The big day.
1. Put brake on
2. Remove under engine cover.
3. Jack up car and put stand under front wheel suspension.
4. BE CAREFUL
5. Lower car on to jacks.
6. Try to shake the car. Seems stable? Ok continue. If not stop and send for a mechanic.
7. Remove bracket under car securing the cat converters. Its four bolts. Two bolts to the transmission and one bolt in each cat converter. Use penetration oil.
8. Don't loose the rubber bushings for the bracket.
9. Remove all bolts for the exhaust manifold. I did not have any issues with this. But be careful not to remove the pinbolt from the engine block.
10. Loosen bolt at cat converter.
11. Tie a rope around the exhaust manifold close between the cat converter flange and the o2 sensor. Let the rope suspend the manifold such that the o2 sensor cable is not strained once you are going to remove the mainfold.
12. o2 sensor secured? Ok remove exhaust manifold. Wiggle if necessary. This took a while for me and there is still tension from the exhaust even though the bolts are free.
13. With the manifold out of place you should have access to the engine mount.
14. Loosen the lower bolt of the mount. Call superman if needed. I had to use a break bar with a 1/2 inch driver.
15. Put the jack under the engine. Don't break the oil pan, find a good spot and put some board between the jack and the engine/oilpan.
16. Raise the engine 10mm. Not more! If more stuff on the top of the engine will be crushed (read: throttle body).
17. Remove four bolts holding the engine mount bracket.
18. Replace engine mount.
19. Put back bracket with new engine mount. Top two bolts first. ~50NM (not more, remember this is Alu). Then lower two bolts. Some Locktite might be in order.
20. Put the lower bolt on the engine mount back by hand.
21. Lower engine back.
22. Looking ok? Tigthen engine mount (~100NM)
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23. Remove old gasket and clean exhaust manifold surfaces
24. Put new gasket and put back exhaust manifold. Put all bolt back with hand force first.
25. Tighten the middle bolts first (~30NM) and the the outer.
26. Tigther the bolt for the cat converter.
27. Put back the bracket for the cat converters.
28. Put back heat shield.
29. Clean trottle body and MAF sensor.
30. Put back air intake and replace air filter.
31. Connect vacuum hose and connect to trottle body.
32. Put back intake air tube bolts and put back engine cover.
33. lower car and put back under engine cover.
Done. Enjoy less vibrations and a secured engine (and the fact you saved about $800).
