[4estmccoy]

Hello,
New member, first time posting. I own one of the first production Venices vin 00005. Lucky me right? Wrong!

I've had numerous issues stemming from the hurried way they put these together in the beginning. I've been slowly chipping away at these issues over many weekends. At this time it seems the more issues I fix, the more issues I find. I've come to a point where I need help from you guys.

The most recent issue is the engine motor mounts, when the engine loads up it hits the hood and bends the coolant reservoir up. There's about 2 to 3 inches of flex on the front of the engine. I've seen videos of later Vanderhalls with the hood off and there doesn't seem to be nearly as much flex.

Which brings me to my question. How many motor mounts do you have? I have 3, one on each side of the engine and one at the rear supporting the transmission. If you have an additional one at the front of the engine and can post a pic, it would help me immensely. That way I can fabricate one myself or possibly order one from the dealership. 

Tomorrow, I'll post some pics of the motor mounts I do have and maybe you guys can tell me if yours look any different.

[Vector-BFC]

Ugh, so sorry to hear of this.

[Zem]

If you can provide guidance on how to access those points, that would help. Sorry but I am not the most engine savvy.

[halvarez1017]

If you can provide guidance on how to access those points, that would help. Sorry but I am not the most engine savvy.

if you're having engine movement its most likely the lower trans mount. 
 
I will take a pic once remove the hood.

Hope this helps

[4estmccoy]

Thanks [b]halvarez1017[/b] !

It was the lower transmission mount. There was about 1/8 to 1/4 inch of play on that mount. It seemed to take away some of the slop in the drivetrain too.  Now its much better and I've stopped hearing a "clunk" when I go from reverse to forward.

[halvarez1017]

Thanks [b]halvarez1017[/b] !

It was the lower transmission mount. There was about 1/8 to 1/4 inch of play on that mount. It seemed to take away some of the slop in the drivetrain too.  Now its much better and I've stopped hearing a "clunk" when I go from reverse to forward.

anytime!

Sorry for not taking the time for a pic. 

I do have a question for the group?

it appears some VH are showing fatigue cracks on the firewall right on top  or near the rear trans mount. and having some loud or isolation rattle noises.

[4estmccoy]

I'll check mine next time I have the hood off. 

When I tightened the trans mount I noticed they used nut clips to attach the mount to the body. This seems a little too week for a mount that in addition to isolating vibrations also absorbs rotational force when accelerating and braking. 

While I was there I replaced the clips with 10.9 grade bolt and nut with large washers to distribute the load better.

I wonder if these cracks are age related or if they might be more likely on the Venices that have been tuned.

[Dfwdogpile]

The clunk you are hearing is the exhaust hitting the steering rack. I just put 3k miles on mine in 8 days pulling a trailer and now I am getting excessive movement as well. The motor moved before, but now you can tell that the fatigue on the motor mounts is extreme. This puts my milage close to 19k.

I may have a solution. In the next few weeks I am going to pull a motor mount and seeing if I can have them reproduced in aluminum. I owned a machine shop for several years and produced 40 or 50 motor mounts for track cars. This is a normal install on a lot of track cars to ensure that they do not loose torque coming out of corners due to engine movement. This does cause a bit more vibration throughout the entire chasis, especially the steering wheel. If this is the fix would any of you be interested?