Premature Lower Engine Mount Failure

[Anthony 1,000]

Fitted a new TD lower engine mount onto my 1.6 GTi about two-three months ago as the original one was looking perished and I figured that while I had the driveshafts out I might as well swap it as preventative maintainance. The TD mounts are stiffer than standard, and are a nice half-way house between standard and Group N.

 

All fine and exactly what I wanted (reduced engine movement with little extra vibration into the cabin) until a couple of weeks ago when I started getting driveline shunt and a banging noise as you hit the accelerator, which steadily got worse and worse. Took a look and found that the mount had completely fallen apart and as a result the engine was flapping about like a fish out of water

 

 

I've just put in a Group N Baker Bushes mount that I had spare and everything's fine now and ready for abuse at Cadwell Park on Monday, but the short period of time in which the old mount failed is concerning.

 

The engine is only a standard 1.6 lump so its hardly a torque-monster and only done about an hour of tracktime on that mount so hardly abused. The other engine mounts (both standard) both seem fine with no excess movement, the gearbox is securely attached and there doesn't seem to be any play in the lower fork area - which rules out most of the suspects I'd have thought?

 

I'm assuming (hoping?) that it was just a faulty mount, but is there anything which could have contributed to the failure?

[Wurzel 16]

I can't think of anything underlying that would have caused failure like that apart from a duff mount.

 

If the upper mounts were tits, they would have failed more quickly as more force would have been transmitted to them due to the stiffer lower mount.

 

I say duff lower mount.

[jackherer 543]

I'd say it was defective. I once had a Xantia Activa one last about 200 miles on a 205 Mi16 and the group N one i replaced it with has been there for a couple of years or so now.

[sorr 0]

I would think it could be that although the mount was 'new' it could have sat on a shelf for years and maybe got a bit hard, no pun intended. You then make it move and it falls apart.

[Fuqa 0]

ive had this twice now... both mounts were from ECP and both failed like yours in a matter of months...

had the top mount fail also.., snapping the thread off the mount.

 

changed to a grp N lower mount and an original top mount... no problems now

[James_R 3]

Would orientatin have anything to do with it?

[boombang 2]

We had a full set of new mounts from Peugeot which were falling apart within a few months.

[Fuqa 0]

Would orientatin have anything to do with it?

 

 

i have had this discussion with jackherer... the mounts seem to have a thicker rubber strip across the middle.. ive always tried to line the mount up so when fited the thicker rubber strip faces front to back horizontaly

 

didnt really make any difference..

 

i spsoe its def worth changing all the mounts incase they are putting undue stress on the lower mount

[ALEX 98 1 Cars]

I went trough a stage of chewing up bottom engine mounts.

Nobody buys the genuine pug replacement as you have to buy the whole casing and are more expensive than the inserts.

The inserts are either cheap or I was putting then in in the wrong position.

I've a group N in mine now. I've either got use to the vibrations or it's softened up a bit.

 

I can't believe that no one has ripped into you for having your nipple in the picture .