A technician is replacing an engine cradle in a front-wheel-drive vehicle. The new cradle has one slotted hole. What fasteners are required to complete the installation?

• A. Engine mounts
• B. Subframe bolts
• C. Transmission bolts
• D. Cradle bolts

Answer: (D)

When installing a replaced engine cradle, the hardware that actually fixes the cradle to the vehicle’s structure is the cradle bolts. The single slotted hole on the new cradle is an alignment feature, allowing a little fore-aft or lateral adjustment so the cradle can be positioned correctly before the fasteners are fully tightened. Engine mounts attach the engine to the cradle, not the cradle to the chassis, and transmission bolts secure the transmission to the engine or cradle in some designs, not the cradle to the body. Subframe bolts can refer to mounting points for the subframe, but the specific fasteners needed to secure the cradle itself are the cradle bolts.