GSF rear 16v engine mount - my experience

[davidwort 0]

OK, despite best advice I went for a GSF rear engine mount for my 16v.

The original is 16 years old and 150K on it. But for 40 quid with a 'Corrado club/forum' discount :) I thought I'd give it a go.

 

Not a difficult job, but having a lowered car doesn't help with access to the bottom fixing bolt on the off-side (wishbone in the way), and the sliding jack built into the MOT ramp wouldn't fit under my front splitter :roll: had to gently lift the car with a 6ft bottle jack :lol:

 

A bit of jiggling a lifting the engine a cm or so and it came out easy enough.

 

Side by side the mounts look very similar, only visual difference is two tiny location lugs on the bottom brackets to help line it up for the bottom 17mm bolts.

 

Movement in the mounts was massively different though, the new one hardly budged when twisted/bent but the old one moved several cm from side to side although I wouldn't say it was shot.

 

On the car it is a bit problematic though, despite the new mount looking the same design and having the same type of hydraulic centre (I was told by GSF) the vibration into the car is much more noticeable, there is a noticeable improvement to the handling feel of the car and I'm sure the gear change is better but the question is: will the vibration reduce as the mount beds in??? I can't imagine how much vibration you'd get from a solid rubber Vibatechnics type mount on a 4 cylinder :shock:

[steveo29 0]

did you losen the other mounts so the engine sat where it wanted?

 

i put one on my g60...no bad vibes from that

[davidwort 0]

did you losen the other mounts so the engine sat where it wanted?

 

i put one on my g60...no bad vibes from that

 

no, good point, was getting a bit late last night, will slacken the top mounting nuts on each mount and drive it about slowly for a bit.

The other mounts are newish so will have been tightened up with the old (probably a bit sunken) rear mount in it's old position.

[steveo29 0]

i wouldnt drive it...it should find its own place with the bolts loose

 

maybe start it or just give it a good wriggle by hand

[Walesy 0]

When you say vibration, is that throughout the revs? or just at a particular rev?

[bcstudent 0]

I noticed severe vibration (at all engine speeds) when I changed my 16v rear mount to a new GSF part last year. It was horrendous and I gave it three months to settle with no change. In the end I changed it again for a Febi mount from http://www.vwspares.co.uk/ and the vibration disappeared. The cost was about the same as the GSF mount.

 

I probably only did 1000 miles on that three month period, but I'd have expected it to settle in that time if it was ever going to. My opinion of the GSF mounts is that they're absolute crap and to be avoided at all costs.

 

I also tried loosening all engine mount bolts and allowing the engine to find it's own rest position. That made no difference at all.

[Crasher 3]

I had the same with a GSF mount when I ran out of Febi ones. I thought I had done something wrong until I realised it was the mount. So much stuff I get from GSF is utter crap, it may be cheap but it costs me money when we fit something that is faulty and it happens on a daily basis. Euro car parts aren’t any better either, I ordered a 150PD flywheel from the yesterday and they sent me a clutch. Today I had to send back some Brembo Passat discs to GSF. When the box arrived it smelt funny and looked damaged. When we opened it up the top disc had more rust on it than the ones we were taking off. When we called them up and remonstrated with them they said "ohh that’s because we keep them next to the bog and people keep pissing on them". Needles to say, hands were washed and the box then handled wearing gloves.

[Jim 2]

Hm... my GSF front mount seems to be ok so far?

[davidwort 0]

it's going back to GSF,

I've loosened all the bolts and it's no better, it vibrates like hell at idle :x

Driving is a little better but there's more vibration all the way through the rev range.

Looking at the old VAG mount again i don't think it's that badly worn, it's just that the GSF one has virtually no movement and obviously transmits all the engine vibration because of this.

 

Anyone have any idea how much a new one should move, say if you clamp the body in a vice and try to bend the top plate? The old VAG one pivots but probably only a cm in any direction. (Crasher?)

 

Jim, my GSF front one has been fine too.

 

bcstudent, I nearly ordered a FEBI one from there, but being a cheapskate it was going to be a bit more because of the postage... that backfired :roll:

[VR6Will 0]

I had vibratechnics rear mount and sold it and got a gsf 16v rear mount as a replacement as i was bit strapped for cash,

 

i found the gsf mount much stiffer than the vibra mount, noticeably less movement but of course increased vibration, tbh, i quite liked it.

 

imho its much better mount than the vibra one

[davidwort 0]

I had vibratechnics rear mount and sold it and got a gsf 16v rear mount as a replacement as i was bit strapped for cash,

 

i found the gsf mount much stiffer than the vibra mount, noticeably less movement but of course increased vibration, tbh, i quite liked it.

 

imho its much better mount than the vibra one

 

yeah, it's great for chucking the car around, the engine feels like it's welded into the bay... and that's exactly the problem too :lol:

[VR6Will 0]

mine was on throttle bodies then, and had a 304deg cam so was a little bit lumpy on idle etc etc, but i liked it,

 

now ive got a silky smooth vr6, i do miss it!

[Crasher 3]

I like to convert to the old style rubber rear mount and use the Rallye mounting.

[Supercharged 2]

I like to convert to the old style rubber rear mount and use the Rallye mounting.

 

Whats the difference Steve??

[Crasher 3]

Looks like the unit used on all Golf 2's (apart from the 89> 16v) but it is stronger. 191 199 262 E £62.73.

[ewang33 0]

I fitted a GSF front mount on the golf. It was pretty good and made a massive difference, but then the old one did come out in two pieces :?

 

Like with most people on here I've spent years buying parts from ECP, GSF and the stealers.. some parts are good and some you wonder how the hell they can sell them??

 

I once bought a new coolant resevoir from ECP of which the casting was so bad it wouldn't flow coolant properly. GSF's part was no better, so I forked out for a oem dealer unit. Some things you just can't skimp on I guess!

 

If it wasn't for forums like this one giving hands on experience.. I'd be bankrupt!!

[steve_16v 0]

I've recently changed all the mounts on mine to febi-bilstein from vagparts, all looks to be good quality stuff, reasonably cheap and have had no vibrations or untoward side-effects since having them put on.

[Jim 2]

Thanks to guidance from folks like Supercharged I generally go OE where I can afford to. I think the engine mount I got off GSF was OE as it had a VW logo and VW part number stamped in it but who's to say.

 

Where possible I will go to my stealer.. and would definately always do for important parts, or parts I do want to fit and forget about...

[Kick Up The Rs 0]

I fitted a GSF rear mount recently as the original one was a bit weak.

 

I must admit the amount of vibration in the car has increased 2 or 3 fold.

 

 

Most of it is noticed on idle where you can feel vibration thru the steering wheel and it feels like I'm doing 200 + MPH when I'm only doing 70!

 

So what are the options ignoring OE?

[davidwort 0]

I fitted a GSF rear mount recently as the original one was a bit weak.

 

I must admit the amount of vibration in the car has increased 2 or 3 fold.

 

 

Most of it is noticed on idle where you can feel vibration thru the steering wheel and it feels like I'm doing 200 + MPH when I'm only doing 70!

 

So what are the options ignoring OE?

 

I've put my old one back on and what a difference it's lovely and smooth and quiet again!

http://www.vwspares.co.uk/corrado_other.php is what you want, same price as GSF but FEBI parts, which are pretty much as good as OEM in my experience, Crasher also uses these I believe and said they work fine.

I haven't actually ordered one yet as I need a load of other parts too and am getting a big list together for them, free p&p over 50 quid ;)

 

David.

[Kick Up The Rs 0]

Thanks!

[Tempest 0]

I do order parts from GSF, but get some advice from SteveMac first, as to what parts to take and which ones to avoid :-)

 

The rear mounts on my G60 C are all genuine VAG, though, the front one a Stealth sourced Vibratechnics. So far so good :-)

 

Tempest

[Deluk 0]

i think mine are shot , the engine moves like a rocking horse :oops: get worse as the motor gets hotter too