How to Replace the Front Motor Mount on a Mercury Villager
Motor mount failures seem to be a common problem for Mercury Villager vans. The same vehicle is also sold as the Nissan Quest.
The front mount is the most common one to fail. This mount takes most of the load when starting off from a stop. Repeated failures have been reported by some. Make sure you buy a replacement part that is form a quality manufacturer and has a lifetime warranty.
Raise the vehicle and support it safely. Remove the plastic splash guard by removing the fasteners that have 10mm heads. They also have Phillips screwdriver slots but will likely be too tight to easily remove with a screw driver.
Remove the oil filter. Support the engine using a jack under the oil pan. Raise it to the approximate position it will be in once the new mount is in place. It will likely have dropped down some if the front mount has failed.
Remove the two bolts that hold the mount to the cradle under the engine. Next, remove the bolt that goes through the center of the motor mount. Keep track of where each of the bolts came from. They all have 17mm heads but are different lengths.
Tilt the mount forward and then twist it out. If it will not tilt forward, raise the engine a bit more to make room. You may have to unclip the wiring harness that is fastened to the cross member to make room, but I was able to get it out with it in place.
Pull the mount out through the opening created by removing the oil filter. Insert the new mount through the same opening and tilt it back in to place.
Replace the center bolt through the bushing first. Put the nut on but do not tighten it all the way. Align the other two holes by raising or lowering the engine on the jack. Replace the two bolts through the cradle and tighten them down. Now finish tightening the center bolt in the bushing.
Clean the mounting surface of the oil filter and replace the oil filter. Replace the plastic cover. Lower the van and test it out. Check for leaks at the oil filter.
[phpbay]mercury villager nissan quest, 10[/phpbay]
I want to to thank you for this fantastic read!
! I certainly enjoyed every little bit of it.
I have you bookmarked to check out new stuff you post…
Mike:
Thank you so much for this information. I actually have the factory repair manual for this vehicle and the steps they described were probably beyond what I could do with the tools I have.
I took your advice and replaced my motor mount just as you said. It was very hard to get the new mount in place and lined up with the holes on the cross beam but, in 3 hours, I have done it! I have done other repairs on this vehicle and “shortened” the recommended steps in the repair manual and it has worked out fine. I was sure that i was going to have to remove the rear mount also and the cross beam. I had no way to support the engine if I did that so, thanks again for your simple step by step instructions.
Mike,
RE: Upgrade to R&R process.
Your piece was a big help, Thanks…
My 2000 Villager has small skid plate attached to the cross member with only three 10m screws just below the front engine mount. I took it off and that allowed free access to the motor mount. Once it was lose from the frame and the engine it was easy to remove. No need to remove the oil filter…..
Thought you might want to add that to your R&R process…