problems with gearbox mount

[davej 0]

hi all, i've just fitted a new vibratechnics gearbox engine mount, and am now having some problems.

 

gear changes are now really loud and there is a slight whirring noise coming from the gearbox area whilst driving (noticable inside the car). i fitted the mount and let the engine run and settle before tightening the bolts fully, but not sure what to do now, apart from taking the mount off and putting the old one back on.

[davidwort 0]

could just be the price you pay for a firmer mount, I had a stiffer-than-OEM main rear engine mount in for a week, it was terrible, the subframe is bolted up right underneath you so any extra vibration gets transmitted straight into the cabin, particularly noticeable on 4 cylinder cars.

Most of the movement under heavy load is the lifting of the front of the engine so the rears don't help much to reduce engine movement anyway.

[davej 0]

just fitted all 3 vibratechnics mounts, and the vibration and noise is absolutely ridiculous. pretty much undriveable really, unless you happen to be a drag racer.

 

i'm really dissapointed with them, especially as they cost a small fortune. i doubt they'll take them back as ive fitted them, so unless i can sell them on, it's going to end up costing me a stupid amount of money to get it sorted.

 

if anyone wants a set, even after all this, let me know!

[davej 0]

going to go back to gsf or equivalent ones i think. i cant afford VW ones now, and the GSF one i had was far better than the vibratechnics for vibration.

[davidwort 0]

a pretty ropey looking front vibratechnics mount went for over 80 quid on e-bay the other day, don't think you'll have much trouble selling them on

I'm intending to get a front vibratechnics one for the C as the front cross-member is better isolated from the rest of the body anyway and it's the front mount that really takes the strain, I've also seen a fair few others with them on 4 cylinder cars with no complaint on the front, but for the rears I'm sticking to standard, renewed recently. Beware of GSF ones though, only go for FEBI ones or genuine VAG, the pattern one GSF sold me was like a solid mount and it vibrated terribly at idle, they took it back for a full refund though. Someone else told me they used a GSF one for a track car as it was as solid as a Vibratechnics one but only 40 quid!

[davej 0]

just got a new rear and gearbox one from GSF. they were pretty much exactly the same as the original ones on there, which were a bit knackered. nice and soft, 100 time more so than the vibratechnics ones. i think GSF can be a bit pot luck with what stuff you get, as ive had a front one on before from there which was fine. the 2 of them only cost me about 60 quid too!

 

ive been warned about GSF ones on here before, but then again they were the same people who raved about vibratechnics ones, so I'm going to judge for myself from now on.

 

will whack them on tomorrow and see.

 

the guy at vibratechnics has agreed to give me a refund minus 20% which i guess is fair enough. he maintains hes never had any problems with them before, but perhaps most other people buy them for other reasons than a smooth ride.

 

saves me sticking them on ebay, and to be honest i want to get this whole episode over with.

[boost monkey 0]

I had a "heavy duty" GSF front on my Mk2 Golf 16v, and you could literally feel the engine go up and down on the starter motor :shock:

 

I liked it though, wasn't harsh at all when running (a little lumpy on idle maybe) and gave me peace of mind that it was doing it's job properly.

[davej 0]

yeah, i much prefer a smooth ride than harsh jolting on acceleration etc. even if the engine moves a bit when starting. my idles a little rough too, but think i'll focus on sorting that from now on rather than spending time an money on the mounts.

 

the GSF ones are way softer than the vibratechnics ones, so they're going to absorb loads more movement, which is what i'm after anyway i guess. will see how it goes when they're on tomorrow!

[boost monkey 0]

The bolt fell out of the bottom of my old one (how would that even happen) and basically meant that the whole engine rocked backwards and then landed on the cross member with a "DNK" noise under heavy load and a fast gearchange.

 

It literally pulled my four-branch apart from my centre pipe once.... I almost cried.

[davej 0]

oh dear. that's not good

 

ive just finished a hellish day taking the vibratechnics mounts off. its now got a GSF front and gearbox mount with an original VW rear engine one. it runs really smooth, even better than it did before. the old gearbox one was very loose, hence why i changed it. the rear engine one seemed fine compared to a new GSF i bought, so ikept that on, and i'll take the other one back to recoup some cash. just need to send the vibratechnics ones back now, and i'm done. thank god.

 

so for all the slating of the GSF ones, ive actually found the front and gearbox mounts to be absolutely fine. shouldve gone there in the first place.

[boost monkey 0]

Yeah, mounts can be a PITA.

 

I'm surprised that some people would change them with the engine in place, although the front isn't too hard to do. I guess it's more out of necessity than laziness!

 

Are they VT mounts literally chunks of metal or do they have some rubber / polymer inserts?

[davidwort 0]

no the VT ones have some give, I've seen a fair few mk2's snap their front mount brackets when totally solid metal mounts are used, great gearchange as zero engine movement, but somethings gonna snap eventually!

[boost monkey 0]

ah yeah that makes sense, seeing as the bracket would be relatively flimsy!

[davej 0]

the VT ones are solid metal with rubber inserts, just like a normal one, but a bit beefier. less rubber too, so they're obviously stiffer.

 

replacing the mounts with the engine in, is definitely a necessity, i wasn't about to hoist the engine out to do them!

 

wasn't too bad actually. the front and gearbox ones are easy as pie. just the rear engine one thats a pain, mainly because the bolts are way down the back of the engine and it's attached from beneath too. i found the best way to do it was to remove the drivers side front wheel and get in that way. once you're in there it's not too bad. not sure how close i got with the torque settings though, as getting leverage is a problem. got them as tight as i could go though, don't think they were far off on the torque wrench.

 

felt like driving a cloud after having the VT ones on!

[boost monkey 0]

Fair play for doing them with the engine in!

 

Considering I have a crane now, and I have about eleventy-five hundred and two things to do in the bay, I'm probs gonna hoist mine out and do it all at the same time.

 

Thanks for the DIY of how to change mounts with engine in though!

[dr_mat 0]

The standard gearbox mount on the Corrado is oil filled, which gives it excellent noise damping properties. Even a solid rubber mount will sound louder than the VW one.

As always, it's a personal preference - excess noise vs slightly sharper handling, and there's plenty of people here who will call you an idiot for claiming that one mount is "better" than another..

[boost monkey 0]

really... :shock:

 

Surely we're not the Vortex...

[coolrado 0]

The standard gearbox mount on the Corrado is oil filled, which gives it excellent noise damping properties...

I thought only the front mount and rear right engine mounts where oil damped, the gearbox one is just two rubber cones and a plate, at least on all of the 4 cylinder models.

 

i noticed no difference with noise or vibration when i fitted the poly front engine mount but both of the rear mounts caused horrible vibration at idle in the cabin, at higher revs and under load it was fine though, i managed to cope for about a week before i had to remove them and put the standard ones back on again.

[davidwort 0]

the VR6 gearbox mount is a different part to the 4cyl cars, but ETKA describes it as just a bonded rubber mounting, as opposed to hydraulic for the other mounts descriptions.

 

I'd imagine the VR6 is so much smoother than the 4 cyl engines that you can get away with the rear mounts being stiffer and still have it quiet at idle.

 

I didn't like a firmer main rear mount in my 16v, it was generally noisier all the time, but at idle it felt like everything was going to shake itself loose, particularly with a cold engine, sitting in traffic you'd have ended up with 'vibration-white-finger' :lol:

[coolrado 0]

at idle it felt like everything was going to shake itself loose, particularly with a cold engine, sitting in traffic you'd have ended up with 'vibration-white-finger' :lol:

When i tried the solid rears, certain bits of the interior would vibrate at different revs, at idle the steering wheel, sunvisors and seats would rattle and you could see them shaking then as i picked the revs up the dash centre console, sunroof, glovebox lid and clocks would vibrate instead, really, really annoying.

[dr_mat 0]

the VR6 gearbox mount is a different part to the 4cyl cars, but ETKA describes it as just a bonded rubber mounting, as opposed to hydraulic for the other mounts descriptions.

 

Hmm, well the VR6 original gearbox mounts were *definitely* hydraulic because they bleed sticky black oil when they go..

A garage replaced mine with a non-hydraulic part without asking me which I preferred and I get noticeably more gearbox whine. Tossers.

[davidwort 0]

When i tried the solid rears, certain bits of the interior would vibrate at different revs, at idle the steering wheel, sunvisors and seats would rattle and you could see them shaking then as i picked the revs up the dash centre console, sunroof, glovebox lid and clocks would vibrate instead, really, really annoying.

 

I thought all corrados did that anyway :lol:

 

I know what you mean though, it felt like I was driving an old FIAT, interior-wise

[davej 0]

the gearbox mounts aren't oil filled, they're just rubber. think it was only the front original mounts that were oil filled.

 

glad to hear i'm not the only one who has stupidly annoying creaks and rattles at various revs! :D my passenger door's the worst, ive taken it apart several times to cure a rattle, and ended up with a new one every time!

[Andy T 0]

the gearbox mounts aren't oil filled, they're just rubber. think it was only the front original mounts that were oil filled.

 

glad to hear i'm not the only one who has stupidly annoying creaks and rattles at various revs! :D my passenger door's the worst, ive taken it apart several times to cure a rattle, and ended up with a new one every time!

 

Wrong, my vr6 box mount has just started leaking gunky black stuff.

 

Anybody know if a proper vr6 spec box mount can be bought from anywhere other than VW?

[boost monkey 0]

yeah, VR box mounts are hydraulic but dave has a 9A so he's right in thinking that box mounts are all rubber (as far as his car is concerned!)

 

Try VW Spares / AVS . Febi parts (who supply VW) but without the huge markup. Most of my car has their stuff on and it's top notch. Many people on here will recommend them to you.

 

Just looked and they're £16.95 + VAT + Postage.