Is it normal for your engine to move inside the compartment?

[gumbii]

So thats a dumb question, I know that. Heres the problem. For about 2 months now I have had some sort of movement in my engine compartment. It started in December when I had new wheels put on prior to a cross country drive. We were in the shop getting the tires on.

The hood was open as they dropped the car from the shop lift, me and several shop techs (my car was the last one in the shop for the day and we were BSing about some of its mods) watched the tires hit the ground, immediately followed by the engine moving upwards in the compartment by several inches and then resettling. We all thought that wasnt normal but the techs couldnt find anything out of place or anything that was a safety issue. As I was driving the next day, I decided to see what would happen over the course of the trip.

No real problems the first few days. About a week into the trip, I started getting a loud clanking noise when I turned, braked, or accelerated. It got worse over the course of the trip. When I got back though, the mechanics were again not able to find anything wrong. More interestingly, last weekend I took my skid plates off to get a better look at the mounting brackets. The noise has since stopped.

The plates were mounted right and didnt move at all, so it wasnt the plates. What Im thinking it may have been was the engine moving in the compartment and landing on the plates (is this possible?). The mounting brackets dont appear to be broken but I cant be 100% sure. I did notice this however, but I dont think its the cause of the noise.

Any help here would be appreciated as I am about out of ideas.

 

[StreetCreeper]

When you say "mounting brackets", are you referring to the motor mounts? If not, then I think the motor mounts would be a good place to check.

Oh and your sway bar bushing looks to be done for...

 

[0xfded]

Read this as "is it normal for your engine to move inside the glove compartment", was very interested in what problem that could refer to.

Sway bar bushings definitely need replacing. The clank you describe could be from the bar contacting metal.

Can't imagine why the engine would appear to be moving up, though.

 

[BoostedRNR]

I'm betting that one of the "lube techs" accidentally lifted off your exhaust.

 

[BrianSD_42]

I'd suggest temporarily remove the front sway bar. See if the noise went away.

 

[gumbii]

When you say "mounting brackets", are you referring to the motor mounts? If not, then I think the motor mounts would be a good place to check.

Oh and your sway bar bushing looks to be done for...

Yes, the motor mounts. I looked at them and they dont seem to be broken, but I honestly dont know what a broken one would look like. They are there and in one piece but its hard to tell if the rubber on them is still intact.

And are the sway bar mounts fixable?

 

[gumbii]

I'm betting that one of the "lube techs" accidentally lifted off your exhaust.

Would that cause the entire engine to move?

 

[KidVermicious]

Take it back to the shop. Have them hook up a shop hoist and lift the engine while watching the motor mounts.

 

[gumbii]

Take it back to the shop. Have them hook up a shop hoist and lift the engine while watching the motor mounts.

Think I may end up doing this. Not sure if Ill end up doing the same shop

 

[T4R2014]

Does it move like this?

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/_DDySlhr2S4" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

If so, it's your engine mounts. Visual inspection does not guarantee they are still good.

 

[gumbii]

Does it move like this?

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/_DDySlhr2S4" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

If so, it's your engine mounts. Visual inspection does not guarantee they are still good.

Holy crap, thats a lot of motion. No it does not move like that. Put the wife in the car and had her accelerate and reverse with the E-brake on. Did not see any lateral or vertical movement. Next weekend Im going to try to put the skids back on and see if the noise returns. I will be replacing the sway bar mounts too as I tend to be somewhat of a lead foot and dont need the extra cab role.

 

[BoostedRNR]

There really shouldn't be any way your engine should move when lifted from the frame. I worked at a tire shop for 8 years and I've seen my share of noobs not watch carefully enough where they put the lift arms. If they lifted off the exhaust, yes it would lift the motor before the actual vehicle would start lifting

 

[gumbii]

There really shouldn't be any way your engine should move when lifted from the frame. I worked at a tire shop for 8 years and I've seen my share of noobs not watch carefully enough where they put the lift arms. If they lifted off the exhaust, yes it would lift the motor before the actual vehicle would start lifting

Not gonna lie, that would be a huge relief. Would the sway bar mounts cause movement? I think it may make sense if they do as the sway bar is one of the lowest parts of the car and sits right above the transmission skid.

 

[BoostedRNR]

Would the sway bar mounts cause movement?

The sway bar isn't connected to the motor. It shouldn't be causing the motor to move unless it is really bent and hitting some part of the transmission or oil pan

 

[KidVermicious]

Is the exhaust sturdy enough to support the weight of the truck? I would have thought putting a lift arm on it would crumple it.

 

[BoostedRNR]

Not the whole weight of the vehicle. All it takes is a small snag on a heat shield or anything slightly lower than the frame.

 

[steezemcqueen]

The motor is mounted on rubber so yes, some movement is completely normal when you rev it or put it in drive and such.

However it should not move all just by lifting the vehicle from the frame

 

[gumbii]

The motor is mounted on rubber so yes, some movement is completely normal when you rev it or put it in drive and such.

However it should not move all just by lifting the vehicle from the frame

This was noticeable movement. An inch or so at least. To the point where me and at least 6 mechanics all saw it and noticed it. It wasnt a subtle movement and it was clearly a movement that happened after the car was resting on the wheels again (ie, car stopped moving down and the engine kept moving down then up.)