BMW Motor Mount Replacement DIY

Is your BMW engine noisy and vibrating due to a faulty motor mount? Learn how to fix the problem by replacing the motor mount of your BMW.

My BMW is a 2006 5-Series E60, which has hydraulic oil-filled mounts. This tutorial will also help owners of other BMW models, such as BMW 1-series, 3-series, 7-series, and X5 or X3. Motor mounts are designed the same; to change them, you will follow the same procedure in all BMW cars. Note that in this tutorial, we use engine mount and motor mount interchangeably.

Before we dive into the how-to, I would like to go over the common symptoms of bad motor mounts on BMW cars. Note that BMW cars have two motor mounts on the front. One on the left and the other on the right. One or two transmission mounts are also at the back of the transmission housing. In this tutorial, we are focusing only on the motor mounts.

Symptoms

• Engine noise/vibrations
• Vibrations inside the cabin
• Steering wheel vibrations
• Transmission is hard to hit when changing gears.
• BMW vibrates when stopped or at a red light

How to change BMW motor mounts

The pictures in this tutorial are from a 2006 BMW 525i E60. This is one of BMW’s most complicated motor mount replacement jobs. This is due to the tight space between the engine and frame. Most BMW models are easier than the E60 that we describe here.

Parts Needed

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URO Parts 11811140985 Engine Mount, Left/Right

 

Guaranteed fitment; Aligns and supports engine per OE specifications; 24-Month / Unlimited Mileage Warranty

$28.70

• BMW Motor Mounts
• New Engine Mount Bolts – Don’t reuse old bolts. 

Tools Required

• E-Torx socket set
• Torque Wrench
• Car Ramps
• Mechanic Tool Set

Instructions

Jack up the vehicle.
You must get under the car to remove the engine mount later. We need to make sure there is enough room for you. Always secure the vehicle with jack stands. Ramps work best in this situation and are safer than using a jack. Secure the car with jack stands even when using ramps. Remember to put the car in park and set the parking brakes.

Open the Hood

Locate Engine Mounts

Locate the top of the engine mount. You have two motor mounts. One is on the passenger side, and this one is easy to identify from the top. The other is on the driver’s side (left) and requires that you remove the air filter housing to get to the bolts that hold it in place.

Remove the Lower Engine Cover

Remove the splash shield from under the engine. You should be able to see the motor mount bolts and bracket at this point.

Next, remove the metal reinforcement plate. This is held in place with six 16mm bolts. The place can be lowered and pulled out.

Support Engine

Support the bottom of the engine with a jack. In our case, we placed the wood block right under the engine oil pan. You need to be extremely careful doing this. The safest method would be to support the engine at the corner. This is safer for the engine but less safe for you as the jack may slide off when you try to get the motor mount out, as described in the latter step. Either way, be careful and use common sense.

Use a piece of wood between the engine and the jack. You don’t want to crack your oil pan. Once the jack touches the bottom of the engine, stop. We can’t jack up the engine until we loosen the motor mount bolts.

Remove the bolts on the top of the motor mount. Remove the two bolts on each side, then remove the middle bolt.

Remove Bracket

Locate the motor mount bracket. Remove the four bolts that mount the motor mount frame to the engine block.

There are four bolts that you need to remove.

One is hard to see; we have shown it in a picture below.

You must support the engine or risk causing injuries to yourself.

Raise Engine 

Once the bolts have been removed, you can raise the engine about one to two inches. Don’t raise the engine more than that, or you risk causing damage to wire harnesses and hoses. This will give you enough room to pull out the old motor mount. Be careful not to jack up the engine too much. You will notice that after the engine raises an inch or two, it will not go up anymore. At this point, if you jack up the engine, you will be jacking up the whole car. Stop. You don’t want to jack up the car by pushing on the engine.

Remove Engine Mount

Pull out the old engine mount. Be extremely careful and make sure the jack under the engine is secure. If the engine jack comes off, your engine will drop, and you may get injured. Place the new motor mount and mount the bracket to the engine block.

Install New Mount

Ensure that all four motor mount bracket bolts are tightened. Slowly lower the engine down on the motor mount. Next, install the bolts on the motor mount. The motor mount holes and the bolt holes may not line up properly when you lower the engine. If that’s the case, jack up the engine half an inch. Line up the bolt holes and then lower the engine.

Note that there is also a ground wire you need to ensure it is reconnected.

Step 10

Torque the motor mount bolts and the bracket bolts. Don’t over-tighten the bolts, as these mount on an aluminum block and can easily strip. Repeat the procedure for the other side.

Reinstall the metal support plate.

Reinstall the splash shield. You may want to use Loctite on the bolts if you reuse them.

Plan for four to six hours if you change BMW motor mounts yourself. Especially if you are changing BMW motor mounts for the first time, plan on almost double the time if you are changing the mounts on an E60. 😉

Make sure to replace the engine mount bolts with new ones. Since I had a lot more pictures, I am posting them below to help you get an idea of what to expect when changing motor mounts on BMW cars.

If you have any questions, please add them to the comments section below. I would also love to hear tips and advice from you that can help future BMW owners looking to tackle this job themselves.

Frequently Asked Questions

We hope you find the BMW Motor Mount Replacement DIY guide helpful. Check these troubleshooting and repair guides for more help on your BMW.