The engine is the heart of a car, i.e. without it a car is completely useless. To keep the heart of the car in place, you need strong connections that won’t let the engine fall to the ground. These connections are called engine mounts, and they are responsible for keeping the engine firmly in place.
Engine mounts come in all shapes and sizes, but they all have the same task, namely to prevent engine vibrations from spreading to the rest of the car. For this reason, engine mounts are made from a combination of metal and rubber. The metal is responsible for withstanding the weight of the engine and keeping it in place even when the engine is exerting extreme torque.
The rubber part, on the other hand, is responsible for reducing the vibrations that can occur elsewhere. After understanding the functions of an engine mount, it should be clear that some symptoms can occur as a result of engine mount failure. We have compiled a list of symptoms that are most common in such a failure.
Engine Mount Symptoms
These symptoms are a clear warning for you to have your car repaired before further problems occur.
Too Much Noise from Under the Hood
The engine mounts are provided to reduce the noise of the engine. So if unnecessary noise reaches you, there must be something wrong with the engine mounts. This is especially true if you hit hard against a bump or pothole and a loud rattling can be heard in the engine compartment. If you hear such a thing, you should contact the mechanic as soon as possible, because a defective engine mount can cause great damage if it is not repaired in time.
Violent Vibrations
The engine mount is intended to dampen and reduce the vibrations of an ignited engine. So if you feel more vibrations inside the car than usual, there is probably something wrong with the rubber in your engine mounts. Rubber is a component that can wear out due to friction and extreme stress. The engine exerts both on the engine mounts, so it’s only natural that the rubber wears out, causing its vital functions to be affected.
Unnecessary Engine Movement
This symptom will not be easily noticed. You may come across it accidentally when you open the hood to fill coolant into the radiator, or you may notice it after the other two symptoms appear. If the seal on the engine mounts loosens, the engine will begin to shake and vibrate violently. This movement can become even more violent if you press the gas and try to accelerate. The torque generated by the engine will further destroy the engine mounts, forcing you to make repairs as soon as possible.
Solutions
The solution to an engine mount failure is not easy to find. Most of the time you can’t even see the brackets from above, so you can’t tell if something went wrong just by looking at them. Therefore, a visit to the mechanic may be the only place of retreat.
Have the Engine Mount Replaced
The rubber in the engine mount has the task of reducing vibrations and absorbing the torque generated by the engine. Usually it’s not the whole engine mount that fails; generally it’s only the rubber bushings which may have become damaged, so replacing these bushings may solve your problem temporarily. To have the rubber replaced, however, you will have to see the mechanic, as you cannot do this yourself at home. If this is not possible, you must replace the entire engine mount. You can find engine mounts for your engine at Amazon: Engine Mounts
Install a Strut Bar
The strut bar or a towering strut brace is usually used to improve handling and reduce chassis play during sharp turns, but this brace can be used ingeniously as a last resort to protect the engine from excessive movement. The strut brace happens to come over the top of the motor and is very close to the head of the motor so that if the motor moves, the strut brace will restrict it and prevent further damage. However, if you leave your motor at the mercy of the strut brace, there will be even more noise than usual, so it would be better to fix the motor brackets and let the strut brace do its actual job.
Engine Mount Replacement Cost
Repair or replacement of the motor mounts is the last resort. If you have tried everything else and not achieved the desired result, it is time to think about a serious repair. The first thing you notice here is that engine mounts are made from a mixture of two components – metal and rubber. If the metal part shows a crack due to the constant torque exerted by the engine, you will have to look for a possible replacement. And the thing about spare parts is that they cost a lot. This is not because the engine mounts are very rare and hard to find, but because the work involved in replacing the mounts is very hard.
Your mechanic has to lift the engine with a pulley and chain and keep it lifted while he inspects and replaces the engine mount. Even with such a small thing as an inspection, your mechanic must lift your car and look under the engine mount. Given the nature of this operation, the mechanic will ask you for a lot of money.
For a typical replacement of the engine mount, the mechanic will charge you about $200 to $500 in labor costs, and then you have to add the cost of the engine mount itself. Fortunately, the part itself costs about $100 to $300, so the total cost is about $300 – $800. Remember that the cost of repair is directly proportional to the make and model of your car and the availability of the part.
Magnus Sellén
Hello I'm Magnus, the owner and the writer of this website. I have been working with cars since I was 16 and I'm specialized with in-depth Automotive diagnostics. Also been driving drifting for the last 6 years. I'm here to give you answers to all your automotive questions and I hope that you enjoy our content.