Mr. XJ

I need HELP!!! So yesterday i went over a speed bump, stupid speed bump!, and something cracked so when i got home i looked under the hood and the fan was stuck to the shroud and the engine moved down and over a few inches. I replaced the motor mount this morning on the drivers side since it was bad and thats what i thought the problem was. well after i replaced it the engine was still off center so i looked underneath and to my horror the bolts that go into the block for the mount on the passenger side were sheared off!!!!! thats why the engine had fallen onto one side! Now i dont know what to do! I bought some drill bits and bolt extractors but i cant get my power drill in there to drill the hole! Any ideas on how or what i should try????


I attached some pics, one from above and below. From the top you can see how far the engine moved.

TheJerm

Bearer of bad news, I think you might have to put the motor up till you can get the bolts

redrocket

Right angle drill?

http://www.harborfreight.com/catalog...ht+angle+drill

BatmanXJ

I know its an old thread but just encase someone sees this and cant figure out how to fix the issue. There is another options.

It is the easiest, and probably the cheapest if you don't own all the tools to drill them out.

There may be more than one company that makes new brackets but I used Brown Dog. They are a wonderful company.
Super Strong Engine Brackets - Uses 7 Thread Bosses, Left; 8 Thread Bosses, Right

Factory Bracket uses only 3 bolts. If they are broken in the block just cut them smooth to the block install the bracket and forget it.

Link to their website
http://browndogindustries.com/

Just give them a call. They are small but have a wonderful reputation. If you need to limp a jeep home you can always take a ratchet strap and pick the motor up. Drive it easy and go straight to where you can park it.

tiwvr1

agreed with above poster, seen this happen first hand and browndog saved the day.

95Cherokee

Kinda scary that happened just from a speed bump, is this a common thing with Cherokee's ?

mudpen

Yea, it happens alot, You should also check your exhaust manifold, you will
most likely find a nice crack at the down pipe conector it was a poor design
but not too hard to fix.

cruiser54

seems mostly in the early 09s. Here's WHY it happens. You could prevent it by checking your bolts as outlined below.

Thanks to 5-90 for this write-up.



From Jon Kelley aka 5-90 @ www.kelleyswip.com
　
　

This is a known issue.

1) Unless you're going to get silly with the skinny pedal, 2xSAE8 screws on one side won't be a huge problem. You'd be better off with three, but if you don't get silly you'll be okeh.

2) The Brown Dog engine mounts use two or three additional holes on each side, and spread the mount/clamping force over more of the block. This is invariably a good idea, and I'll probably be doing it as I refit my 88.

3) The primary reason that the screws snap is because, sometimes, the screw holes in the block aren't drilled & tapped deeply enough. This causes the screw to bottom out in the hole, so you end up torquing against the bottom of the hole instead of stretching the screw (as you're supposed to do. Not your fault - you aren't doing anything wrong.) The screw is not stretched properly, and the head is not butted up against the bracket, so there's some room to move there. Vibration then causes wear cycles on the screw, which generally leads to rupture.

The easy/cheap fix? When you replace the screws (3/8"-16x1.25", as I recall,) put two flat washers under the head before you screw it into the hole.

The check? Take a feeler gage (.003" to .005") and try to slide it under the head of the screw. You'll be able to get under the corners (look at the hex head, and you'll see that the surfaces curve toward each other slightly) if it's a standard hex head - if it's a flanged hex head, you should not be able to get under the head anywhere. If you can slip the gage under the head, you have a problem. If you can touch the shank of the screw, you have a big problem!

In no case should you reuse the screws after you take them out - they'll be stressed under the head, and you'll have a significant reduction in strength. Replace them outright, putting washers under the head as I mentioned before. The washers will make up for the slight lack of depth in the hole (two of them will be about 0.125" or so,) and allow the screw to be preloaded properly.