Bad motor mount?

[dragthis]

Hey Folks,

I Have a 2000 Boxster with a 5 Speed. I am getting a really bad clunk between shifts, under hard acceleration. If I let off the throttle and hammer it down the clunk is still there.

I am leaning towards a motor mount. Is there in easy way to tell which mount is the culprit?

Thanks In advance

[seafeye]

Hey Folks,

I Have a 2000 Boxster with a 5 Speed. I am getting a really bad clunk between shifts, under hard acceleration. If I let off the throttle and hammer it down the clunk is still there.

I am leaning towards a motor mount. Is there in easy way to tell which mount is the culprit?

Thanks In advance

Just finished replacing my mount. Bought the car used and i have no idea when the last mount was done. I have been trying to chase down some vibration problems.

First the motor mount must be removed to see if it needs to be replaced. I took 20 min from all different angles to see if it was ruined before i removed it and i couldn't see anything. Once removed from the car you need to remove the other half of the bracket. What i saw was cracks almost all the way round the rubber portion of the mount. I bought the mount from the sponsors of this site for $158 plus shipping.

Once replaced my car did appear smoother and shifted easier. Still have the vibration at 75mph plus....

Wish i could tell you that there was an easy way to tell if its the front or back but i really don't think there is a way unless you remove the mounts.

If you have over 50k on your car you might just want to go ahead and do them as preventative maint. Maybe do your oil change at the same time while you have the car up. No fancy tools just 15mm wrenchs and sockets. 10mm for the cabin panel and plastic nuts on the trays. Oh the mount is a bugger to get out.

[1schoir]

Hey Folks,

I Have a 2000 Boxster with a 5 Speed. I am getting a really bad clunk between shifts, under hard acceleration. If I let off the throttle and hammer it down the clunk is still there.

I am leaning towards a motor mount. Is there in easy way to tell which mount is the culprit?

Thanks In advance

drag:

There is only one motor mount, and it's located in front of the engine, just behind the lowest point of the inside vertical access panel to the engine. At the rear, there are two mounts that support the transmission. The symptoms you are describing certainly point to the front motor mount.

Check out Pedro's Garage website for a nice DIY on the mount, here: http://www.pedrosgarage.com/Site%203/Insta...ne%20Mount.html

Regards, Maurice.

[geoff]

Just to echo what others said - I took my car (2001) in to the dealer yesterday for the 60K mile service. I specifically asked my service advisor to check the motor mount. He said by 60K miles the rubber is usually broken down and the mount needs to be replaced. Less than an hour later I get a call from the service writer and mechanic telling me the front motor mount needs to be replaced.

I don't get the typical 3000 RPM vibration and my transmission is easy to shift in all gears, even with a short shifter installed. If you are having a clunk between shifts it's pretty certain your mount is worn. When I picked up my car I talked to the mechanic and he showed me what a worn out mount looks like (I told them I would try to change it myself). Lots of rubber left in the worn out one, but it was still problematic. The latest version of the mount is a 987 part and supposed to be much better than the early ones

If you look on the Porsche hosted web site for your dealer, they have a parts special now through July 31, 2009 for 20% off on parts, where the dealer gets reimbursed by Porsche for the difference. My local dealer actually worked out to be a a few dollars less expensive than Sunset on this part (I was shocked), so ended up ordering from them (it always helps to support your local dealer). The writeups I've seen also recommend replacing two $3 clips that become brittle and crack with age when you do the motor mount. Motor mount part number is 987 375 023 04 and clips (2 needed) are 996 106 425 02. Go to http://www.porschedealer.com/dealer/usLocator/ and select your dealer, then click on View Special Offers under Parts and it should be one of the first links. See http://rusnak-westlake.porschedealer.com/S...588/special.php for the Porsche parts discount coupon from my local dealer (doesn't appear to be dealer specific)

Other posts that look helpful include:

http://www.ppbb.com/boards/ppbbphp/showfla...rue#Post1106222

http://www.ppbb.com/boards/ppbbphp/showfla...rt=all&vc=1

http://www.ppbb.com/boards/ppbbphp/showfla...rue#Post1150934

[dr914jr]

In my experience the front mount is almost always the culprit in the Boxster. The quickest way to tell is to remove the access plate behind the seats so the front of the engine can be observed while driving. Have a friend drive the car while you observe the movement of the engine during shifts. If the mount is bad you'll know immediately unless it has just begun to fail. It seems like people don't look into fixing the mount until it's completely destroyed beyond all belief so I suspect you'll see allot of movement. If it is completely cooked than the entire engine will jump up several inches as the car is shifted :drive: .

[dragthis]

I will have a look at that mount. I have read of people filling these mounts with flexane liquid urethane. Is this a good option? I track the car often so i would like something that will hold up a bit more! thanks for the feedback!

[1schoir]

I will have a look at that mount. I have read of people filling these mounts with flexane liquid urethane. Is this a good option? I track the car often so i would like something that will hold up a bit more! thanks for the feedback!

drag:

Pedro's Garage sells these mounts in two versions, but you apparently have to be prepared for a little more vibration because the flexane is less flexible that the rubber of the OEM mounts. It may be ideal for tracking.

You can certainly make your own, all you have to do is buy the flexane. There are a number of online dealers that will sell you the flexane, and some even offer different "hardnesses" .

Regards, Maurice.

[dragthis]

Can I repair the old one with Flexane?

[1schoir]

Can I repair the old one with Flexane?

Drag:

Yes.

You just have to "clean up" the old one and then make a jig that would keep the flexane contained within the confines of the original housing and pour it in.

Regards, Maurice.

[1schoir]

Can I repair the old one with Flexane?

drag:

Here is a link to how Pedro first did it: http://www.ppbb.com/boards/ppbbphp/showfla...rue#Post1225680

Regards, Maurice.

[petee c]

I will have a look at that mount. I have read of people filling these mounts with flexane liquid urethane. Is this a good option? I track the car often so i would like something that will hold up a bit more! thanks for the feedback!

drag:

Pedro's Garage sells these mounts in two versions, but you apparently have to be prepared for a little more vibration because the flexane is less flexible that the rubber of the OEM mounts. It may be ideal for tracking.

You can certainly make your own, all you have to do is buy the flexane. There are a number of online dealers that will sell you the flexane, and some even offer different "hardnesses" .

Regards, Maurice.

Anyone have the 'enthusiast' mount? That's the one I have on order. I hope it's not too vibrating......

P

Edited June 19, 2009 by petee c

[coreseller]

I will have a look at that mount. I have read of people filling these mounts with flexane liquid urethane. Is this a good option? I track the car often so i would like something that will hold up a bit more! thanks for the feedback!

drag:

Pedro's Garage sells these mounts in two versions, but you apparently have to be prepared for a little more vibration because the flexane is less flexible that the rubber of the OEM mounts. It may be ideal for tracking.

You can certainly make your own, all you have to do is buy the flexane. There are a number of online dealers that will sell you the flexane, and some even offer different "hardnesses" .

Regards, Maurice.

Anyone have the 'enthusiast' mount? That's the one I have on order. I hope it's not too vibrating......

P

I ordered and installed the Enthusiast Mount last month. Follow the DIY instructions on Pete's board and you will be fine, pretty straight forward. There is more vibration, especially around 3,000 RPM, nothing obnoxious though. Good Luck.

[dragthis]

Removed the mount last night and filled with flexane. It is currently curning. How long does this stuff take to set? The box says it can take 7 days for a full cure. Can I cheat on this? I want to drive the car this weekend!

Thanks for all the help guys!

[dragthis]

Re installed mount, the car drives better than the day I got it! I am sure this mount has been going for a while now!

[1schoir]

Re installed mount, the car drives better than the day I got it! I am sure this mount has been going for a while now!

Drag:

:clapping:

Perhaps you can share what specific density or type of flexane you used to get this result, and if it's available online.

Regards, Maurice.

[dragthis]

Re installed mount, the car drives better than the day I got it! I am sure this mount has been going for a while now!

Drag:

:clapping:

Perhaps you can share what specific density or type of flexane you used to get this result, and if it's available online.

Regards, Maurice.

I used the Flexane 80 liquid. My job wasn't as pretty as pedros but it seems to work fine!

I purchased it from my local acklands grainger for around $90

Cheers!

[dr914jr]

Can you feel more vibration than before the mount had started to go? Just curious as to how this method stands up to a replacment part.

[petee c]

Pedro's enthusiast motor mount arrived sometime last week at the post office. I had a chance to install it last night. Couple notes on working on the boxster. (1st time under the car, only got it less than 4 weeks ago)

- wood ramp made of 4 layers of 2x10's is a bit tight to work under. Going to make an extension of a couple more layers to jack the rear end up higher, will need to make a shallow 2 layer 2x10 ramp for the front tires so the front bumper doesn't bottom out.

- I tightened all the 15mm bolts to about 50-60lbft of torque. (didn't use a torque wrench, didn't find the torque values on Pedro's site)

- there are a lot of fasteners for the plastic shield underneath the car. To get the shield off closest to the motor mount, u probably should undo a couple of the fasteners on the shield ahead - closest to the one u are working on. It will give u some more wiggle room to wiggle out the shield u want to remove.

- the head of the stud that holds the yoke to the chassis is actually 7mm (not 6mm as stated on Pedrosgarage)

- the nut fasteners that hold the plastic shields on are 10mm. the screws on my car that held the plastic shield on are phillips.

- my original mount had not quite totally separated yet. There looked to be tears in the rubber in the mount, but the tears had not yet gone through the entire rubber section. My mount was still in one piece. I would say the biggest tear went about 75% of the way through the rubber. The tear was along the outer circumference of the rubber.

- check really well underneath the car before coming off the ramps. I looked and removed the cardboard that I was lying on to check for the shield fasteners with a trouble lamp, but when I got the car off, I noticed that I have 2 extra phillips screws/washers that I missed somewhere...... back up onto the ramp I go I guess tonight :(

Quick 10 minute driving impressions

- there is buzz with the motor mount.... more than the 75% failed OE part.

- buzz seems centered around the 3000rpm range.... I did not get a chance to check if it is only when accelerating/deccelerating that has the buzz. I didn't get a chance to hold a steady 3000rpm in 6th to determine what it would be like at speed (dark and the roads were wet)

- shifting is much improved, both in upshifting thru the gears, and downshifting into 3rd :)

- a bit notchy getting back into 1st when at a stop sign.

- bit of whitish smoke (smelled like oil) after getting the car off the ramps on the initial start and for about 30-60seconds afterward. No smoke noted on the 10min drive, or when i pulled back into the garage I'm hoping it's just that some oil got up in the heads while the engine was being on the angle, and wiggled around when I was r/r'ing the mount.