I have mentioned on here and on the Land Rover web forums that I frequent that I have suffered significant engine vibration throughout the vehicle, especially at idle. Those of you who have followed the engine section of this blog may remember my previous attempts at reducing the issue, including trying a few different mountings, fitting a mass damper to the timing case, altering the idle speed and even trying to locate polyurethane or softer rubber mountings.
The other mountings I tried were the old SIII 10J diesel mountings I had on the 12J engine and a new set of supposedly Gen Parts 12J/19J/200Tdi mountings, and none of them had made any difference. The mass damper (from the front axle of a Discovery or Range Rover Classic) helped quite a lot, as did a small idle speed increase, but the vibration was still very strong, causing physical discomfort and a lot of dash and steering column noise.
I couldn’t find any polyurethane mountings, and none of the after-market polyurethane bush manufacturers were remotely interested in the idea of making them. Attempts to identify another vehicle with softer, compatible mountings proved unsuccessful.
However, I had a bit of luck in my enquiries on a forum. Many other people had suffered similar problems, but a few had cured them with mountings bought from Glencoyne Engineering (Thetford, Essex), who specialises in Tdi transplants. They are made to the standard 12J/19J/200Tdi spec by Bearmach, and are of a much softer rubber compound than the other mounts I have used. They are apparently the higher quality items offered by Bearmach but are not special or modified parts – it seems that most pattern and seemingly some genuine mountings are made of incorrect specification rubber. The photos show the subtle differences in profile, mainly that the softer mount’s middle ring has a radius section, while the bad part has a square section ring. You can also see how easy it is to deform the ring on the good mount with just a little thumb pressure, while the bad mounts are rock solid.
The good news is that the vibration is all but gone. The engine noise is still significant, as a Tdi will always be in a Series vehicle or Defender, but the edge has been taken off it. However, the vehicle vibration has been almost eliminated, the dash rattles are all gone and the deafening steering column shake and key jangling at idle has completely disappeared.
This has to be one of the most satisfying £25 and couple of hours I have spent on the vehicle, such is the improvement in driving comfort. Of course, it now means that the small squeaks and rattles from fittings in the car are more noticeable, so I have to rectify them too, but they should be simple to sort out once they’re identified.
Sorry to be picky, but Thetford is in Norfolk, not Essex as stated.
There are probably as many Essex people as Norfolk people living there, but geographically it’s still Norfolk.
Apart from that, keep up the good work, my friend and I are now about to start a series 3 109 project so will be browsing reguarly and yes we are in Norfolk not Essex!!!!!
Kind Regards
Paul
Hi Nick,
Been following the conversion with interest. I have a ’75 109SW that had a 2.25 diesel (ex-Norwegian Army) that made it to the USA via government auction. After screaming around town with a 1 Ton transmission and the 2.25D I finally made the switch to 200 TDI with a standard tranny and Fairey OD. Life is much better and I use it as a primary vehicle now. Like you I am dealing with massive vibration issues in the dash and just about everywhere else! I would love to get hold of the part number for those Bearmach engine mounts. I would order them from Glencoyne, but he does not ship overseas. Is there a chance that you would know the correct part #? Much appreciate any help you can give. Thanks!
They should have the same part number – the trick will to be to ensure they are Bearmach. Atlantic British or Rovers North might be able to source them for you, or you could try from your most local specialist. Genuine mounts should be soft too, but the batch I had were too hard, and this is a story I have heard from others. If you test the mounts in the shop, ie. you can deform that centre rib easily, then they should work nicely.
Duraflex do a poly mount now https://www.duraflexpubushes.com/land-rover-defender-enginegear-box-mount-mounting–duraflex-urethane—-nrc9560-284-p.asp
I’ve not tried them so cannot vouch how they compare with standard mounts and they’re not the cheapest at £17.99 each
A long time overdue! I asked Polybush about the idea some time around 2009 and they weren’t interested.
Anyone tried the duraflex poly mounts yet? I’ve ordered some so anxious to see.
Good question. I asked the staff of one of the PU Bush manufacturers at Billing if they’d make engine mounts, and they weren’t the slightest bit interested, so it’s curious that they have reconsidered. I’d be interested to know if they’re any good.