B8 4.2 engine mounts question

[TTRStud]

So, I just had the 55k-mile service performed at my local dealer, and of course, they had to find something wrong with the car. According to them, the ecu has recorded a malfunctioning code of one of the electronically controlled engine mounts. According to them, it's not a code that would cause a CEL to go off (which is why I was not aware of it), but they mentioned that it was faulty. Lucky for them and unlucky for me (woohoo), these suckers are apparently only sold in pairs...so even if I only want to replace the faulty one, I get to pay for two. Now, it would make sense that after disassembling so much to get to one, I would opt to have the other one replaced as well. After coming to terms with the idea, I inquired about pricing just for giggles: a whooping $1500+ (parts and labor), and no Vaseline!

The questions are:

1) Do these usually go bad at around 53,000 miles? I find it difficult to believe that an engine mount would be outlasted by things that usually wear out sooner.

2) Does anyone know where I can source them for less than the $600+ price tag that the dealer quoted me?

3) Is this a job that an independent shop would be able to tackle and perform easily? I am mechanically inclined but don't own a lift, and the tear down is major.

Any information about experience with these mounts will be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

[ES803313]

https://www.ecstuning.com/Audi-B8_S5.../OE/ES2063985/

[Slobo7x]

They can be bought separately from above.. hopefully it's your driver side lol.

[NaiveTurtle]

This job is a lot of work but definitely DIY'able without a lift. It's not a lot of fun. But to answer your first question, yes these tend to fail around 50-60k on these cars. The problem is that Mount is filled with an oil to dampen the vibration. The thinner wall of the rubber rips leaking oil everywhere and that is when those sensors kick back a fault. This is a very common problem on these cars.

My suggestion is to get the 034 Street Density ones. They don't have oil and should be less likely to fail going forward. Plus it firms up the drive train a bit which is never a bad thing.

https://store.034motorsport.com/moto...v8-engine.html

An independent shop should be able to do the work if you want to pay someone. My guess is that they will charge 8 hours plus parts.

[TTRStud]

They can be bought separately from above.. hopefully it's your driver side lol.

Thanks! Why driver side? Is that easier to replace? According to the tech, the subframe has to come off for both.

This job is a lot of work but definitely DIY'able without a lift. It's not a lot of fun. But to answer your first question, yes these tend to fail around 50-60k on these cars. The problem is that Mount is filled with an oil to dampen the vibration. The thinner wall of the rubber rips leaking oil everywhere and that is when those sensors kick back a fault. This is a very common problem on these cars.

My suggestion is to get the 034 Street Density ones. They don't have oil and should be less likely to fail going forward. Plus it firms up the drive train a bit which is never a bad thing.

https://store.034motorsport.com/moto...v8-engine.html

An independent shop should be able to do the work if you want to pay someone. My guess is that they will charge 8 hours plus parts.

Thanks! So the non-oem ones, do they suppress the code from being thrown and recorded, since they don't have fluid and don't work the same way?

[LINDW4LL]

Thanks! So the non-oem ones, do they suppress the code from being thrown and recorded, since they don't have fluid and don't work the same way?

Basically. The 034 ones have a resistor that plugs into the factory harness. The ECU thinks the mounts are functioning properly, and no fault codes are thrown.

[NaiveTurtle]

Thanks! Why driver side? Is that easier to replace? According to the tech, the subframe has to come off for both.



Thanks! So the non-oem ones, do they suppress the code from being thrown and recorded, since they don't have fluid and don't work the same way?

I wouldn't say they suppress it, they likely have a resistor inside the senor to generate a good output. It basically fools the ECU into thinking the sensor is in good health since there is no fluid to go bad.

[TTRStud]

Awesome! Anyone have first hand experience with the 034's on their cars?

[TTRStud]

The dealer claims that this is a 6-hour job because the subframe has to come off...is this true? Based on someone's reply above, even though it's a tedious job, it could be a DIY. Anyone replaced engine mounts without dropping the subframe? Is it possible?

[NaiveTurtle]

The dealer claims that this is a 6-hour job because the subframe has to come off...is this true? Based on someone's reply above, even though it's a tedious job, it could be a DIY. Anyone replaced engine mounts without dropping the subframe? Is it possible?

You will have to drop one side of the subframe at a time. There isn't enough room without dropping the subframe.

If you DIY this you will need to support the engine from the top while you loosen one side of the subframe.

[TTRStud]

Thanks, folks!

[jwr9152]

[QUOTE=TTRStud;11432905]Awesome! Anyone have first hand experience with the 034's on their cars?[/Q

I just upgraded to the 034 motorsport mounts. Love them. I was getting misfires when the engine was cold. Solved the problem. No added vibration, or noise in the cabin. Now I don't have to worry about them any more.

[TTRStud]

[QUOTE=jwr9152;11437960]

Awesome! Anyone have first hand experience with the 034's on their cars?[/Q

I just upgraded to the 034 motorsport mounts. Love them. I was getting misfires when the engine was cold. Solved the problem. No added vibration, or noise in the cabin. Now I don't have to worry about them any more.

Wait what? Misfires fixed by engine mounts? That doesn't sound right. I can see anything spark or fuel related causing a misfire, but an engine mount?

Glad they feel solid though, I'm thinking about possibly going that route instead of oem.

[jwr9152]

I can tell you, it wasn't throwing a code for bad motor mount, but one of them was blown and the engine would run rough when cold and throw codes for misfires. Thought I was going to have to get the intake carbon cleaned. Then found the blown motor mount and replaced with 034 mounts and I no longer have rough idle or misfires. Seen others have the same issue.

[NaiveTurtle]

[QUOTE=TTRStud;11437982]

Wait what? Misfires fixed by engine mounts? That doesn't sound right. I can see anything spark or fuel related causing a misfire, but an engine mount?

Glad they feel solid though, I'm thinking about possibly going that route instead of oem.

The motor mount sensors are a part of the same circuit as the coil packs I believe. So when the motor mount sensors failed it cause some weird issues at start up.

[Slobo7x]

Sorry I should have been more clear. The driver side has less things to remove to get to it from what it seems. I'm getting a starter replaced soon and engine mount has to come off for this, which is on the passenger side.
I haven't seen any DIY for starter so I might actually do some pictures and post it. It seems pretty involved for a basic part.

[Tom Servo]

+1 on the 034 street density motor mounts. I had to replace my HVAC compressor already so since I had to drop the subframe for that, I thought what the heck, lets get the mounts as preventative maintenance since my car has 72,000 miles on it. I bought the engine support bar from ECS and it fit my bay perfectly. The compressor was another whole barrel of monkeys, but the engine mounts were easy to change. Driving impressions were that the drivetrain firmed up even more, even though I had 034 Transmission insert and Apikol Diff mount already installed, and shifting was improved. There was no added noise or vibration either that I could tell, but that was hard to gauge since I already had a slight whine induced when I had installed the transmission insert. I also have the added comfort of knowing that these engine mounts don't have the potential to rip and leak like the OEM ones.

[ECS Tuning-Audi]

We have OE aftermarket mounts available and 034's Street Density. As others have said if budget isn't a concern upgrading to 034's mounts might be worth while since they are not liquid filled like OE, not to mention if you ever have one go bad you can buy them individually which could save you later on down the road rather than having to buy another pair.

Click HERE to order or for more information


Jason

[TTRStud]

Thanks everyone for the feedback...I'm leaning towards the 034 mounts...ECS, I'll be paying your website a visit soon!

[TTRStud]

We have OE aftermarket mounts available and 034's Street Density. As others have said if budget isn't a concern upgrading to 034's mounts might be worth while since they are not liquid filled like OE, not to mention if you ever have one go bad you can buy them individually which could save you later on down the road rather than having to buy another pair.

Click HERE to order or for more information


Jason

Hi there,

Just out of curiosity: the pair of 034 mounts is priced at $400, but if I buy them individually they are $195 a piece. Why should I select the pair instead of 2x singles if it would save me $10?

Thanks.

[TTRStud]

For those following this thread, ECS is running a temporary special on the 034 engine mounts, I just purchased my set yesterday: $336 (down from $400). Have at it! :)

[TTRStud]

Does anyone know if the 034 mounts for the a4/s4 are the same as the ones for the a5/s5? I received them today and there are two stickers on the package. One says that they are for the a4/s4 with a part number, and the other has a different part number with no model designation, but it matches the part number on the website that corresponds to the s5.

Thanks!

[NuVega]

I just replaced my motor mounts but it was for a 3.2L V6 and was done in my garage. Mechanically inclined but it took me longer than I thought it would take. Sub frame was dropped to do this job, and engine lifted using a jack. I didn't go with 034 mounts though since others have reported they use 65-series rubber or something, and that extra stiffness causes vibrations. They have some that are rated at 55 which is better, and OEM is 45 for reference.

[TTRStud]

I just replaced my motor mounts but it was for a 3.2L V6 and was done in my garage. Mechanically inclined but it took me longer than I thought it would take. Sub frame was dropped to do this job, and engine lifted using a jack. I didn't go with 034 mounts though since others have reported they use 65-series rubber or something, and that extra stiffness causes vibrations. They have some that are rated at 55 which is better, and OEM is 45 for reference.

Vibrations are felt on the cars with the smaller engines. Cars equipped with the 4.2 v8 do not experience any transfer of vibrations into the cabin.

[Slobo7x]

Would it be safe to install the Audi A5 mounts as they are half inch shorter? Use some sort of spacer between the subframe and the motor mount. Everything else is the same but they are just half inch shorter on both mounting points. You can see in the picture here. The part numbers on them both are identical 100%

Thanks!

[Tom Servo]

In the picture above your looking at a set for a V8 S5. The mount on the left has longer legs and is mounted on the left side of the engine. The shorter mount on the right goes on the right side.
On V6 engines the shorter legged mounts are used in the both the left and right positions so if you have a A5 or 2013+ S5 you are good to go using the mount in the right of the picture.

[Slobo7x]

so I have two brand new driver side mounts? haha that left one is stock broken one, think the guy on eBay though it was interchangable.

I guess I'll be returning one
thank uou

[TTRStud]

In the picture above your looking at a set for a V8 S5. The mount on the left has longer legs and is mounted on the left side of the engine. The shorter mount on the right goes on the right side.
On V6 engines the shorter legged mounts are used in the both the left and right positions so if you have a A5 or 2013+ S5 you are good to go using the mount in the right of the picture.

Actually, the mount with the longer legs (or the one with the pre installed spacers from 034) goes on the passenger side of the engine, which is the right side, not the left. I took a quick shot since I'm replying on my cell and attached it...check out the notes on installation part.

[Slobo7x]

Exactly, thank you!
I just fabricated some 9/16th of an inch aluminum spacers and installed them, it's perfect. The difference is 9/16 of an inch exactly.
The driver side one is shorter and universal.

[TTRStud]

Torn passenger side mount...the driver side also has a tear but not as bad. This is at 57,000 miles. 034 mounts going in! :)

[TTALMS]

Torn passenger side mount...the driver side also has a tear but not as bad. This is at 57,000 miles. 034 mounts going in! :)

The 034 mounts are a great choice!

[TTRStud]

The 034 mounts are a great choice!

That's what I hear...can't wait to drive it tomorrow after its completed...I hear that even shifting feel is improved by these!

[TTRStud]

Reporting back...great mounts, loving them so far!

[JoshDub]

Nice! I just had some installed (along with a AWE track exhaust) but havent gotten the car back yet. Glad to hear such positive reviews

[TTRStud]

Nice! I just had some installed (along with a AWE track exhaust) but havent gotten the car back yet. Glad to hear such positive reviews

AWE Track is amazing as well! You'll love both.