V8 Engine

R

Roverfan

New Member
Hello All,
I am new to this forum and fairly new to P6 ownership (2 months) My P6 is in pretty good condition but there is one job I have been putting off for a while.
The engine seems to sit at an awkward angle in the engine bay. Looking closely at the left hand engine mount, it looks to be distorted as if it is weak and allowing the engine to sag. I have a couple of questions really
1, Is this a common problem and is it likely to be as simple as a weak mount.
2, When I actually make a start on replacing the mount, does it come out easily. By this I mean am I likely to need to take off the manifold, will I be able to jack the engine far enough to clear the bolt holes on the mounting plates.

Just a few clues would be a help!!!!!!!
 
In answer to your questions;

1) in the same way any metalastic mount can fail the V8 is no different, but with the V8's love of oil leaks if the breathers are blocked oil contamination can make things worse. You say one side is lower than the other, it should be noted that P5B mounts will fit but are thinner so would give the same effect if they have been fitted and there are different types of mountings and brackets fitted to early engines.

2) fitting is easy enough, take it off with the block mounting plate and swap over on the bench. No need to remove the manifold, although access is a bit restricted to the top bolt.
 
Thanks for that.
You hinted that there are different mountings for early engines and that someone may have tried to get away with a "rogue" mount! It would seem sensible to get 2 new ones then to be sure they are correct. I did find a mount in the box of spares that came with the car but i suspect it could be a rogue because the diameter looks too small!!

When did the early engine become a late engine? Mine is late 1971. If I quote engine and VIN number, is this likely to be enough information or could the brackets have been changed aswell?
 
Just an update!

I decided to have a closer look over christmas break. It turned out that on the left hand mount (looking from the front) the steel disk had come away from the rubber on one side!!! However, the main reason for the "lean" was that the mount on the othe rside had not been tightened enough and had moved to the top of the tapered slot. So the engine had rotated against the torque and was sitting at the limit of it's adjustment.
I am glad I looked anyway and 2 new mounts are on order.

Happy new year
 
Metalastic mounts coming apart like that is a common fault. I bet you're glad you had a look at them now.
On the side that has been loose and slid up, there should be a round washer under the nut, and a square plate that stops this happening. The mount should not be able to slide but will do so if these plates are missing.
 
I am potentially going to feel extremely stupid now but my engine (3500S) has always leaned to the right (as you look in from the front.)
I had always assumed the engines went in at a slight angle (like a BMW) :( :(

It always ran okay so I didn't bother checking for collasped mounts - should I now be concerned? :)
 
If it has been like it for a while I wouldn't think anything disasterous is going to happen now, but personally I'd check it out and put it right if it needs it.
 
Hmmm... thinking back I did find that the gearbox was raised on its mount through use of an old 14mm socket... might have a good look at those mounts soon then. Thanks!
 
MikeR said:
Hmmm... thinking back I did find that the gearbox was raised on its mount through use of an old 14mm socket... might have a good look at those mounts soon then. Thanks!
Click to expand...
Sounds like it's had a real pro working on it in the past then! :D
 
It was a one owner car (1972 - mid 90's) but he kept taking it back to the garage for various tiny problems. In truth he was using them for free storage while he was away on business. They got a little annoyed with him and I guess didn't do their best work...
Then he died. Since it's LHD they couldn't banger race it so it sat until I bought it for £20, yes 20. They reckoned it was worth £15 scrap...
 
I've always thought if you can't do the job properly, don't do it at all. If what you say is true the company concerned would have been better doing nothing, because now it looks like they're only capable of doing a half-*ss*d job. It takes years to get a good reputation, but no time at all to get a bad one!
Sounds like £20 well spent though, even with the problems.
 
Just to let you know how I got on!!!!

It took 3 attempts but the job is now done! In the end it was fairly straightforward but the most tricky part was identifying which engine mounts were the correct ones! It appears that either the engine, mounts, mounting brackets or subframe are not the original items! Once I found the correct combination, it all fitted together easily and now my engine is sitting straight.
I also reset the carbs after a couple of attempts, it now runs smoothly (Idle still a bit lumpy) and the accelleration is quite surprising!!!!!!

Thanks for your help.
 
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