The ongoing Zetec installation continues but in a now freezing cold garage.
After b*ggering about with the engine mounts for what seems like ages (next time I'd bin the old ones and make fresh from scrathch rather than trying to adapt) we finally got the engine in and sitting nicely. Rubs chin and thinks I wonder if it's in the right position height wise, brainwave (possibly), if the prop is horizontal in the transmission tunnel the engine must be at the right height. So off with the tunnel covers and this is what we found. The prop (or the UJ at the front of the prop I'm assuming) had been fouling one of the upright chassis members in the tunnel and has worn a small 'groove' in it, highlighted in red on piccy (disclaimer, I didn't build the car or fit the original crossfflow) we've now adjusted the engine position so that the prop in equidistant from each of the chassis members and is horizontal, should be OK yes?
One other question the gearbox isn't mounted as far as I can see so the transmission is unsupported between the diff and engine mounts, is that OK?

[Edited on 7/11/09 by norfolkluego]

[Edited on 7/11/09 by norfolkluego]
Rescued attachment Prop1.jpg

Assuming the diff and gearbox flanges are both vertical, the prop should ideally be a few degrees off horizontal for the UJs to work properly. In most cases the gearbox output is a few inches higher than the diff, so the prop slopes down towards the back of the car.

And you should definitely have a gearbox mount of some description!!

I'd be expecting a mount for the gearbox - a rubber bush under the box, with a crossmember to support it. Basically you should have a tripod mount, consisting of the two engine mounts, plus the box mount. Without it, there's nothing to stop the gearbox moving up and down (and a bit from side to side), as the prop itself obviously cannot provide any, being jointed.

The lack of a gearbox mount explains the front U/J having worn into the transmission tunnel.
Unless solidly mounted, an engine and gearbox will move around a fair old bit under the dynamic loads exerted in all three axes. All of these either by their own self mass being acted upon by the dynamics of the car or self imposed by reacting to the rest of the driveline.


In my old Star Zetec, we thought we had this under control where there was very minimal clearance at the front of the engine. Ultmately, we had to engineer a solution which still allowed for the movemement of the engine and box, but influenced the direction in which it moved to prevent the front pulley fouling the front crossmember.
In our case, we actually fitted a high level engine mount which caused the engine to rotate up and away form the offending fouling point under braking.
There are a lot of forces at work here, and you need to think of them all.

The engine in the current car is 100% solid mounted.

quote:

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Originally posted by norfolkluego
One other question the gearbox isn't mounted as far as I can see so the transmission is unsupported between the diff and engine mounts, is that OK?

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I think without the gear box mounted properly, you are a lucky bunny that all you have is a small groove and not more damage.

I would also check the engine mounts to be safe to ensure they havn't been damaged by the unsupported gear box. (Probably not, but you don't want to find one suddenly breaks and the engine tries to fall out when out for a drive).

Cheers guys, didn't think it was right, has anyone got a nice piccy of a type 9 engine mount, in situ in a 7 would be even better

quote:

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Originally posted by norfolkluego
Cheers guys, didn't think it was right, has anyone got a nice piccy of a type 9 engine mount, in situ in a 7 would be even better

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Thanks Sam that's great

Use the Westfield Type 9 gearbox mount as this has stiffer rubber than a Sierra one.

The Westfield one is just rubber, do I need the metal bracket as shown in Sam's post
Rescued attachment mount1.jpg

Anybody?
Do I need both the metal bracket and the rubber mount together or just one or the other?