Videos Of Motor Mount Movement

whiplash willy

Veteran Member
Joined
Aug 1, 2011
Location
Portland Oregon
TDI
2012 4-Door Golf TDI 6MT w/NAV & Sunroof
This weekend I did some diagnosis on my Driverside Upper Trans mount and Passenger Side Motor Mount. All of the bolts are torqued to spec. I ran a couple of tests to check for engine movement, and noticed that the Driverside Upper Trans Mount seems to have excessive movement, which may be the source of my drivetrain clunk/movement that has been driving me crazy all this time!

Here are the details on the 2 tests I ran:

Test #1: With the Car in N, and the Ebrake on, I shook the engine by hand and looked at how much play the mounts allowed. The Passenger Side Engine mount looked good, and didn't seem to allow as much as the Driver Side Trans mount (which seemed pretty loose)

Here are 2 videos I took of this, focused on the Driver Side Trans Mount:

#1
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rP38RzVSvG8

#2
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-dgAPCvwsVw

Does this look like too much play in the mount, or is it normal?

Test #2: I put the car in 1st gear, with no E Brake on. I rocked the car back and fourth. The video shows the Driver Side Trans Mount:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ldQwphtcGro

If you look closely, when the engine moves forward, it just doesn't tilt smoothly, but almost has a disjointed movement, which may be the cause of my issue. The Passenger Side Engine Mount seems to move normally and in a more restricted manner. What do you guys think?

I have already replaced the dogbone mount, and that hasn't made a difference. All of my other suspension pieces seem to be in order. Since the Passenger Side Engine mount doesn't seem to allow as much play, I am thinking the Driver Side Trans Mount is defective. The car has 7000 miles on it and has had this excessive drivetrain movement/clunk in it since new. I am at the point where I think I will just drop $150 for a new mount and bolts to see if it fix it.

Also, here are a couple of other videos I took for anyone interested:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ApQcxGD97XU

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uOk1aanDdb0
 
Last edited:

whiplash willy

Veteran Member
Joined
Aug 1, 2011
Location
Portland Oregon
TDI
2012 4-Door Golf TDI 6MT w/NAV & Sunroof
Wow that looks awful. Why not take it to the dealer and show them?
I did take it to the dealer, and they said they checked the mounts, and said they were fine, however I don't think they even looked....

The last time my car was at the dealer for work, they actually fixed the problem, but didn't put some parts back on my car, and what did get put back on my car, wasn't put on properly. Plus it would take them several days to do what I can do in a couple hours in my garage. It is worth the $150 for piece of mind, knowing that all the TTY bolts were replaced and torqued to spec, and that everything was put back together properly.
 

Ski in NC

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Jul 7, 2008
Location
Wilmington, NC USA
TDI
2001 Jetta ALH 5sp stock
Motor mounts are supposed to allow engine movement to keep the vibes out of the car. Engine floats. Once mount goes near its limit of travel (as in accelerating in gear) mount tightens up. At that point engine vibes are much less.

Probably normal. You need to compare to another similar car/engine/tranny to tell for sure.

What are your symptoms??
 

whiplash willy

Veteran Member
Joined
Aug 1, 2011
Location
Portland Oregon
TDI
2012 4-Door Golf TDI 6MT w/NAV & Sunroof
Motor mounts are supposed to allow engine movement to keep the vibes out of the car. Engine floats. Once mount goes near its limit of travel (as in accelerating in gear) mount tightens up. At that point engine vibes are much less.

Probably normal. You need to compare to another similar car/engine/tranny to tell for sure.

What are your symptoms??
Here are my symptoms:

1. When stopped and Idling in N on a steep decline, I can feel my engine shaking the car slightly. If press the accelerator and rev up to say 1800rpm, then lift off, I feel a jerk/jolt in the drivetrain, less then 1s after I press the accelerator, and then again less then 1 sec after I lift off. This only happens when I am stopped on certain roads that have a steep decline, but it happens at these same roads every time. When it is really bad, I can actually see the car move as the drivetrain jerks/jolts.

2. When cruising or coasting in gear (3rd-6th) I feel the same jerk/jolt as in the first problem, less then 1s after I press the accelerator, and then again less then 1 sec after I lift off. This doesn't happen all the time, just on certain areas, and on certain roads. It happens more often when I am on a decline and or the passenger side is lower then the driverside. On inclines or flat surfaces, I can't reproduce it.

I know mounts are designed to allow movement, but this seems like it is too much to me. Especially since the pass side mount doesn't allow as much movement as the driverside. Also, when I rock the car back and fourth in 1st gear, it appears that the driverside mount as kind of a disjointed movement:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ldQwphtcGro
 
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