Technical Engine mount replacement, possible worn bushes, knocking over pitted ground.....

[mzhussein]

Hi all,
i will be replacing the notorious N/S engine mount on sat (on order at fiat, should have it sat morning) and the rear engine mount.

Reason for N/S mount is that there is excess vibrations in the cabin and it looks pretty skanky (had a poke when i bled the clutch).

Reason for rear engine mount is my gear change is not "on point" and feels like its slowly getting worse, Ive heard of others saying that worn mounts can cause bad gear changing, so because it only cost £20 I'm going to try it rather than a gearbox rebuild @ £600....

At the same time i will be checking to see if my rear bushes are shot (i hear a knocking/clatter over pitted ground) and the rear end has started to feel a little skittish. the skittish-ness could be down to worn tires (still legal, but only just), hopefully getting some new wheels soon...just wondering if there is anything else that could cause knocking over rough ground that i should check whilst I'm there...drop links come to mind? but don't know how to check....

and if anybody knows of any pitfalls I'm likely to come across this weekend, id be grateful if you could let me know

 

[Yellow Peril]

Two things:

1. Could you do a how-guide with pics on changing the mounts please?
2. Other causes of rear knocking could include poorly adjusted lock on the hatch door giving rise to rattling, or something loose in the tool section within the spare wheel in the boot.

 

[mzhussein]

i will take lots of pictures and write lots of words and throw them in a blender, something resembling a guide may come out...

The knocking is not necessarily coming from the back, usually i have music on so don't notice it, today i drove to work in silence to try and pinpoint it, and i cant honestly tell....it could very possibly be coming from the front...its not a loud knocking, more of a clatter...i have a sub-woofer in place of my spare wheel and tools, so that pretty much negates that lol....ill have a look at the boot lock, thats an interesting one..

 

[Yellow Peril]

i will take lots of pictures and write lots of words and throw them in a blender, something resembling a guide may come out...

The knocking is not necessarily coming from the back, usually i have music on so don't notice it, today i drove to work in silence to try and pinpoint it, and i cant honestly tell....it could very possibly be coming from the front...its not a loud knocking, more of a clatter...i have a sub-woofer in place of my spare wheel and tools, so that pretty much negates that lol....ill have a look at the boot lock, thats an interesting one..

Ah...if you think it might be from the front, then drop link(s) would be my No.1 suspect

 

[mzhussein]

cool beans, how do i "check" them? or is it on the forum somewhere already?

 

[Yellow Peril]

cool beans, how do i "check" them? or is it on the forum somewhere already?

Take the wheel off and make a careful examination of the rubber seal around the bushes at each end of the link, then check for excessive movement (though this may not be easy with the car jacked up).

In my case, the rubber was split, and all the lube had gone from one of the bushes.

 

[Ics19]

Drop link guide here:
https://www.fiatforum.com/stilo-gui...ur-drop-links-anti-roll-bar-links-30mins.html

and N/S gearbox mount here:
https://www.fiatforum.com/stilo-guides/198550-fiat-stilo-1-9-jtd-all-changing-gearbox-mount.html

 

[Morty Mort]

When my front droplinks said goodbye they made this stange sound, like "blomp-blomp-blomp" when driving over rough surfaces. A gravel road with small potholes is perfect for testing. It's not like a metal knock sound, more a "silenced" knock. Prepare some swearing words when removing the lower nut. I ended up removing the blade from my hacksaw so the driveshaft went "through" it (reinserted the blade) and sawed off the nut. If you lie on the ground (which you have to) place a support (like a tyre) under your head - if not, you will have neckpain for a week afterwards.

 

[mzhussein]

Yeah id read the guides...i think my guide might be a little different, cos its on a petrol, and ill be doing the rear mount aswell

a silenced knock is exactly what it sounds like, my friends old mk1 punto had what i thought were severley worn bushes, shaking the rear of the car got a profound klanking...nothing like that on mine...you make it sound like such a pleasureable thing to do! lol....ill get my dremel ready for action then if i do the drop links...would worn drop links cause understeer? because ive been noticing more of it recently...

....all will be clear after the weekend...

 

[mzhussein]

and it is done...

turned out both mounts were passsed it! where as i thought they were just abit skanky...

the N/S mount was snapped...see pic

and rubber was worn out a bit....

The rear mount, aside form being tight as F***, had to use my feet on a 2ft bar! was all cracked (old left, new right)

shiny new ones in place now...

And drop links seem solid, no leaked fluid...bushes are intact, no leaked fluid, and no play....

Drive is smoooother now, and gear change is nicer...although 3rd still feels like synchro is going, but the sticking 4th hasnt reard its head yet....

 

[emzo]

I drove the car w/o the rear mounts, they make no visible difference.
Here are some pics of mine, still in good shape, the rubber is still soft.

 

[mzhussein]

wow, without mounts...when my rear mount fall off a year back the engine tilted back till the drive shaft touched the subframe.....after that ive become mount conscious...

 

[stilored]

I know this is a very old thread mzhussein.


Could I ask how you removed and replaced the bolt on the far side of the mount? I guess it was simple enough to remove yours as it had already snapped but how did you tighten the bolt up once the new mount was in place? It seems as if there is no space to position a spanner!


I am replacing my mount because I get a lot of vibration on tickover and when between 1000-2000rpm in low gears.


My car is a Stilo Schumacher GP 13,000 miles.

 

[mzhussein]

I used a ratchet and socket.......try hard, you can do it, it's just awkward. I don't remember any significant difficulty.

Rgds

mzhussein