Engine mounts - general question

Honest John Back Room » Technical matters
View Threaded
Thu 20 Jul 2006 10:41
Engine mounts - general question - DP
What would you consider "normal" freeplay on an engine mount?

I started to wonder after noticing the Mondeo's exhaust tailpipe "bouncing" quite heavily on startup and also (to a much lesser extent) on tickover. It is also possible to "rock" the engine at the mount around the cambelt cover fore and aft by hand. Car has also become quite "jerky" when on and off the throttle in the lower gears in recent months.

Rubber looks okay from what I can see, but is this kind of movement normal?

Cheers
DP
Reply | Report as offensive | Link
Thu 20 Jul 2006 17:14
Engine mounts - general question - robcars
sounds excessive to me. You may need to remove it to look at to check if rubber has split tho? Or it may even be another mount has split and top one is taking too much load and so moving too easy.

Try and get another mondeo to look at and see how much play that has compared to yours?
Reply | Report as offensive | Link
Thu 20 Jul 2006 17:21
Engine mounts - general question - Glaikit Wee Scunner {P}
As said above, check all the mountings plus any rubbers in aditional stabiliser bars.

My old Mini 850 was a swine for destroying mountings and bending exhausts even when I fitted an auxiliary SPQR stabiliser. Must have been all that extra power from the straight through exhaust.

Ah they don't make 'em like that any more................
--
I wasna fu but just had plenty.
Reply | Report as offensive | Link
Thu 20 Jul 2006 17:28
Engine mounts - general question - DP
Thanks guys.

This is the 1.8 Endura DE which jumps around and vibrates like an old twin tub washing machine anyway, so it's hard to tell what's normal and what's not. ;-)

I'll whip the mount off as soon as I can and inspect it properly.

Any idea what these mounts cost to replace on a DIY basis? I have no idea.

Cheers
DP
Reply | Report as offensive | Link
Thu 20 Jul 2006 23:33
Engine mounts - general question - DP
Just had a look, and I think the mount is kippered.

The rubber has some light surface cracks, but more worryingly it looks like it's separated from the metal body of the mount. Placing a big screwdriver between the rubber and the metal, I can move the cambelt end of the engine fore and aft by about 3cm without too much pressure at all. Bad light stopped play before I could dismantle, but I'll take it off at the weekend and have a proper look.

Should post a pic here, but as a description, there's a roughly U-shaped bracket bolted to the block which goes around the cambelt cover and bolts to the block either side. This bit is fine. The bracket then bolts onto the rubber part which sits in a little metal "box" bolted to the inner wing. The play is between the rubber and the metal box part, almost as if the two aren't properly attached to each other.

That's what it looks like anyway. If anyone has any tips or experiences they want to share, I'd be glad to hear them. Just hope it's not megabucks to replace.

Cheers
DP
Reply | Report as offensive | Link
Fri 21 Jul 2006 22:00
Engine mounts - general question - robcars
Should be quite cheap to replace. Not a difficult job or an expensive part. 1 hours labour plus parts I would expect.
Reply | Report as offensive | Link

Looking for a garage you can trust? Honest John's Good Garage Guide has thousands of reader recommended garages, plus how-to guides and tips on servicing.

The Good Garage Guide