How to make your MML work amazingly in 1 evening

toximus

I live in my Jeep
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It's almost the weekend. Here's a Jeep project to tackle tonight so you can have a better Jeep for a weekend of wheeling or more wrenching!

I recently came across several MMLs with problems so I figured I'd take pictures and show you guys how to find and fix these issues in an evening. If you have any questions post a reply.

Issue #1:

The first issue is with the way 1" MML blocks install. Some of the male/female standoff spacer studs aren't threaded all the way to the bottom of the female portion (some are, so check the ones that came with your kit). If they aren't threaded all the way to the bottom the motor mount won't be bolted down tight and will allow the engine to flop around.

How to find the issue: The nuts on the underside of the engine won't be snug against the motor mount bracket on the frame.

This stud doesn't tighten against the motor mount:
82419


Since it doesn't tighten that leaves a gap for the motor mount to move around in:
82420



The fix is easy: jack up the engine slightly to take stress off the mounts, remove the mount and grind down the fixed stud on the factory motor mount until the spacer stud sits tight against the mount.


Issue #2:

This issue was causing an overall louder Jeep as the lifted engine was resting against the frame causing vibrations.

How to find the issue:
Look around the passenger's side engine mount for any contact between the engine side of the mount and the frame side of the mount. There should be a gap between the two so that when the engine vibrates and moves it doesn't touch the frame. You may need to look from several angles and shine a flash light around to see the gap (or lack of).

On this Jeep the engine was starting to wear a notch into the frame:
82421



Here's how to fix the issue: At minimum you're going to need to take the weight of the engine off the mounts to remove the passenger's side motor mount cross bolt. Once that cross bolt is out you may be able to lower the engine slightly to fit a grinding disk in to remove part of the frame side bracket. If you can't get the grinding disc in enough you're going to have to unbolt the engine side of the motor mount to get enough room to work. Shoot your fix with a quick shot of paint to prevent rust.

Here is that same mount clearanced with an angle grinder and the engine moved towards the driver's side:
82422



Putting it all back together:

You want to push the engine as far to the driver's side as you can to get clearance around the passenger side brackets. I do this by first moving the passenger's side brackets as far passenger as possible and tightening them down to the frame. Next I use a pry bar between the motor mount and the engine to push the engine to the driver's side. While using the pry bar tighten down the passenger crossbolt so that the engine is as far driver's as it can be in the slot. Lastly tighten down the driver's side motor mount tightening the crossbolt last.

Torque specs:

• Thru-Bolts = 48 ft. lb.
• Bracket Bolts = 40 ft. lb.
• Bracket Stud Nuts = 30 ft. lb.


Did you have one of these issues and fixed it? Post a before and after picture in a reply!
 
Keep it coming! I certainly never noticed that with the M.O.R.E. MML. However, in all fairness, I didn't drive it nearly as much as you did (cross country) so I suppose if anything was going to become apparent, that was a good way to find out!
 
If you guys enjoyed this quick fix let me know and I'll keep them coming.
I don't know why I assumed it but I did. The male female stud has to thread on all the way and to get it to do that, you have to trim off the stud on the motor mount. We cut, chamfer, and then screw them on with vise grips and red Loctite. Never thought about anyone not doing that.
 
Keep it coming! I certainly never noticed that with the M.O.R.E. MML. However, in all fairness, I didn't drive it nearly as much as you did (cross country) so I suppose if anything was going to become apparent, that was a good way to find out!

I honestly didn't notice that issue until I was fitting up an engine skid and was like "oh hey!". It did reduce engine noise some.

I have ideas for a few more and I'll keep my eyes opens for more quick fixes.
 
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I don't know why I assumed it but I did. The male female stud has to thread on all the way and to get it to do that, you have to trim off the stud on the motor mount. We cut, chamfer, and then screw them on with vise grips and red Loctite. Never thought about anyone not doing that.

The confusion too is that some studs are threaded all the way to the bottom of the female portion while some are threaded half way down the female even though the hole is all the way down. So basically the depth of the female portion is not an indicator of how long the stud needs to be cut. The later only allows for half the thread the other does.
 
This stud doesn't tighten against the motor mount:
img_20190314_170546-jpg.jpg

This picture actually shows a stud that worked with the longer threads (previously cut). Switching to a different stud, it didn't tighten down all the way so the threads needed to be cut further.
 
This picture actually shows a stud that worked with the longer threads (previously cut). Switching to a different stud, it didn't tighten down all the way so the threads needed to be cut further.
Or, if you have one, extend the threads in the hole with a bottoming tap.
 
Nice write-up. I do have a question about moving the engine toward the driver's side. Maybe its not enough to matter, but exhaust clearance to the Front DS U-Joint Yoke is pretty tight too. If you shove the engine over, you're trading clearance to the frame side mount for clearance to the Yoke (when the axle is compressed).

I ran into this when I dropped the downpipe to change my oilpan. I didn't shove the Downpipe to the passenger side when I tightened it up, so had interference between the yoke and Pipe. I fixed it by loosening the pipe again, both at the manifold and at the muffler, and shoving it HARD to passenger. It rotates up and away from the DS. Tighten all bolts in the new position and the interference is gone.
 
Nice write-up. I do have a question about moving the engine toward the driver's side. Maybe its not enough to matter, but exhaust clearance to the Front DS U-Joint Yoke is pretty tight too. If you shove the engine over, you're trading clearance to the frame side mount for clearance to the Yoke (when the axle is compressed).

I ran into this when I dropped the downpipe to change my oilpan. I didn't shove the Downpipe to the passenger side when I tightened it up, so had interference between the yoke and Pipe. I fixed it by loosening the pipe again, both at the manifold and at the muffler, and shoving it HARD to passenger. It rotates up and away from the DS. Tighten all bolts in the new position and the interference is gone.

This is true. The purpose of moving the engine over is to avoid clearance issues with the passenger's side brackets. If you don't have that issue you don't have to move it over (Same with any of these fixes, if you don't have the problem you don't need to fix it. I had none of these issues with one of my Jeeps so you might be just fine). At most the engine moves over about 1/4".

To address the exhaust to yoke clearance you will need to move it over as you described if that is an issue. Or else I've seen some where the yoke has self clearanced the pipe and restricted the flow.
 
I don't know why I assumed it but I did. The male female stud has to thread on all the way and to get it to do that, you have to trim off the stud on the motor mount. We cut, chamfer, and then screw them on with vise grips and red Loctite. Never thought about anyone not doing that.

Probably because you read the instructions from JKS on the first one you put in a hundred years ago:

"Using a cutting tool, remove 1/4” from length of OE insulator stud. HINT: Use care to avoid damaging threads."
 
Is that, "who needs instructions?"

Looks like the Zone kit tells you to cut the stud too, I wonder if any of them don't give you this little gem? This thread might need an RTFM?

Moments ago we proved that the manual isn't always correct. Are you trying to validate the purpose of this thread?
 
Is that, "who needs instructions?"

Looks like the Zone kit tells you to cut the stud too, I wonder if any of them don't give you this little gem? This thread might need an RTFM?
No, when I built the Savvy version, I based the length of the threaded barrel off of the thickness of the lift block. Then I added a threaded rod section to that to create a male female adapter for the motor mount stud. Since you can't have net zero thickness to attach the rod to the end of the barrel, I needed some amount there and then threaded the rest of the barrel internally. Since the internal threads and the stud length all vary slightly, the only way to get it right is to thread the barrel onto the stud, measure the gap and cut a thread or two more than that off the stud.

That's how I figured it out.
 
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