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      11-07-2020, 04:22 PM   #1
M3ANMACHINE
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Engine Mounts DIY?

Has anyone DIY'd their engine mounts?
I just turned over 86k miles and have noticed a vibration at idle which i imagine is the engine mounts. As soon as RPM's are increased, no more vibration.

TIA!
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      05-25-2021, 07:16 PM   #2
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Quote:
Originally Posted by M3ANMACHINE View Post
Has anyone DIY'd their engine mounts?
I just turned over 86k miles and have noticed a vibration at idle which i imagine is the engine mounts. As soon as RPM's are increased, no more vibration.

TIA!
Did you end up DIY the motor mounts? My X5 started vibrating now. It's very subtle but definitely can feel it during idle, esp when AC is on. I am going to send it to dealer and have them checked on it. But not sure if they will feel it or not.
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      05-25-2021, 08:34 PM   #3
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Motor mounts on X5's are tedious and require an alignment afterwards unless you are meticulous about marking your subframe and steering rack prior to unbolting them. Especially if you have a diesel variant. I've never done an F15, but have done an E53 (4.8is) and E70 (35d). Both required loosening the steering rack, dropping the subframe, and raising the engine with a hoist or engine support bar to gain clearance. The E70 diesel required more work like removing the engine mount arm on the passenger side. Some various other things to do... nothing crazy hard, but pretty annoying.
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      08-15-2021, 10:24 PM   #4
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Quote:
Originally Posted by crystalworks View Post
Motor mounts on X5's are tedious and require an alignment afterwards unless you are meticulous about marking your subframe and steering rack prior to unbolting them. Especially if you have a diesel variant. I've never done an F15, but have done an E53 (4.8is) and E70 (35d). Both required loosening the steering rack, dropping the subframe, and raising the engine with a hoist or engine support bar to gain clearance. The E70 diesel required more work like removing the engine mount arm on the passenger side. Some various other things to do... nothing crazy hard, but pretty annoying.
Would the straight 6 be easier? Dang you really have to drop the subframe?
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      08-15-2021, 10:39 PM   #5
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Quote:
Originally Posted by crystalworks View Post
Motor mounts on X5's are tedious and require an alignment afterwards unless you are meticulous about marking your subframe and steering rack prior to unbolting them. Especially if you have a diesel variant. I've never done an F15, but have done an E53 (4.8is) and E70 (35d). Both required loosening the steering rack, dropping the subframe, and raising the engine with a hoist or engine support bar to gain clearance. The E70 diesel required more work like removing the engine mount arm on the passenger side. Some various other things to do... nothing crazy hard, but pretty annoying.
Don't think that applies to F15 N55. Mine started leaking fluid, I did some poking around, it only requires the reinforcement plate to be removed, at least for the N55 that's the case. Shop quote was 1.5 hrs each mount. Don't spread wrong info and scare people if you've "never done an F15"
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      08-15-2021, 11:01 PM   #6
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Quote:
Originally Posted by acmurda View Post
Don't think that applies to F15 N55. Mine started leaking fluid, I did some poking around, it only requires the reinforcement plate to be removed, at least for the N55 that's the case. Shop quote was 1.5 hrs each mount. Don't spread wrong info and scare people if you've "never done an F15"
Hah. Okay. First, I missed the model in the bottom of his signature. The V8 and the diesels complicate things GREATLY.

Went and looked it up for everyone on the N55. It requires removal of the reinforcement plate and the engine mount arms, as well as the "bearing support for the output shaft" on the right side. They will also require the engine to be supported from the top if doing it "the right way." Or from the bottom with a jack if doing it like most DIY'ers will do it.

So, while I admitted to not having done the job on the F15, I gave fairly accurate info just not pertaining to his vehicle due to not realizing the model in his initial request. My bad. Your info however, is incomplete. If you are going to disparage someone's response, at least follow up with a more complete answer to the question the OP was asking.

Last edited by crystalworks; 08-15-2021 at 11:06 PM..
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      08-15-2021, 11:04 PM   #7
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Quote:
Originally Posted by stocktree View Post
Would the straight 6 be easier? Dang you really have to drop the subframe?
No, for the N55 you do not have to drop it. Sorry, did not know which model was being asked about. See the above post for a more accurate procedure for your X5. You should have a much easier time of it than I did on my previous jobs if you decide to tackle it.
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      08-15-2021, 11:22 PM   #8
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Quote:
Originally Posted by crystalworks View Post
No, for the N55 you do not have to drop it. Sorry, did not know which model was being asked about. See the above post for a more accurate procedure for your X5. You should have a much easier time of it than I did on my previous jobs if you decide to tackle it.
What brand mounts are good besides oem?
I see febi bilstein at a decent price. 140 pair.
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      08-16-2021, 12:31 AM   #9
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Quote:
Originally Posted by stocktree View Post
What brand mounts are good besides oem?
I see febi bilstein at a decent price. 140 pair.
Hmmm. I don't know who the OE supplier is for BMW on the F15 mounts. The Febis are made in China. Hamburg-Technic offers them as well, but they are also made in China. ECS has them on sale for even less than the Febis. I think of the 3 choices though... I'd have to go with OE BMW mounts. Only have to do them once every 100k miles or so. Worth the $260 in my mind.

That said, if you order the febis (or OE) from FCP, they'll warranty them if you have to replace them. So, that's an option too.
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      08-16-2021, 05:38 AM   #10
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I did motor mounts on a E70 X5 that I sold a few months ago. Drivers side was a breeze but requires the removal of the charge pipe for sure. The passenger side was a different story. It was an Xdrive and this requires the removal of the axle in order to access one bolt that holds the engine mount bracket in place. To get the axle out you'll need to loosen some of the lower control arms as well, and you'll need a axle puller tool to reseat the axle. I used a jack and a block of wood to lift the motor once everything was loose to move the mounts out. It's very doable as a DIY if your good and have the right tools. Plan on spending about 3 to 4 hours doing this as the passenger side requires so much work. I imagine a S drive would be easier as there isn't any front axles to deal with. You'll definitely learn new words undertaking this process. I ordered BMW mounts as I didn't know if Febi was a good replacement. I would imagine Corteco is the maker of the BMW mounts.
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      08-16-2021, 09:32 AM   #11
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Quote:
Originally Posted by randrews15 View Post
I did motor mounts on a E70 X5 that I sold a few months ago. Drivers side was a breeze but requires the removal of the charge pipe for sure. The passenger side was a different story. It was an Xdrive and this requires the removal of the axle in order to access one bolt that holds the engine mount bracket in place. To get the axle out you'll need to loosen some of the lower control arms as well, and you'll need a axle puller tool to reseat the axle. I used a jack and a block of wood to lift the motor once everything was loose to move the mounts out. It's very doable as a DIY if your good and have the right tools. Plan on spending about 3 to 4 hours doing this as the passenger side requires so much work. I imagine a S drive would be easier as there isn't any front axles to deal with. You'll definitely learn new words undertaking this process. I ordered BMW mounts as I didn't know if Febi was a good replacement. I would imagine Corteco is the maker of the BMW mounts.
Thanks!
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      08-16-2021, 10:50 AM   #12
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Quote:
Originally Posted by randrews15 View Post
I did motor mounts on a E70 X5 that I sold a few months ago. Drivers side was a breeze but requires the removal of the charge pipe for sure. The passenger side was a different story. It was an Xdrive and this requires the removal of the axle in order to access one bolt that holds the engine mount bracket in place. To get the axle out you'll need to loosen some of the lower control arms as well, and you'll need a axle puller tool to reseat the axle. I used a jack and a block of wood to lift the motor once everything was loose to move the mounts out. It's very doable as a DIY if your good and have the right tools. Plan on spending about 3 to 4 hours doing this as the passenger side requires so much work. I imagine a S drive would be easier as there isn't any front axles to deal with. You'll definitely learn new words undertaking this process. I ordered BMW mounts as I didn't know if Febi was a good replacement. I would imagine Corteco is the maker of the BMW mounts.
I would imagine Corteco is a likely OES. The E53 N62 that I did used Corteco as OE mounts.

As for the axles being in the way, I can't say for sure as I haven't done the F15 (yet, will do the wife's diesel in another 10-20,000 miles). I know on the X5's I did, E70 and E53, the axles were not an issue. As I posted, TIS does not indicate that the axles are a problem on the F15.
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      08-16-2021, 12:28 PM   #13
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Yeah I looked on tis. And it mainly said to support the engine, remove shield pan underneath, and remove the mount bracket first, then remove the mount.
I suppose a jack could be used to hold engine up while changing mounts
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      08-16-2021, 02:50 PM   #14
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Quote:
Originally Posted by stocktree View Post
Yeah I looked on tis. And it mainly said to support the engine, remove shield pan underneath, and remove the mount bracket first, then remove the mount.
I suppose a jack could be used to hold engine up while changing mounts
It could. I'd recommend top support as it gives more room under the vehicle for access. On the E53 I used an engine support bar (harbor freight) and on the E70 I used an engine hoist to support/lift (also harbor freight) the engine. The E70 has plastic fenders so a traditional engine support cross bar doesn't work. BMW makes a specific bar for the E70 that I'm sure costs a bunch of money so I went with the engine hoist. Also used jacks for the subframe and it's manipulation. Luckily, in your case, the N55 doesn't require subframe dropping and thus an alignment.

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As an aside, that harbor freight engine lift has put in work. Used it on these two vehicles, our E61, to replace an E36 engine, replace a Mk IV Supra engine, and numerous other things. It's about 10 years old now and refuses to die. Though it does drop down over the course of 24 hours if left alone.
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      08-16-2021, 04:13 PM   #15
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Quote:
Originally Posted by crystalworks View Post
Quote:
Originally Posted by randrews15 View Post
I did motor mounts on a E70 X5 that I sold a few months ago. Drivers side was a breeze but requires the removal of the charge pipe for sure. The passenger side was a different story. It was an Xdrive and this requires the removal of the axle in order to access one bolt that holds the engine mount bracket in place. To get the axle out you'll need to loosen some of the lower control arms as well, and you'll need a axle puller tool to reseat the axle. I used a jack and a block of wood to lift the motor once everything was loose to move the mounts out. It's very doable as a DIY if your good and have the right tools. Plan on spending about 3 to 4 hours doing this as the passenger side requires so much work. I imagine a S drive would be easier as there isn't any front axles to deal with. You'll definitely learn new words undertaking this process. I ordered BMW mounts as I didn't know if Febi was a good replacement. I would imagine Corteco is the maker of the BMW mounts.
I would imagine Corteco is a likely OES. The E53 N62 that I did used Corteco as OE mounts.

As for the axles being in the way, I can't say for sure as I haven't done the F15 (yet, will do the wife's diesel in another 10-20,000 miles). I know on the X5's I did, E70 and E53, the axles were not an issue. As I posted, TIS does not indicate that the axles are a problem on the F15.
That is only on the S63 engine. The N55 Will have the axles in the way of it's xdrive. I have the same manual and it didn't indicate this for some reason.
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      09-07-2021, 10:05 AM   #16
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I'm currently driving xdrive 35i and just picked up a set. I will likely make a DIY in a week or so
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      09-07-2021, 01:07 PM   #17
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Originally Posted by bigfwop View Post
I'm currently driving xdrive 35i and just picked up a set. I will likely make a DIY in a week or so
Looking forward to it!
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      09-08-2021, 11:18 PM   #18
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I did both of mine last week using the directions from ISTA. It was a major ordeal and took most of the day. Drivers side seemed like it was bad to do but the passenger side was a lot harder because you have to drop the exhaust and there is one bolt in the engine bracket that took forever to figure out how to get it out.
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      09-08-2021, 11:25 PM   #19
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Quote:
Originally Posted by jsbaker View Post
I did both of mine last week using the directions from ISTA. It was a major ordeal and took most of the day. Drivers side seemed like it was bad to do but the passenger side was a lot harder because you have to drop the exhaust and there is one bolt in the engine bracket that took forever to figure out how to get it out.
35i?
Notice an improvement?
How bad were your old mounts?
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      09-09-2021, 02:22 PM   #20
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Quote:
Originally Posted by stocktree View Post
35i?
Notice an improvement?
How bad were your old mounts?
Yes the 35i SDrive

Big improvement. No more vibration at idle and you can't even tell the car is running when sitting still. Also does seem to drive a little better. First comment from the other half the day we bought it was how bad it was vibrating. I used the Febi mounts so hopefully they last for a while.

Both were collapsed to the point that you could fit a pinky finger between the inner rubber and the under side of the metal mount frame. The passenger side was worse and the bottom of it was bulged out.


Unfortunately didn't do much for the vibration or shaking when driving on the highway so on to the next suspect guibo and trans mount.
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      09-09-2021, 02:55 PM   #21
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Quote:
Originally Posted by jsbaker View Post
Yes the 35i SDrive

Big improvement. No more vibration at idle and you can't even tell the car is running when sitting still. Also does seem to drive a little better. First comment from the other half the day we bought it was how bad it was vibrating. I used the Febi mounts so hopefully they last for a while.

Both were collapsed to the point that you could fit a pinky finger between the inner rubber and the under side of the metal mount frame. The passenger side was worse and the bottom of it was bulged out.


Unfortunately didn't do much for the vibration or shaking when driving on the highway so on to the next suspect guibo and trans mount.
Hey that is good info.
As for the highway vibration, I'd be looking at your wheel balance.
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      09-09-2021, 10:04 PM   #22
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Quote:
Originally Posted by stocktree View Post
Hey that is good info.
As for the highway vibration, I'd be looking at your wheel balance.
Vibration is not in the steering wheel it's on the floor. Tires are brand new and have been switched for another set and balanced multiple times. Wheels have been replaced with a known good used set. Shop inspected car and supposedly only found one leaking strut so both fronts were replaced but keep in mind I replaced both bad mounts so they missed those. Vibration is normally the worst around 75.

Sorry to hijack the thread :-(
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