vtvette

Hello all, just finished up replacing the front arms and trans mount on my 2005 SL55. Tomorrow I tackle the engine mounts. Any tip's on getting the top bolts directly under the exhaust manifolds off? Is it easier to remove the bracket from the engine and pull the whole assembly out of the car then remove the mount from the bracket once it's all out of the car?

Car is on a lift.

Thanks for any advice,

vtvette

Update: Just finished this up. Once the exhaust is removed from the car the engine mounts are accessible. WIS says you have to remove the steering shaft to replace the drivers side mount. I found this was not necessary at all. It would have given a little more working room but without the necessary tools to lock the steering wheel in place you risk damaging the clock spring or messing up the alignment of the wheel. I had no problem at all working around it or, getting the old mount or the new mount in.

Be sure to disconnect the starter battery you will be working right next to the starter on the passenger mount. The top engine mount bolts are 16mm and if I were to do it again I would buy a cheap 16mm wrench and cut it down to help clearance, especially on the passenger side.

MBNUT1

Thanks for providing the DIY instructions. When you say "once the exhaust was removed', what portion of the exhaust did you remove?

vtvette

I removed the entire exhaust. It's easier than it sounds and the quickest way to get the front pipes out of the way:

Remove the chassis braces that run from the front of the spare tire well to the rear jack pucks

Remove the bolts securing the front chassis braces 1) under the jack pad at the front of the car below the radiator (This jack pad unclips on the rear side facing the engine and folds down revealing the single bolt mounting the front of both chassis braces. Very clever!) and the two bolts that secure the chassis bolts onto the front subframe. The rear bolts which mount the chassis brace to the rear floor pan near the front jack pucks don't seem to be accessible like the ones for the rear but, I was able to swing the braces out of the way with the three bolts outlined above removed

Unplug the x4 Oxygen Sensors

Remove x2 bolts where the front downpipes attach to the manifolds

Remove the x4 bolts and exhaust mount at the rear of the floor pan

(support the exhaust or have a helper hold the front section it's HEAVY!)

Unhook or remove the rubber exhaust mounts near the resonators (this is a SL55, SL500 may be slightly different)

Slide the entire exhaust forward and out of it's rear most hangars near the mufflers.

The only place to disconnect the exhaust is the slip joints near the resonators and all that gets you is the rear mufflers removed. I don't see how you could remove them in the car anyway plus you have potential leaks from these joints when re-assembling, maybe needing to buy new clamps - much easier to just remove the entire exhaust. Only took me about :20 min/half hour and I did it alone with a lift and a jack

MBNUT1

Brian,

Thanks for filling in the details. Members like you make this forum great.