

| Subject: | tranny mount.? |
| From: | Don Hanson |
| Date: | Wed, 25 Jul 2007 19:01:33 -0700 |
Ok, I may have a total 'odd-ball' transmission mount. dunno for sure. My vanagon, an 84, came to my ownership with an Inline 4 (1.8l cabriolet, 1992) hooked to a 5sp manual diesel transmission. The mount at the 'nose' of the transmission looks to be McGuiver-built from a round motor mount that's connected to the chassis cross member and a plate that captures about 4 bolts from the tranny's case, right at the front. I am thinking the mount is inadequate. I am thinking the rubber in the engine mount portion is old and too flexible, and it has some cracks in the rubber. Laying under the van, I can take my hand and push up the nose of the tranny, with little effort. Going up hill on gravel, I get some wheel hop and some clunking..I think the trans is moving around due to the torque of the tires rotating the whole driveline. When I bump start the van, I also hear a clunk. Should I be able to move the nose of the tranny easily with one hand? I can lift it about 1/2" before it gets difficult. I have, and am planning to use, a diesel motor mount and a new bracket for the front of the tranny and I'm planning on revising the mount with the new, stronger motor mount as a replacement for the old round flimsy looking mount that's in there now. A little welding for a new frame bracket to accept the single stud that's the chassis mounting point for the motor mount I plan on using... Any 'gottchas' that I will encounter...? Other than the strange clunking, my present tranny works great. Very rarely, under hard acceleration with a turn, from a dead stop, something in the driveline is getting torqued enough to cause a weird buzzing vibration...Not good, but I think related to the movement I am seeing. I want to make sure everything is pretty stout, because I do lots of rough road-dirt road-off road excursions...but not so far, because I don't like the feel of the tranny moving around under load or with 'Big Air"..... Don Hanson
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