Engine feels wobbly

[timski]

Hi Guys,

Started the engine tonight and the engine felt more wobbly than usual. I know I sound all technical like

It's been off the road for a few weeks whilst I was doing some body work. It seems to be running OK apart from the wobblyness. From what I've read on the forum tonight it sounds like it could be a broken engine mount (??) but it's dark and I haven't had a chance to have a good route around even if I did know what I was looking for.

I'm supposed to be driving to Wales tomorrow. Advice would be very welcome.

Thanks,
Tim.

[waltraud]

Well, if not used for a while it might also be taking a bit of time to warm up. If its lumpy I would consider checking the usual suspects of leads, rotor n cap, plugs, timing, idle etc. might be worth also checking mounts as suggested.

[timski]

If it is mounts, is it safe to drive if I get it fixed soon?
Cheers,
Tim.

[boatbuilder]

Can advise re safety but heres a cheap place for engine mounts....

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/VW-Bus-T2-T3- ... 1e716604f0" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Gearbox mount....
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/300605752888? ... 1497.l2649" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[ghost123uk]

If it is mounts, is it safe to drive if I get it fixed soon?
Cheers,
Tim.

Lots of folks have driven around with a broken engine mount for months without even realising it
I am not saying it is recommended but if you take it easy when pulling away etc you should be ok. The main thing that can get damaged by too much movement of the engine is the exhaust, but the way the exhaust is fixed onto a T25 (i.e. all hanging off the engine, not the chassis) means that damage is less likely. By the way, the engine cannot "fall out" from damaged mounts (just in case you were worried about that).

[ghost123uk]

Can advise re safety but heres a cheap place for engine mounts....

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/VW-Bus-T2-T3- ... 1e716604f0" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Gearbox mount....
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/300605752888? ... 1497.l2649" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Or even cheaper here in the UK from our very own top T25 bloke = Simon Baxter at Brickwerks = HERE

[blacky]

First thing that springs to mind for "wobbly" engine is spark plug fouled and engine running on three cylinders. particularly if it has only been started infrequently. I would remove plug leads from distributor cap and reinsert them gently. This is to break any "sticktion" of the leads in cap as they will have been in there for a while. Now they should pull out easily when you do next bit. Start engine and whilst ticking over use insulated pliers to remove each plug lead in turn and then replacing it in cap before moving to next one. If one of the leads makes no difference to wobblyness then this is the cylinder giving the trouble. This will have tested all cylinders for plug, lead, and to a certain extent compression in the space of 10 mins. THEN you can move on to other things like mountings if this test doesn,t show anything.

[timski]

Thanks for all the tips guys. I like the process of elimination with the spark plugs too Blacky. Sounds like a sensible place to start if that van isn't running smoothly.

Fortunately when I started the engine the following morning before I set off to Wales the wobblyness had disappeared, so the run the night before for the first time in a few weeks had presumably given it the shakedown it needed and got it running a bit smoother again. That would be in line with your theories.

Something else that sprung to mind was that I had the van jacked up on one side for a few days with one of the wheels off. Would that cause the engine mounts to squash down on one side more than the other and take a while to settle back down again? I have noticed before that the van tends to lean a little to one side if I have had it jacked up for a while and takes a little while to even out again. Just a thought.

PS. Had a lovely trip to the Pembrokeshire coast in Wales too. Lovely coastline. The friends who came with had fun taking down the tent in a storm though

Tim.

[Ian Hulley]

Don't do cheap ... do it once, do it right. GSF ones didn't fit correctly and had to be modified to fit. Brickwerks ones are a direct fit.

Ian

[kevtherev]

Something else that sprung to mind was that I had the van jacked up on one side for a few days with one of the wheels off. Would that cause the engine mounts to squash down on one side more than the other and take a while to settle back down again? I have noticed before that the van tends to lean a little to one side if I have had it jacked up for a while and takes a little while to even out again. Just a thought.

.

I love your thoughts they are so amusing.
It's like the van has a personality and little idiosyncrasies ..
Engine mounts in your van are old.. and worn out.
they have done a great job steadying your shaking engine for the last 25 years.. time to retire them to the bin.

[timski]

Something else that sprung to mind was that I had the van jacked up on one side for a few days with one of the wheels off. Would that cause the engine mounts to squash down on one side more than the other and take a while to settle back down again? I have noticed before that the van tends to lean a little to one side if I have had it jacked up for a while and takes a little while to even out again. Just a thought.

.

I love your thoughts they are so amusing.
It's like the van has a personality and little idiosyncrasies ..
Engine mounts in your van are old.. and worn out.
they have done a great job steadying your shaking engine for the last 25 years.. time to retire them to the bin.

Cheers Kev I aim to amuse

Another job added to the list then