Engine alignment?

[wolf_walker]

I've never liked the A1 mount setup, on a diesel it's prone to transmitting vibration and on a gasser the motor twists all over if they have any power unless you run hard mounts, which transfer vibration.  VW apparently didn't like it either since the A2 setup was so different and seems to have been continually refined up till at least the A4 TDI's mounts I helped replace a few weeks ago.

That being said, I have the Bentley and know what it says about aligning the mounts, trouble is the motor wants to rotate rearward because of it's slant, so you can't get the two side mounts to sit vertically level in the brackets unless you physically hold the motor and put it in a bind with the lower rear mount.  This seems, less than good.  I've been doing it more or less for a lot of years and miles but I thought I'd see what success or failure others have had, or if anyone even bothers?  Searching does not turn up much.  I haven't looked at my mounts since the engine install 8K ago in the Caddy, I noticed the front mount is not touching the housing at rest, which is good, the drivers and pass are not collapsed yet and are sitting pretty much vertical, which is good, but the drivers trans mount does not have the correct even clearance between the front of the bracket to the mount and the rear of the bracket to the mount.  I'm not sure how it got that way unless the rear mount is broke already, which it very well may be since it's always under a load keeping the motor from falling over backwards like it wants to.

Thoughts?

[Rabbit on Roids]

if the mount hasnt collapsed, dont worry about it. does it shake? or is it just that the mount doesnt look right and its bugging you? loosen the 2 side mount bolts, so they are about 2 turns from being tight. then take and give the engine a good shake, then tighten them back down. your engine is now aligned.

[wolf_walker]

It's not collapsed, it's over extended in the direction it has the more clearance between the mount and the bracket if that makes sense, the drivers side one.  Not shakey, not even dash noise at 850rpm idle, but there is some resonance of a sort at mid rpm's.  The exhaust is new stock with new hangers and isn't touching anything.  Just bugging me mostly.

[Rabbit on Roids]

might be a manufacture error. the center of the bushing is plumb, but the rest of the bushing/trans bracket is crooked a little bit? right?

i dont think the mount is causing the resonance, i think its just a diesel thing. my cars have it too. between idle and 2k rpms i would guess is where the resonance hits.

engine mount on the body could be drilled at a slight angle. trans mount might be bent a little, or tweeked. could be a number of things.

[wolf_walker]

Yeah, it's hard to say.  Doubt it's the body after all this time and as many sets of mounts as it's had, could be that trans bracket, wonder if they are all the same length from where they mount to the trans?  I have another Rabbit I can measure I think.  All I can think to do is loosen the rear mount and see where it falls and try it.  The drv mount is seriously stretched out where it is now though, not vertically but horizontally.

[rs899]

I've never liked the A1 mount setup,

I didn't either until I tried to change a clutch on an A2.  I say just ignore it.  It's an old truck.  Mine just got to 380K...

[Rabbit on Roids]

loosen up the side mounts and rear mount. shake engine around so that its not loading one mount more than the others. then tighten the mounts. the driver side mount has the least stress on it. i think you are overthinking this if it doesnt affect vibrations or driveabliity.

[wolf_walker]

I have a bad habit of pursuing perfection and nitpicking everything to utter death, I probly am over thinking for an old truck.  I do it for a living actually, I do final inspections on the Porsche crap we fix.  Those guys love me because I find every single even slightest problem. 

I did loosen the mounts and levered the drivers side one closer to even and jiggled it all around.
In it's natural rest position the front mount is all the way up on the stops and making contact, but just barely.  I gotta design something better if I ever buy another A1 with a nice chassis.

[Rabbit on Roids]

mk2 FTW...