| Author | Message | ||
| Terry Springer (Tspringer)
Junior Member Username: Tspringer Post Number: 81 Registered: 4-2002 |
I am in the process of replacing all 4 of mine on a '77 GTB right now. They are a •••••. Very Space challenged removing a couple of them. Now that I have all of the old ones off and cleaned them up, they appear to be ok. However the car was sagging, the shift rod being pushed into the header heat shield and some rubbing in other places showing the evidence. I am wondering if simply putting some shims under the old mounts to raise them 1/4 inch or so wouldnt have saved me $650 in parts? | ||
| Andrew Chapman (Xx7xx)
New member Username: Xx7xx Post Number: 44 Registered: 8-2001 |
Hey Charles (or anyone else out there) I still need those motor mounts if anyone has good ones for sale. For those of you who have changed them yourself, how difficult is it? Thanks | ||
| thomas n. treue (Treue)
New member Username: Treue Post Number: 14 Registered: 4-2002 |
I have disassembled 5 (from two different cars) of these things in the past and every one was severely corroded inside. The two housing halves were deeply pitted and the bottom 1" of the spring had lost at least 10 percent of its mass. Apparently, water can get in but it can't get out. The materials were obviously chosen for maximum corrodability. It appears that some springs can be rusted so bad that they break. I cleaned the parts (One spring was rust-welded to the part it sat on and had to be beaten free.), had them coated, drilled a drain hole in the bottom, steel part of the diaphram and reassembled them. Running fine now. | ||
| magoo (Magoo)
Advanced Member Username: Magoo Post Number: 2823 Registered: 2-2001 |
So far the motor mounts on my 79 GTS are just fine. No sag, no drag. If they start to go I will open a post giving all the details. | ||
| Cmparrf40 (Cmparrf40)
Member Username: Cmparrf40 Post Number: 274 Registered: 3-2002 |
My 77 308GTB had bad mounts, at 19,000 miles. The proverbile "never driven in the rain" type of Ferrari. There are three areas that can be problematic of a car with bad mounts, everybody has covered the shift likage issue. Another issue is that the exhaust headers will rub on the frame causing a terrible noise. The belts can also get into the aluminum coolant tube. This can be hard to detect as the belt tends to melt the aluminum, causing more of a weakspot then a wear hole at first. Chances are, even the most pristine 308's, perfectly kept, like Magoo's, are probably going to need mounts soon, or already need them. I was shocked to pay nearly a thousand dollars to have all four installed, but afterward it was like driving a different car... as Robert Johnson wrote, "worth the price of admission". I hate to dispute those individuals who think that that motor mounts are made to last a life time, they are not. They are designed to absorb all of the stress' and vibration of a very high revving engine that is bolted directly to the gearbox and differential. These are a "wear" item. Regardless of water or oil saturation, spring steel gets brittle with age and will relax or break with use, it is not necassairly related to mileage or driving style. Motor mounts have a life expectancy on a driven car, that is why they are bolted in from the factory, not welded in, if you have an early 308, chances are new motor mounts are in your future. Learned through experience.... Chris | ||
| Chris Shenberger (Shenbec)
New member Username: Shenbec Post Number: 3 Registered: 4-2002 |
Robert, I have started a new topic on the how the motor mounts effect shifting into 4/5th gears. I would appreciate any help you could give from your experience from diagnosing and fixing your problem. Especially exactly what were your specific symptoms. Was the difficulty in up shifts and down shifts (also occur with the motor not running)? Did the transmission grind when it did engage or just require a lot of force to engage the gears. My problem also seams to get slightly better the warmer the engine gets (could just be my imagination). Thanks. | ||
| Robert Johnson (Carb308)
New member Username: Carb308 Post Number: 1 Registered: 12-2001 |
I replaced all 4 on my '79 308 back in April. The engine was listing and the shifting into 4th & 5th was difficult despite adjusting the shift linkage. I got them from T. Rutlands. $160.00 each. Not Cheap but available! The car shifts better than ever now. That alone was worth the money. Good luck. | ||
| Terry Springer (Tspringer)
Junior Member Username: Tspringer Post Number: 68 Registered: 4-2002 |
Thats an excellent idea Ed, only problem is supposedly all 4 of mine are collapsed, thus no good spring to test. Seems nuts that all 4 could be bad, but I guess the added stress after 1 failed led to the others going bad? | ||
| Charles I Claussen (Atlantaman)
New member Username: Atlantaman Post Number: 9 Registered: 3-2002 |
how many do you want andrew--i have 3 extras here from a spare motor....charles | ||
| Edward Gault (Irfgt)
Intermediate Member Username: Irfgt Post Number: 1349 Registered: 2-2001 |
If one of the mounts on my car broke I would take one of the good ones and disassemble it and remove the spring and find out the spring tension probably with a valve spring tension gauge and then do a search for a replacement. It may take some time but is probably easier than you think. | ||
| Terry Springer (Tspringer)
Junior Member Username: Tspringer Post Number: 67 Registered: 4-2002 |
The '77 308 GTB I am buying has bad mounts. The mechanic who did the pre-purchase inspection said all 4 mounts needed replacing, the engine is sagging due to collapsed mounts so that the shift rod is rubbing against a heat shield. Do the earlier cars have the same "spring loaded" mounts? If the spring is broken or collapsed, does anyone know if new springs can be obtained? I looked on a couple of parts websites, but have not seen any engine mounts listed. Are these something that can be bought or are we talking "unobtainium". Anyone know of any other type mounts that would bolt up and do as good or better job? I want to go ahead and get parts or at least a plan so when the car arrives I can take care of this right away. Any help is GREATLY appreciated! | ||
| Edward Gault (Irfgt)
Intermediate Member Username: Irfgt Post Number: 1178 Registered: 2-2001 |
The water drain hole in the bottom of the mount can get clogged with road stuff and not allow the normal passage of rain water and cause the rust. One of mine had a bunch of rust but did not seem to have harmed the mount in any way so I just cleaned and painted them an are working today. That is how I found out what was inside the mount. One could possibly find a similar generic spring should one ever break and save the mount. | ||
| thomas n. treue (Treue)
New member Username: Treue Post Number: 11 Registered: 4-2002 |
I thought the same thing, but the replacement (salvage) Vibrachoc isolator from Mostly British was from a totally different car and yet had corrosion patterns identical to the isolators from my car (large, deep pits on the mating surfaces of both housing halves, 10% reduction in the mass of the bottom 1" of the spring). While I have no evidence to support it, my car and, coincidentally, the Mostly British donor 308, COULD have sat in water at one time. | ||
| magoo (Magoo)
Advanced Member Username: Magoo Post Number: 2601 Registered: 2-2001 |
Thomas, I can see why under those conditions you would replace it. But doesn't it make you wonder how long that unit was exposed to water to rust that badly. Normal use shouldn't cause that kind of corrosion. | ||
| Edward G. Salla (350hpmondial)
Junior Member Username: 350hpmondial Post Number: 112 Registered: 2-2002 |
Thanks Tom for your post. (I like it when I can learn new sh.t) | ||
| thomas n. treue (Treue)
New member Username: Treue Post Number: 10 Registered: 4-2002 |
After buying my 82 European 308 GTSi, I decided to pull the engine and refinish the ouside, do a major service and generally tidy things. The engine mounts needed paint. I thought about ceramic coating but they seemed a complex assembly and thought that they might have rubber inside that would not survive the ceramic coating curing process (600 deg. F.). The isolators are made by Vibrachoc a division of Hutchinson, a French company. I disassemble one and found the inside had retained a lot of water and was severely rusted. The spring was welded to the bottom housing with rust. I opted to disassemble the other three to check for rust. All four had severe rust damage and one had a broken rubber diaphram. I tried to purchase a new one, and even found that Vibrachoc is still in business and has a US representative, but apparently that model is unavailable. I bought a salvaged unit from Mostly British. I picked the best four sets of components out from the five units I had. After beed blasting all the parts clean, I had the parts that were made only of steel (the two housing halves and the spring) ceramic coated. I painted the other parts with etching primer and a good quality enamel. The "chore ball" bumper appears to be made of stainless steel, so does not need painting. I drilled a small hole in the bottom, steel part of the diaphram to drain any water out if it got in again. The two halves are fastened together with aircraft rivets, a skill and tools not readily available to your average auto mechanic, but your local aircraft mechanic might reassemble them for not too much. If left unprotected, the spring will probably rust to the point of breakage. | ||
| bruce wellington (Bws88tr)
Junior Member Username: Bws88tr Post Number: 114 Registered: 4-2002 |
andrew i just sent you an email.... bruce  | ||
| Andrew Chapman (Xx7xx)
New member Username: Xx7xx Post Number: 41 Registered: 8-2001 |
The exact writeup in the report was: "Excessive engine movement, mounts collapsed." This was from the write up done at Al-Gar Ferrari in Philly. Is it possible to collapse the mounts? | ||
| Steve Smith (Steve308)
New member Username: Steve308 Post Number: 8 Registered: 2-2002 |
The pre-purchase inspection on my GT4 picked up a broken left-hand mount. There's no rust on the car so I'd doubt it was due to that, and no indication of any other problems that may have unduly worn it - so maybe they CAN just let go for no obvious reason. As to the cost, it was the equivalent of around $90 (I'm in the UK). I got it fixed by a Ferrai specialist but I don't think fitting it was too much hassle | ||
| magoo (Magoo)
Advanced Member Username: Magoo Post Number: 2560 Registered: 2-2001 |
As Peter says the oil will lengthen their life. Is there any other reason? | ||
| magoo (Magoo)
Advanced Member Username: Magoo Post Number: 2559 Registered: 2-2001 |
Andrew I was just wondering, as I asked before, Why do you think they need replacing? Maybe we are missing something here. | ||
| Edward G. Salla (350hpmondial)
Junior Member Username: 350hpmondial Post Number: 109 Registered: 2-2002 |
andy, Opps,,, it's for a 348. (item # 1820951286) But call them anyway, Gentry Lane 416-535-9900 There is a good exchange rate from $Canadaian to $usa, maybe you can get a deal? | ||
| '75 308 GT4 (Peter)
Intermediate Member Username: Peter Post Number: 1811 Registered: 12-2000 |
I could see water destroying a mount as it would rust the insides, but oil? Hell, that would make 'em good for life (as they already are)! Like Ed and Magoo said, just a heavy spring in a spot-welded, clam-shell container. No servicing required. If they are damaged, something else is seriously wrong. | ||
| Andrew Chapman (Xx7xx)
New member Username: Xx7xx Post Number: 40 Registered: 8-2001 |
I did not see the motor mounts on e-bay. can you send me the link. Andy | ||
| Andrew Chapman (Xx7xx)
New member Username: Xx7xx Post Number: 39 Registered: 8-2001 |
Well, I was told by the dealer they need replacing. The engine leaks a little oil so it might have contributed to their demise. How many mount are there? If it something i can do myself? If not is it something any auto repair shop can do? Andy | ||
| magoo (Magoo)
Advanced Member Username: Magoo Post Number: 2535 Registered: 2-2001 |
Like Ed says it would take a hell of a lot of engine rockin' to wear out those springs in the mounts. Just curious why you want to replace them. | ||
| Edward Gault (Irfgt)
Intermediate Member Username: Irfgt Post Number: 1137 Registered: 2-2001 |
The Mounts on my 308 are basicly a big spring encased inside a housing. It would be difficult to see how one would go bad very often if ever. | ||
| Edward G. Salla (350hpmondial)
Junior Member Username: 350hpmondial Post Number: 105 Registered: 2-2002 |
There is one on ebay now. I'll bet they have a few. Good luck. | ||
| Andrew Chapman (Xx7xx)
New member Username: Xx7xx Post Number: 38 Registered: 8-2001 |
I would like to change out the motor mounts on my 1984 308. Can someone recommend a websight on the net that sells them. If you have purchased them before, please tell me how much i should expect to pay. Thanks for your time. |