How to check engine mounts?

[jonny_ash 0]

Hi

When setting off I sometimes get what I can only describe as a bit of a lift at the front end, almost like a bit of a thud but without any noise if that makes any sense? Kinda feels like the engine is lifting at the front end. How do I go about checking my engine mounts or is there anything else I should be looking at?

Cheers

John

[davidwort 0]

search and ye shall find... http://the-corrado.net/showthread.php?49405-Knocking-noise-when-pulling-away&highlight=engine+mount

[jonny_ash 0]

Thanks David

I know there are posts galore relating to engine mounts and I've had a look through on search. I believe the test is set off with the handbrake on and see how much movement there is on the engine. How does this tell you which is knackered ie. any visual things to look out for) or should you replace all 3 as a matter of cause if doing one?

[davidwort 0]

front end will lift, rear will sit down, however the hydraulic mounts are designed to do this to some extent so only excessive lift on the front is easy to diagnose really, best indicator is age, a genuine mount (including rear and Gbox) will be 'soft' when it gets to 20yrs old, so replacement will improve. really bad mounts will just not hold the engine properly and you feel weight shifting and clonking on turns and acceleration and braking. you can always take them out and clamp in a vice and bend them from the top, you'll soon see one that is very shot, rubber bonding comes away, hydraulic fluid leaks and they wobble about easily.

[jonny_ash 0]

Spot on. Thanks for that.

Will have a good look at it over the weekend.

[Jim Bowen 1]

I could rock my engine in the bay by hand, seems to rock alot less with new mounts.

[davidwort 0]

you need some movement IMO, or CV joints, gearboxes mounting brackets and so on are put under unnecessary shock, might be fine on a race car where vibration and stress is part of the job, but you want a road car to be a little more civilised and last more than a couple of thousand miles before replacing broken parts, take the mk4 mountings they have a lot of movement, but engine isolation is good and the mountings are better positioned and designed to allow necessary movement in the right directions, that said they can feel a little too pliant.