Innovative Mounts 02-06 RSX Automatic Front Motor Mount

Innovative Mounts 02-06 RSX Automatic Front Motor Mount

The front mount is usually the first one to go on a DC5. Honda filled it with fluid to keep the K20 quiet, and fifteen or twenty years in, that fluid is on your subframe and the engine is moving more than it should under throttle. This is the Innovative Mounts replacement front engine mount for the 2002-2006 Acura RSX with the automatic transmission, part number 90641, and it swaps the collapsed OEM unit for a steel body with a polyurethane bushing.

What It Is and Why It Works

Your factory mount is a rubber and fluid assembly. It's good at soaking up vibration, which is exactly what Honda wanted in a car sold to people who weren't going to modify it. What it isn't good at is holding a K20 still. As the fluid leaks out and the rubber softens, the engine starts rocking on its mounts, and you feel it as a clunk on throttle transitions and lazy response off the line.

Innovative deletes the fluid chamber entirely and runs a polyurethane bushing in a steel body instead. The engine stops moving as much, so more of what the motor makes goes into the axles instead of into rocking the drivetrain around. Throttle response sharpens up and the driveline settles down.

Be clear about the trade, because it goes the other direction from what most listings tell you. Taking out the fluid damping means more engine vibration reaches the chassis, not less. Innovative says this themselves: their bushings absorb what they can, but you'll notice some vibration depending on your engine and power level. That's not a defect, it's the mechanism. A firmer mount controls the engine better and transmits more of it to you. Anyone promising a stiffer mount and a smoother ride at the same time is selling you something.

It's a direct replacement in the factory location. No notching, no trimming, and no hood clearance work.

Choosing Your Durometer

For an automatic RSX, the 75A is almost always the answer. If you're here because the OEM mount failed on a street car that's stock or lightly modified, the 75A restores engine control without making the cabin unpleasant on your commute. The 85A is firmer and noisier, and it earns its place on a car making real boosted power or seeing track time. Stiffer is not better by default. Every step up the durometer scale you feel in the seat and hear at idle, so buy the one your power level actually calls for.

Specs

Fitment

Automatic cars only, and that rules out the Type-S. Acura never built an automatic Type-S, so if your DC5 is a Type-S it has the six speed manual and this is the wrong part number. Base RSX cars came both ways, so check what's actually in your car before ordering rather than going off the badge. If yours is a manual, you want the manual front mount instead.

What to Know Before You Buy

This is one mount, not a set. The DC5 has four engine mounts and this covers the front position. If your front mount has failed at this age, the others are the same age and the rear mount in particular tends to be right behind it. Doing them together is less labor than doing them one at a time over the next year, and the engine sits properly when the whole set has consistent stiffness. A car with one firm mount and three tired ones still moves around.

The most important thing on this page: once you bolt these down, they're yours. Innovative does not accept returns or exchanges on mounts that have been installed, because bolting them in leaves impressions on the surfaces. Confirm your transmission type and your durometer before anything goes on the car. Test fit and check part numbers first.

Innovative recommends a mechanic or specialist do the install, and on a DC5 front mount that's fair. You're supporting the engine while the mount comes out, and getting the new one located correctly matters for how the rest of the driveline sits.

Who shouldn't buy this: if your OEM mount is still intact and your car is stock and you mostly want it quieter, leave it alone. This mount is an improvement in engine control and a step backward in refinement. That's a good trade if the old one is leaking or you're making power. It's a bad trade if nothing is wrong.