I just swapped an F23A into my '96 Accord and I cannot seem to get the front engine mount to line up so I can get the bolt through. I've got the rear and both side mounts already installed. Even if I could force it to line up I feel like the mount would probably break in no time as the bracket on the engine is sitting too far in front of the mount. If I got them to line up it would put a lot of tension on the mount and probably stretch the rubber section until it failed.

Any tips? Something I'm doing wrong? My old mount was broken, is this common?

 

Are you using the original F22 engine mount brackets, or are you trying to use the F23 engine mount brackets?
On the rear engine mount bracket is it installed using two bolts? Or only one? If the bottom bolt is missing(engine side) the bracket can rotate 'up' causing the engine to rotate back and forward, this would clock the engine wrong.
If the other mounts are worn and the front mount was broken for a while, the mounts could be deformed causing you to fighting aligning them up. Also don't torque down all the mount bolts just yet, only do it when everything is installed.

 

X2. Just leave everything "loose" until you get all the bolts started.

 

Thanks for the replies!!

I'm using the F22 mounts.

The rear mount only has one bolt...should it have two? I didn't even look.

For the other mounts I've left the main centering bolts loose but the the engine bracket mount bolts are tight.

I'm guessing the front mount has been broken for quite a while as it's always has some bad wheel hop...now I know why. There seems to be enough flex in the other mounts but this thing just won't line up. I've placed a jack in several places under the engine and transmission. I've had the hoist pulling from the top. I used a small prybar between the engine and the front crossmember. This seemed to get me closer but I felt like I was puting way too much force on it, like it should like up without haveing to use a pry bar. Should I be using a '98-02 front mount?

 

There is a single bolt that goes through the mount from the bracket yes.
But the bracket attached to the engine uses two. One that is a bolt that passes through the bracket, engine bell-housing into the transmission bell-housing. The other is a bolt that passes through a flange on the engine only, and clamps the mount bracket. If one of those two bolts is missing the bracket can rotate, which will roll the engine in a way that it will not be properly lined up.

 

Gotcha, yeah I've got the two bolts in the engine side of the rear mount.

Now that I think about it, I've got the car on jack stands under the front crossmember, I wonder if that's distorting the frame just enough to make things not line up. Probably just need to spend some more time messing with it....now if I could just get away from this pesky job!

 

Another week rolled by and I finally had time to get to it again. I removed the jackstands and supported the car back at the jacking points. I still had to use a pry bar but I got the bolt in place in just a few seconds. Lesson learned I guess...don't support the car by the front crossmember...that may even have been what broke the mount in the first place as I've put jackstands there in the past.