resting on the rack and pinion. Everything seems to be lined up perfectly except for that....

[Neil]

No, the engine should not be sitting on anything except for the engine mounts! Can you take some photos with anything other than a camera phone?

Also, curiously, the steering rack shouldn't be moving either. Only the ends move in and out of it.

[kingdutka]

I don't really know what all the parts are called, all I can tell you is that the engine moves when I turn the steering wheel. I had 2 other people help me put it in and we didn't even notice it until those guys left and of course, I hardly know what the heck I am doing... I'm a computer nerd, not a mechanic, but I am trying to learn!

[blinker_fluid]

you do have engine mounts right???

[kingdutka]

you do have engine mounts right???

Yes :P And the engine is lined up with them perfectly, bolted on smoothly...

[Hijacker]

The problem sounds to be with your steering rack. The retainers could be loose, allowing the rack to shift and move. either that, or your engine mounts are busted and the motor is sagging (doubtful)

Also, did you remove all of the heatshields from the turbo and O2 sensor housing? They can contact the steering column rod.

[kingdutka]

Unfortunately, the car is at in my dad's garage 20 miles from here and I won't be going there for a couple days, so I can't get pictures or even look at the suggestions you guys are making, but if you could just keep them coming, I will check out all the possibilities when I go over there to work on it next time.

Thanks a bunch for all the replies so far!

[kingdutka]

Ok, I pulled the engine because I need to replace the throwout bearing and release bearing for my clutch to work properly and in the process I noted something odd:

The turbo charger is resting on the steering rod (the part that comes out of the firewall and connects to the rack and pinion). After inspection, it would seem that the turbo charger on this engine is in a slightly different position than the previous one causing it to shove right up against that rod... What do I do?

[Hijacker]

If it's a T2 based turbo, it shouldn't be contacting the steering rod. Given that you're having issues with the motor sitting low and the turbo contacting the steering rod, make sure that your cross member is in good shape as well as your motor mounts and mount brackets.

[kingdutka]

I actually don't think the engine is sitting low. The original issue with the motor moving when I turn the steering wheel is entirely because of what I discovered, the turbo touching the steering rod. Everything else is lined up perfectly... I can close the hood too and there is plenty of clearance on the engine, it just wiggles when I turn the steering wheel which is explained by the turbo hitting the steering rod.

[BigMACKenzie]

you might want to grab a chilton, hanes or even a Factory service manual so you can have some pictures to look at bc as Hijacker said you might have some issues with the cross member being out of shape. The books will give you something to compare with as well as being chock full of other tasy nuggets of joy you will need later. Be carefull w/ the pics of the crossmember, the gap you are talking about is fairly small and even minor shifts in geometry might cause your problem.

[duffman1278]

I'm going to also have to go ahead and say its an issue with your crossmember, being that the engine mounts and steering rack, sit on the crossmember

[alex87]

i am having a similar problem but got it figured out, take a look at the pictures on the post "engine isnt sitting right" and then see if thats whats going on in your case

[Neil]

I was just thinking about how everyone seems to have missed the part where you said your first SR didn't have this problem, and that jogged my memory.....

Is it possible that you may have mixed up your motor mounts when you moved them to your newer motor? In spite of their general appearances they are not identical, and obviously they have an effect on how the motor sits in the engine bay.

If you used your original KA mounts, you probably already know that you have to swap them left to right when you install them on an SR. That said, if you Are using KA mounts, and you're sure they're installed properly on the SR, then buy yourself a set of Nismo mounts to replace them. Old KA mounts are pancaked by now, so the stiffer Nismo ones will effectively raise the motor a good amount, even though they weren't even specifically designed to do so.

If you're using the mounts that came with your motor, or if you already have Nismo mounts, then just verify that the one with the little heat shield on it is installed on the exhaust side. KA mounts don't have that heat shield, so without that point of reference it's definitely worth it to try swapping them left to right.

Also it's pretty well accepted that if you reuse KA mounts on an SR you will eventually shear one or both of them.
Modified by Neil at 3:15 AM 9/27/2008

[kingdutka]

SOB... I DID mix them up! I have stock SR mounts now... I have no idea which mounts I was using before because I had a shop do it for me.... I am pretty sure they were ordered though because I thought I remember seeing them on the bill.

So... I am gonna try to contact the yard we sent the engine to and see if they still have it, otherwise I will be getting some new mounts...

DAMMIT!!

[kingdutka]

Ok, I have very little money, but I don't want to have problems down the road, so the KA mounts are out of the question for me. What is the next cheapest solution? If I have to, I will save up some money to get the Nismo mounts and just wait it out longer... I mean... it's only been almost 2 years since I had my car, what's another few weeks?

Anyone have a link to those Nismo mounts?

What about these:http://cgi.ebay.com/Cusco-Moto...l1116

[Neil]

Cusco's are well built but they will transmit A LOT of noise, vibration and harshness to the cabin. The auction says they are "full metal construction" but I'm pretty sure they have urethane bushings and are not completely solid. Either way they're too rough for a car that won't be spending most of it's time on a track or drifting. I imagine a lot of people buy them for the "dur i has a racecar!" appeal but wish they'd have gotten something softer a few days afterward.

I got my set of Nismo mounts from 240sxmotoring, and when I replaced the transmission mount I found that the original had sheared and needed replacing anyway.

edit: found a pair of oem sr mounts for $45 shipped on ebay (the one on the right is the exhaust side)

i think Megan Racing also sells motor mounts, but I'm sure they're just stock ones refurbished with stiffer rubber. Which means they're a cheaper alternative to Nismo mounts but as is with any Megan Racing product, you just don't know how well they're made.


Modified by Neil at 7:58 PM 10/5/2008

[kingdutka]

So wait, my stock SR mounts should work? Because I am pretty sure that's what came with the SR motor. Do I have to flip them like the KA mounts or what?

[ryan15]

If your on a budget, make some of these, 20 bucks, lower your engine and alot of people have great experiances with them.Good luck!

http://www.driftopia.com/2007/...ounts/

[Neil]

Lowering the engine would be counter productive in solving his issue. If you read his posts, you would find that his turbo is hitting his steering column. The hocky-puck trick I can see being useful if you have a top-mount turbo setup and need to keep the turbo from hitting your hood.

Kingdutka- Uh, Yes, SR mount work on an SR , as the chassis are identical whether they were sold in japan or the usa.

You can ignore everything I said about KA engine mounts. All you need to know, is that if the mount with the heat shield on it is currently installed on the intake side instead of the exhaust side of yout motor, then they are not installed properly and need to be swapped left to right and right to left.

I only mentioned how to use KA mounts in my earlier post because at the time I didn't know which mounts you were using and was only trying to explain every possoble scenario. I'm sorry to have confused you, I should have just asked first.

[kingdutka]

To be honest, there is no way for me to know 100% for sure which mounts I have but, I am about 90% sure they are stock SR mounts because the engine was imported from Japan and had the mounts already attached.

So, how would I know if I need to flip them around? They *look* the same to me...

[alex87]

ka mounts just say 1 and 2. stock sr mounts will say 2L and 2R.

[alex87]

the mounts are different, dont you notice that one has a heat shield on it, put that one on the exhaust side, there is also a little notch on the intake side mount that stops it from spinning