Strange new noise....*broken motor mount we think*

[shadango]

Coming home from a cruise yesterday, as i was pulling out  "with gusto", i noticed a strange noise from somewhere up front.   Didnt hear it the rest of the way home...

Well, tonight, as I was pulling out hard again, I heard it.  I can make it do it if I stop and then gas it hard.

So its a noise almost like something rotating hitting something....not necessarily metallic, not really a gear grinding noise either.

It is a noise I havent heard before yesterday.

I was panic-ing thinking it was the tranny...but the noise seems to be coming from further up front....at least I hope.  Seems like if it was internal to the tranny it would be heard more or less under my feet, right?

It only does it when pulling out HARD from a complete stop.....doesnt seem to do it when gassing it while rolling.....

I thought maybe it was my power steering pump pulley hitting the tranny lines, but the engine rocks AWAY from them.

Then I thought maybe it was the fan blades hitting the shroud...but I have lots of clearance around the blades relative to the shroud opening.

Fan clutch maybe?  Its a new mopar performance fan and clutch assembly, barely a year old.

Torque convertor/flex plate hitting something? But it sounds like it is further to the front of the engine to me.

It doesnt seem like just a suspension creak as it goes on for a good couple souple seconds and then quits.

If I dont pull out so hard, it doesnt do it...but knowing that something may not be right is un-nerving.

...I am just hoping this isnt something major....Carlisle is just around the corner.   

[Changin Gears]

Check the left motor mount to see if its seperated. 

[Bullitt-]

Wild Guess Alert!!    I can imagine that if there was to much give in, or is broken, the drivers side motor mount that the torque of a hard launch could push the fan into the right side of the shroud.. Mark with some chalk or tape & see if the fan scratches.

   I see we are in  agreement

[Moparal]

They could be right. Is your air breather hitting your hood?

[dodj]

Check the left motor mount to see if its seperated.

Thats what mine did last year. You could see on the passenger side shock tower where the header hit, and on the underside of the hood where the air cleaner made contact. When I looked at the left motor mount it looked ok. Then I took a bottle jack and placed it under the left side of the engine and lifted it up a little and the separation in the motor mount rubber became obvious.
At Bullitt's suggestion, I replaced the motor mounts with 'Magnum Mounts' from Mancini's.

[UKcuda]

My money is also on fan/shroud contact.  If the fan is sitting close enough it can happen even if the motor mount is still intact.  Gives you a fright.

[wally426ci]

When my motor mount went, the engine sat a little crooked.

Easy to swap out by jacking the motor up and letting it "hinge" on the other mount just watch everything like the distributor and make sure nothing hits.

 

[shadango]

Thanks guys.

I poked around under the hood last night when I rolled in from the cruise but you know how that is...a little panic sets in etc.

I looked again this AM and see some tell tale signs......marks on the underside of the hood from the wingnut on my air cleaner...located about an inch from center and about a half inch arc.....some very hard to see areas on the edge of the fan blades that the black paint rubbed off of (this was a brand new fan)......and some marks on my right header where in theory it would hit the shock tower....though I see no marks on the tower itself so I dont know if those marks are from the engine moving or from installation.....

The hood marks werent there before, and this just started happening....so I guess that must be it?  All that cam-action at idle maybe contributed? Or maybe it was an old mount to start with? Or a cheap one?

So I guess I will persue that now...LOL

My main question is how to jack up the engine safely from underneath without trashing anything so I can change the mount.

I am going to order a new mount once I figure out what I want to put in there...I think I have an incorrect mount on that side since there is a gap between the mounting ears on the block and the mount itself....Am I correct in saying its not an issue? Seems I have seen the "gap" issue before...I think its a 360 mount versus a 318 maybe?.....I think I can replace just the rubber section.....??

[Bullitt-]

Parts store replacements are cheep & tend to separate.....Best bang for the buck I've seen are these MagMounts from Mancini, should fit your 318   http://chucker54.stores.yahoo.net/maheduenmo.html

[shadango]

Parts store replacements are cheep & tend to separate.....Best bang for the buck I've seen are these MagMounts from Mancini, should fit your 318   http://chucker54.stores.yahoo.net/maheduenmo.html

Will these fit my old LA 318 engine?  The description seems to indicate the yare for "A" engine swaps....?

[shadango]

What about this idea? Using stock replacements?

http://www.dodgecharger.com/forum/index.php/topic,13216.0.html

[Moparal]

A 8 dollar stock one will work ok, then make you a tq limiter or you can buy one. It will keep your engine from jumpin around in neutral to.  You can run a chain from the head to the sway bar bracket. This will limit up and down movement. You can install a turn buckel on it, or use a long bolt on the bottom and 2 nuts to keep it tight.  Some members even install a drivers side steel engine mount. Moroso makes them.

[Bullitt-]

What about this idea? Using stock replacements?

http://www.dodgecharger.com/forum/index.php/topic,13216.0.html

 Looks like a plan to me, that's about what the MagMount is.

[shadango]

I hate to go with the solid mount....with the cam I have the engine idles rough and the car shakes enough as it is...LOL

[shadango]

Looks like a plan to me, that's about what the MagMount is.

Maybe I will try this.     

I can get a stock mount locally at autozone in a day or two versus waiting a week to get those from mancini.... I can drill holes and stick bolts on them to save some bucks, if it will work....

Still have no idea how to jack the motor up from underneath.....what do you guys do as far as the jacking point?