Engine mount polybushes, my initial findings

WLJayne · Jun 10, 2013

Hi guys,

Yesterday I fitted powerflex polybushes to my upper and lower engine mount tie bars. Not a difficult job at all (getting the sodding undertray off is the hardest part!!!) My rubber ones were knackered, and they needed replacing.

To give you the short version, there's a little more vibration in the cabin but no worse than what you get in a Disco 1 and power delivery is massively improved - no more kangarooing and smoother gear changes.

So a simple mod that can bring decent results

.

Will.

Nodge68 · Jun 10, 2013

WLJayne said:
Hi guys,

Yesterday I fitted powerflex polybushes to my upper and lower engine mount tie bars. Not a difficult job at all (getting the sodding undertray off is the hardest part!!!) My rubber ones were knackered, and they needed replacing.

To give you the short version, there's a little more vibration in the cabin but no worse than what you get in a Disco 1 and power delivery is massively improved - no more kangarooing and smoother gear changes.

So a simple mod that can bring decent results .

Will.

That's why I fit them

I've fitted both my ZS 180 and my V6 Freelander (same engine) with modified poly onto the lower bars only. I find that the upper tie bar vibrates the steering wheel if a poly is used which I hate. But it's a job well worth doing especially as the front props cv joint will take less of a hammering when the engine is not flopping about.
I modified mine like this. Both half's have been smoothed like the one on the left.

WLJayne · Jun 10, 2013

Yes there's a fair amount of wobble that's felt at idle. It feels like a tratter, not any worse. I can live with it i think, but the top one is a piece of **** to get out if I ever want to put a rubber one back in there.

Nodge68 · Jun 10, 2013

WLJayne said:
Yes there's a fair amount of wobble that's felt at idle. It feels like a tratter, not any worse. I can live with it i think, but the top one is a piece of **** to get out if I ever want to put a rubber one back in there.

I've done lots of combinations of various bushes in various locations. I settled on the yellow Super flex on the bottom and an MG ZS 180 bottom bush fitted at the top. It gives a good compromise between engine location and vibration felt though the body. Your ideal bush combination could well be different to that of my V6 due to the different vibration signature of the 4 cylinder engine. If you don't mind the vibration with your current setup then why mess with it.

WLJayne · Jun 10, 2013

It's a case of one less thing is broke, therefore I int going to complain. Hopefully the head bolt retorque will sort of the gas leak. The head bolts still feel loose though, I don't trust the rover settings at all - I went 270 degrees over reccomended on the angular tightening and they still budge to easy if you ask me.

Nodge68 · Jun 10, 2013

WLJayne said:
It's a case of one less thing is broke, therefore I int going to complain. Hopefully the head bolt retorque will sort of the gas leak. The head bolts still feel loose though, I don't trust the rover settings at all - I went 270 degrees over reccomended on the angular tightening and they still budge to easy if you ask me.

Did your engine have the improved bolts fitted in combination with the forged oil rail?

WLJayne · Jun 10, 2013

Nodge68 said:
Did your engine have the improved bolts fitted in combination with the forged oil rail?

The oil rail was standard on 2003 Freelanders wasn't it? I fitted new bolts when I did the last HG. It didn't seem to seal properly even though I had the head skimmed. Tbh I think the engine is goosed, the liners were right on the limit.

digby · Jun 11, 2013

i just changed my bottom tie bar for the regular LR part
Massive improvement as the engine was moving all over the place with the old one

Does the top tie bar wear out so easily as the bottom one ??

WLJayne · Jun 11, 2013

digby said:
i just changed my bottom tie bar for the regular LR part
Massive improvement as the engine was moving all over the place with the old one

Does the top tie bar wear out so easily as the bottom one ??

My top un was nowhere near as bad as the bottom one. But I got two in the box so fitted both.

Nodge68 · Jun 11, 2013

digby said:
i just changed my bottom tie bar for the regular LR part
Massive improvement as the engine was moving all over the place with the old one

Does the top tie bar wear out so easily as the bottom one ??

No the top bush generally doesn't wear out even though it's made of a softer compound.
The bottom tie bar bush takes all the torque felt by the wheels so it fails quite quickly.

WLJayne · Jun 11, 2013

After a few dozen miles the vibration is greatly reduced - if anything it's now quieter at around 40 than before. I guess the bushes just need to bed in a bit.

Nodge68 · Jun 11, 2013

Good stuff Will, let us know how you feel after a few more miles

WLJayne · Jun 12, 2013

Seems to be really quietening down now, 50 feels alot more sedate than it did before.

Diesel Do · Jun 13, 2013

And it's not broke down

WLJayne · Jun 13, 2013

The coolant hasn't dropped at all and the heater still works!

Diesel Do · Jun 13, 2013

Bodge it and scarper

which one are you

gstuart · Jun 13, 2013

hi

may i ask a really daft question, what sort of symptoms etc did u get in order for u to replace ur front tie bars and bushes please

hope its not a silly question , or how u can actually test them to see if they do indeed req replacing etc

thks again

gary

WLJayne · Jun 13, 2013

gstuart said:
hi

may i ask a really daft question, what sort of symptoms etc did u get in order for u to replace ur front tie bars and bushes please

hope its not a silly question , or how u can actually test them to see if they do indeed req replacing etc

thks again

gary

The car jumped around alot when moving slowly in traffic, and when I dropped the clutch it would thump rather nastily. You can test it my having someone let the clutch up to the bite while you're handbraked and if the engine jumps around inside the bay then chances are they're fecked.

TBH they're fecked out of the factory, they were meant for R75's but the stoopid ####ers put them in Hippo's and even Elise's - ####ING ELISE'S FFS.

This act alone shatters my faith in most design choices in the K series Hippo.

gstuart · Jun 13, 2013

WLJayne said:
The car jumped around alot when moving slowly in traffic, and when I dropped the clutch it would thump rather nastily. You can test it my having someone let the clutch up to the bite while you're handbraked and if the engine jumps around inside the bay then chances are they're fecked.

TBH they're fecked out of the factory, they were meant for R75's but the stoopid ####ers put them in Hippo's and even Elise's - ####ING ELISE'S FFS.

This act alone shatters my faith in most design choices in the K series Hippo.

thks for that, mines an auto but thks to the reply get the idea

as i sometimes get a knock underneath where i put my left foot in the foot well and have been wondering if it was the anti roll bar bushes worn and knocking against the body

will try and get my son to have a look underneath sometime, and also get him to take some pics as by the sounds of it if they are worn should be flattened a bit more one sided etc

if that makes sense

thks again

gary

WLJayne · Jun 14, 2013

gstuart said:
thks for that, mines an auto but thks to the reply get the idea

as i sometimes get a knock underneath where i put my left foot in the foot well and have been wondering if it was the anti roll bar bushes worn and knocking against the body

will try and get my son to have a look underneath sometime, and also get him to take some pics as by the sounds of it if they are worn should be flattened a bit more one sided etc

if that makes sense

thks again

gary

You won't be able to tell be looking at the bushes as they are inside the bracket. They don't seem to wear as much as they just go soft. But they are already too soft if you ask me.

Engine mount polybushes, my initial findings

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