[Corsa C 2000-2006] Possible engine mount failure but which one???

[phil67]

Well the wife's car has decided to play up

The front pipe flexi has given up the ghost again after 12 months , its the second one in less that 7k, so im thinking it may be down to a worn engine mount which is allowing the engine to move and cause premature wear to the flexi section on the exhaust.

Or could it be something else, any ideas people?

[Taurus]

If you told us which engine and year we might stand a chance of offering some helpful advice.

[phil67]

If you told us which engine and year we might stand a chance of offering some helpful advice.

sorry matey, its a 1.0 on a 56 plate

[Taurus]

The three pot engines are always prone to vibration. Engine mounts do fail but more usual problems are caused by low idle speeds which can be down to something as simple as old plugs. To meet emissions arrangements the engine rpm is set a bit too low on idle in my opinion - I know of many 1.0 12v engines that are very lumpy on idle. It's one reason they used to crack exhaust manifolds so often. The 'fix' was to make the flexi a bit less robust so it allows more movement there rather than putting strain on the manifold. It also depends how good a quality the replacement flexi section was. There are plenty of cheap aftermarket parts out there which are way below OEM spec.

The engine mount on the driver's side of the car has to be removed when replacing the aux drive belt, so if that's been done check it's been installed properly and everything is tightened up right. The other one most prone to problems is the one at the back underneath. They live in a pretty harsh environment and can get damaged if hit by something or the car grounds out. If you give the engine a good rock you ought to be able to tell if it feels like a mount has gone.

[gb33]

You might also ask the garage that is welding in the flexi bits to order you a replacement flexi that is longer than standard...in fact, as long as possible up to a certain point.

Then they just cut out a longer piece of the exhaust and weld the longer flexi in. All things being equal as far as quality of materials are concerned, a flexi that is twice as long as the original will have only about half as much bending stress put on it when the engine shifts a cm in any direction against the rest of the exhaust system, triple the length and you have 1/3 the stress, and so forth.