gone_fission

Hello folks- I have a '03 SL55 project nearing completion. I got the car knowing it had some high-mileage issues, almost all of which have been fixed. Now that I've got the ABC, idler, intercooler and top issues worked out, I've gotten down the list to fixing the least important problem, which is a persistent "buzz." When stopped in drive or reverse, the car will idle at around 530rpm and vibrate slightly. This produces an annoying buzz from somewhere inside the dash which I assume is the result of some plastic piece vibrating in resonance. This is especially prominent once the car is warmed up, and it ruins the luxurious ambiance of the cabin. Putting the car in neutral brings the idle up to 650-ish and the noise is drastically reduced. However, even in neutral, I can feel the engine vibration through the steering column. Despite the noise in the cabin, the engine itself seems to be running quite smoothly and does not appear to be misfiring or doing anything nasty of that sort.

As far as I can tell, other that have had similar issues have solved it with a pair of new motor mounts. While I have the tools and knowledge to DIY it, I don't have lift access. Doing this job with the car on 18" jack stands seems like a terrible slog, so I am looking for a lift to rent. When I lived in Boston (and later in Madison), I was able to rent out lift time from makerspaces/community car shops. Is there anything similar around the Bay Area that anyone knows of? I'd have an indy shop change the mounts, but I feel like this is a good opportunity to learn more about how the machine is put together.

Thanks,
gone_fission

bbspoolside

Put the car on jack stands and unbolt the front pipes from the manifolds and you can get access to the mounts and drop them out from the rear. Done both mine in under 2 hours

gone_fission

I had no idea that it could be that quick. Was this a SL55?

kittyandgary

IF an SL55, what model year? THANKS bbspoolside.

gone_fission

kittyandgary- When I was searching the forum looking for SL owners with similar vibration issues, I found one of your posts from a few years back. It sounded quite similar to my situation. Did you ever figure out what was wrong? While I strongly suspect my motor mounts are the issue, I just inspected them and did the simultaneous brake-and-gas motor mount check routine and did not see any excessive movement.

Also, from bbpoolside's post history, it looks like he had a '03 E55, but I don't see any mention of a SL. I've heard the replacement routine is similar, but 2h seems blazing fast to me. Who knows, maybe I am just a slow mechanic.

desired_speeds

I did it on my garage floor in about 3 hours including the transmission mount. Unhook the batteries. Use a wrench to loosen the top 16mm bolts. I had to jack up the engine super high to get the drivers side out. Passenger side had much more space.

ArrArr

Yeah, did mine in < 2 hours too. Just jack stands. Used Tavarish's video as a reference:
If you want to rent a lift, you can't go wrong with Pit Row in San Jose.

M113KR230_510

no need to take it to a lift. You can put the front on stands. loosen the motor mount bolts jack the engine from the pan with some wood between the jack and remove the motor mounts. driver side makes it easier if you remove the a/c compressor or if you got a engine lift, bolt the sc on a plate & hook. should take you a couple hours. good luck! Im in the bay area as well got a few friends with lift if u dont want to do it yourself , you can pay them to replace it.

gone_fission

Hey, thanks for the offer! I did get it resolved. It was a PITA, but I got it done in the driveway