new engine mounts rubber to hard

[martin418]

hi has anyone found a good source of engine mounting rubbers where the rubber is soft enough to allow movement , the ones on my car had fell apart so i had to change them and the replacements are so hard they have no give , it had less vibration with split mounts ! i have tried all the usual things like making sure the mounts are sitting square etc , i removed the stabilizer rod and it's the same and with the rod off ,there is not movement in the mounts , i took one rubber off clamped it in the vice and i can hardly flex the rubber at all , any ideas

[bmcecosse]

Send them back for a refund! You could drill a number of holes through the rubber - but I'm not sure it would help.

[M25VAN]

If it's black and engine mount rubber shaped it must be ok.
I wonder if these could be made out of polyurethane like all the suspension bushes?

[54woody]

Having a similar issue. Recently rebuilt engine in my car is sitting on new motor mounts purchased from Moss (USA). There is an awful lot more vibration and rattles noticeable in the car since the swap. I've been wondering about how to cure it. Unfortunately I don't have the old motor mounts to go back to.

[MikeNash]

I've got the same problem! I bought new mounts from Bull Motif long ago -too long to reasonably complain - and found a lot more vibration particularly around 30-35 in top when pulling hard than I had with my old collapsed 1963 originals. Do we have a "rubberoligist" in the house? I expect we're into Shore Hardness and all that sort of thing.
Regards, MikeN.

[bmcecosse]

As above Mike - drill some holes through the rubber...

[54woody]

As above Mike - drill some holes through the rubber...

That's an interesting idea. Has anyone actually tried that and had success? Would be worth having a go if it works.

[martin418]

the drill holes idea is worth a try , i have found one original useable mount in a box of odds so i might try drilling a new one and see what happens it cannot be worse

[bmcecosse]

If you are stuck with them - no hope of return - then it's worth a go.

[54woody]

Martin, please report back if you do try drilling holes in one of the new mounts. I'm very interested to see photos and hear results.

[alexmcguffie]

Could it be that you have become used to your original mounts softening over the years and changing to new ones has highlighted the difference?

[54woody]

I can't speak for Martin, but in my case the amount of vibration in the car now is VERY noticeable and bordering on unpleasant. I'm sure the car wouldn't have been like that when new.

[MarkyB]

Both the engine steady bar and the wire that retains the gearbox should be neutral, no tension on either.
It's possible that fitting the new engine mounts has moved the engine enough that they need to be checked.

[MikeNash]

Ah yes! Thanks, will check, MikeN.

[54woody]

Both the engine steady bar and the wire that retains the gearbox should be neutral, no tension on either.
It's possible that fitting the new engine mounts has moved the engine enough that they need to be checked.

Neither of those parts exist on my '54 series II.

[Longdog]

The rubber used in the new mounts is way too hard. The way I solved the problem was to source some NOS ones. The difference was stratospheric so it's not just a case of your old ones being too soft. Interesting idea to drill them though. Poly would be the ultimate but I suspect the volume would not justify a production run.

[54woody]

Thought I'd post a follow up on this thread. I managed to source a pair of NOS motor mounts. Just installed them on my car and the difference is like night and day. All that unpleasant vibration and resonating inside the car has gone. Back to how it used to be. On comparing the engine mounts, the 'rubber' in the new replacement pair is hard as a rock whereas the rubber in the NOS mounts can be depressed slightly with your thumb nail.

[bmcecosse]

Thanks for the update, Where on earth did you find nos Minor engine mounts - in Canada ??

[54woody]

The same engine mounts were used on the early MG Midget / AH Sprite. Plenty of Midget parts listed on eBay here and in the USA. I got lucky and found a pair on eBay.

[bmcecosse]

I thought that would be the answer! Just wondered if you had found a supplier of good 'nos' mounts.