Motor mounts as the name implies is a holder that helps to put the engine in place. Irrespective of the size of your car’s engine you should have at least four engine mounts.
Just like every other part of a car and engine, motor mounts can go bad. So, what happens when motor mounts go bad?
When your motor mounts go bad, you will start experiencing an increased vibration, rattling and cracking of the engine, abnormally positioned engine, and engine movement because of the broken motor mount not being able to properly hold the engine.
Can a Motor Mount go Bad?
Like the majority of engine parts, a motor mount can also go bad. It can go bad for reasons such as; defects from the manufacturer, aging, accidents, improper installation, etc.
When your engine mount needs to be replaced, you’ll definitely know because there will be signs pointing toward that. Some of such signs are; vibration, engine damage, excess noise, etc.
A bad engine mount should be replaced as soon as possible in order to prevent further damage to the engine, you wouldn’t want your engine out of place.
What Happens When Motor Mounts Go Bad?
When your engine mounts go bad, you will start experiencing:
1. Vibration More Than the Usual
It is quite normal for a vehicle to vibrate slightly when it is being driven, this is because of the moving parts in an engine. However, if this usual vibration increases more than usual there may be a problem, in this case, a bad motor mount.
A bad motor mount will cause a vehicle to vibrate more than it usually does as a result of one or more bad mounts, especially with accelerated engine revving generally when the engine movement is pronounced. It could be the mount is really damaged or out of place.
2. Tilted Engine
An engine will usually have at least four mounts to hold it in place, the mounts are responsible for keeping the engine in position and preventing it from shifting here and there.
If one of the motor mounts breaks or goes bad, the engine will gradually start shifting position when the vehicle is being driven. The engine shift will likely cause it to tilt one way or the other.
A tilted engine is not something you want to have because it can cause parts of an engine that shouldn’t meet to collide and resulting in more damage to the engine.
3. Engine Belt/Hose May Brake
Other signs of a bad motor mount are a broken engine belt and/or hose. The engine belt also known as the ‘serpentine belt’ is responsible for driving lots of peripheral devices in an engine, with such devices being, the water pump, alternator, air pump, etc.
A bad mount invariably means the engine is rotating and moving around, this continuous movement of the engine will cause the engine belt or hose to snap, in most cases, it could be both belt and hose that get broken.
Having a broken engine belt/hose is not something that you see happen on a regular but can be expected when you are dealing with a bad engine mount.
4. Rattling/Clanking Engine
Rattling or clanking of the engine is another sign of a bad motor/engine mount. The possibility of your engine rattling with a bad mount is high and the extent of this will depend on the number of bad mounts.
Rattling is when an engine shakes in an unusual manner and is usually higher at times when the vehicle is idling.
5. Engine Movement
One of the things you are sure to have with a broken motor mount is a moving engine, the mount has the work of keeping the engine in place and preventing it from moving around.
If at least one of the mounts is bad you can be sure to have your engine moving around. This movement can be heard when there is an increase in a car’s speed while driving.
What to Do When an Engine Mounts Go Bad?
Once it has been determined that all signs seen in the vehicle are a result of a bad mount then it should be fixed. You can do some of the following;
- Keep the Car Idle: The first thing that should be done when you realize you have a bad mount is to keep the car idle. It is not advisable to continue driving the car at this point, driving around with a bad mount will do nothing than cause damage to the engine because of its constant movement.
- Get the Mount Replacement: The only solution for a bad mount is usually to have it replaced. When replacing, be sure to ensure the services of a professional because improper installation has also been known to damage an engine mount over time.
- Check the Other Mounts: Irrespective of the number of engine mounts damaged, all other mounts should be checked to ensure they are in good condition.
Checking does not mean they have to be changed also, it’s just paying close attention to them and it could probably give you an idea as to how soon they may need to be replaced.
Conclusion
One of the reasons why it is important to know and understand some things about your car is so you can easily detect when something out of the ordinary happens. The earlier you are able to detect the problem, the better for you because you will be able to fix it before it gets bigger.