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haasman · #1 11-17-2003, 12:49 AM

Just changed the motor mounts on the 190E ('87 2.3 8v).

I believe this repair is similar to on a 124 series as well, although I have not checked.

Remarkably not too bad a job. The telltale indication of bad motor mounts was very little room between the upper edge of the lower cross member and the lower portion of the engine, less than an inch. Additionally a sagging exhaust system indicates the engine is riding too low and I seemed to get a weird vibration from the engine especially at idle.

Neither of the mounts were torn or ripped, but the both old mounts over an inch less in total height compared to new replacements.

To do this job, one needs to jack up the front of the car and ideally put it on two jack stands. You SHOULD do one side at a time. After the front end is raised, use a floor jack with a block of wood and gently position under the oil pan. Use a fairly large piece of wood for max surface area. You are not going to lift the motor more than an inch or two. Go slowly and don’t over do it.

Each motor mount is held in place at the top by a 17mm bolt and at the bottom by a 8mm Allen bolt. The right side is easy to do, not more than about 10 minutes max. Remove the upper 17mm bolt and take its heat shield with it. Go to the bottom of the car and remove the 8mm Allen bolt from underneath. Access is through a round hole in the subframe.

Now gently lift the engine just enough to get the motor mount out. It is obvious how they go in, but for orientation, the engine motor mount arm has a small section cut that matches a small notch on the top of the motor mount.

I installed the lower Allen bolt first, loosely so there’s some wiggle room. Went to the top and installed the 17mm bolt with the heat shield. Once both bolts were started, I gently lower the engine onto the new mount. I then I tightened both the top and the bottom bolts.

At this point life was good and I was going to knock the left one off before dinner ….. wrong! The driver’s side engine mount is MUCH more challenging, but actually not too bad. After trying multiple universal joints and ratchet extensions, it became obvious if I removed the coil that mounted on the inner fender, it would create just enough room to get my arm and a ratchet on the upper 17mm bolt. I should point out that the ratchet I use has a swivel arm that greatly helps pulling in awkward situations such as this. If you don’t have one, put it on your Holiday gift list! (Mine has a 10” length arm).

After successfully getting the upper bolt off, the bottom Allen comes out just like the right side. To get the old mount out, one has to pull it out from the bottom. The new one goes in the way the old one came out. Again, make sure the notch matches the ridge on the engine mount before starting to snug up the bolts.

Install your bolts, tighten and then remount the coil to the inner fender wall.

I noticed the engine idled a bit smoother and the exhaust is now back up under the car the way it is supposed to.

Compared to other cars and how their motor mounts are replaced, this was a piece of cake. Mercedes was definitely thinking about service on these.

Haasman