If you have a Mini, it is important to know when there are issues with your vehicle. Some issues might be small, like low tire pressure that needs to be fixed, while others might be larger, like an engine mount problem.
The Engine Mount
The engine is what powers your car, and it is held in place with mounts inside your engine bay. These mounts are designed to hold the engine inside the chassis and keep it from moving. They also absorb any vibration from the engine so that your car provides a quiet drive.
There are at least two engine mounts in almost all vehicles. Your engine will either rest on top of mounts bolted to your subframe or be hung from mounts bolted to the actual frame. With front wheel drive cars, the mounts might also lend a bit of support to the transmission. The mounts available range in design from liquid filled to solid rubber. Modern mounts are comprised of a liquid core contained inside a composite rubber piece so that the mount can flex when needed and prevent the car from absorbing any vibrations or noise coming off the engine.
How to Identify a Bad Engine Mount
If you start to feel the vibrations while you’re driving, it could be indicative of a bad engine mount. You will feel rattles and annoying vibrations inside the cabin and you might also hear a clunking noise whenever your vehicle switches from drive to reverse, or vice versa. If you don’t get the issue repaired, that clunking noise will start to take place when you accelerate or decelerate. This will continue until the mount fails and your engine is no longer secured. You might also notice, if you have the rubber and liquid-filled mount design, that there is liquid leaking from your motor mount.
If you have a bad engine mount, you can normally drive your vehicles gently if absolutely necessary. However, if you will hear a harsh clunking noise you should not drive the vehicle at all and you should get an immediate replacement. If you hear clunking noise when your vehicle accelerates or decelerates, the problem has become serious.
Diagnosing the Issue
Engine mounts will typically last between 60000 miles and 100000 miles, but they can fail earlier, especially if you drive aggressively, if you store your vehicle outside, experience a traffic collision, or if you live in a dry climate. If the mount looks cracked or you start to see fluid is leaking, it’s time to get the mount changed.
In most cases your engine mounts will need to be evaluated based on the amount of travel you have done. Our experts will review your vehicle for any obvious visual imperfections. We will check to see if the engine mounts appears to be failing. If it is failing but it seems to be installed incorrectly, it might be recommended that you simply have the mount reinstalled in the correct fashion and then subsequently tested to see if this fixes the problem.
Engines are very heavy so trying to replace an engine mount yourself is, as a result, a dangerous task. You run the risk of crushing your hand between the engine and engine mount, or being crushed by the engine itself. These are not risks worth taking. It is best to let a professional with high end equipment set up safety measures and braces when tackling the job.
