Motor mounts on a 2003 Dodge Neon tend to wear out, especially on the manual transmission models. Knowing how to replace the motor mount saves you time and money by letting you avoid the mechanic's garage and empowering you to make the repair in the comfort of your own garage. Usually, motor mounts are not a crucial fix but will improve the performance and reduce the noise that comes from the engine.
Disconnect the negative battery terminal if the engine mount on which you are working is close to the cooling fan for the engine. Even if the car is turned off, the fan can still be turned out automatically by the engine's computer, which could cause serious harm if you are caught in the way of the fan's rotation.
Place a floor jack underneath your 2003 Dodge Neon engine and jack it up so that it is supporting some of the weight of your engine. Do not jack up the engine so much that it begins to lift the engine itself, but just so that it begins to support the weight of the motor. Placing the floor jack in the center of the engine will give the jack the best balance for supporting the engine. You can also place a 1/2 inch piece of plywood underneath the oil pan to help disperse the force of the floor jack over a wider surface area when jacking up the engine.
Undo the three bolts that are holding the engine mount into place on your 2003 Dodge Neon. When you pull out the middle bolt, a steel bar will drop down. Make sure that your feet are not directly beneath the fall line for the steel rod. Remove the center bolt, which is the final bolt connecting the engine to the center of the mount. Standing on the driver's side of the mount will enable you to get the clearance that you need to pull out the bolt. Use your socket wrench with a 15 millimeter socket adapter and a 4-inch extension to get to the bolt.
Use your socket wrench to unscrew and remove the two vertical mount insulator fasteners from the Dodge Neon's frame rail. Next, remove the purge duty solenoid from the engine mount bracket that you are replacing.
Double check your floor jack to make sure that it is still supporting the weight of the engine. If it is not or if it has moved since you first positioned it, that could affect your ability to remount the engine on your new engine mount.
Remove the thru-bolt access hole cover. You should be able to pull this off or pry it loose with a screwdriver. Pull out the thru-bolt from the insulator assemble and then remove the insulator.
Use the reverse of the above instructions for installing the new engine mount. Use the torque wrench to tighten the new engine mount to the rail fasteners at 40 foot pounds. Tighten the engine mount bracket thru-bolt to 80 foot pounds. Lower the floor jack and your 2003 Dodge Neon should be ready to go.
