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APR pendulum mount rattle - folks, please help a brother out..

damiennn

Ready to race!
folks - need your opinions / suggestions..

Not too long ago I had the APR pendulum mount installed.
Ever since & upon start up only, I have been getting a rattling sound (definitely metal against metal) coming from right under my feet.
You cant hear it when outside the car, and can only hear it while in the car. It happens only when the car is cold, & only when stationary.
Once you have been driving for 5-10 mins & the car warms up / engine calms down, the rattle completely goes away.

Therefore, it must be the larger pendulum mount hitting something under the car, while the engine is still settling down.

I always have an option of putting the OEM mount back on, but that seems silly.

So 2 ideas I came up with:

IF I upgrade the engine mounts to a stiffer set (034 or BFI) - will the stiffer motor mounts help the situation by not allowing the drive train to move as much, OR will make things worse?
Is there a ghetto fix for this rattle I can look into? i.e. something like placing a double sided tape, or a small piece of rubber between 2 points of contact (should I ever find where its coming from)?



Please feel free to share thoughts.. anything helps.
 

bart2278

Go Kart Champion
I would get on the underside and see if the mount is hitting the subframe. If it is then set your car on fire. If it isn't then set your car on fire.
 

Jaber

Modero
If the issue started right after, you could simply remove it and reinstall it. Make sure the washers are installed and torque it down to spec.

Otherwise like bart2278 said, setting it on fire might not be a bad idea. But definaty check if the pendulum is properly installed and not hitting the subframe.
 

thedude4bides

Go Kart Champion
In general, upgrading the mounts will add to in cabin vibrations so I don't know if that is what you want to in this situation. However, I do have upgraded mounts and would recommend them if your engine is rocking a bunch while driving because they do do a good job of dealing with that.

I will say I haven't heard of this being an issue before so I would echo what the others have said and get under your car to see if there is contact with subframe and possibly re-install it.
 

damiennn

Ready to race!
Hmm.. yeah, well I had it installed at RSW in NJ, & then I took it back to be looked at it after I realized the rattle. The boys inspected it said all is well, but they could not even hear the issue since the car was already warm when it got to them..

Unfortunately, I have no safe way of lifting the front at home. Car is too low for ramps & I only have one jack - I was hoping someone else had the same issue, I could learn from.

stiffer motor mounts.. that was just a thought, since it would make sense that motor/tranny would move less with stiffer mounts - i.e. less chance of pendulum mount hitting anything.

In general, upgrading the mounts will add to in cabin vibrations so I don't know if that is what you want to in this situation. However, I do have upgraded mounts and would recommend them if your engine is rocking a bunch while driving because they do do a good job of dealing with that.

I will say I haven't heard of this being an issue before so I would echo what the others have said and get under your car to see if there is contact with subframe and possibly re-install it.
 

Tony48

Go Kart Champion
Unfortunately, I have no safe way of lifting the front at home. Car is too low for ramps & I only have one jack - I was hoping someone else had the same issue, I could learn from.

1. Jack up one side of the car using the front pinch weld.
2. Place ramp under tire (sloped side of ramp forward).
3. Lower car onto ramp.
4. Repeat on other side of car.

Alternatively, buy a $30 set of jack stands.
 

Bozz

Go Kart Champion
You have a stiffer pendulum but you may have the OEM subframe bolts still installed. Have them look at the subframe, it might be time for the Tyrolsport deadset kit, or 034's kit.
 

damiennn

Ready to race!
1. Jack up one side of the car using the front pinch weld.
2. Place ramp under tire (sloped side of ramp forward).
3. Lower car onto ramp.
4. Repeat on other side of car.

Alternatively, buy a $30 set of jack stands.

yep, gonna get +1 floor jack & use ramps..

You have a stiffer pendulum but you may have the OEM subframe bolts still installed. Have them look at the subframe, it might be time for the Tyrolsport deadset kit, or 034's kit.

got the TS deadset kit already on the car..


here is a crappy 29 sec vid of what I could record from the cabin.. again, you hear nothing from the outside.. just from inside. def the mount hitting the subframe.. & as soon as the car settles down, its gone.

 

Jaber

Modero
Hate photobucket, so many ads. Video doesn't appear to be working for me.
 

MKVInnie

Passed Driver's Ed
I have this exact sound from the vid posted. I've gotten under the car with it running, pressed on the pendulum mount arm toward the passenger side and was able to stop the rattle. When I press the arm toward driver side it gets worse. I don't understand what exactly is going on or how to fix that. I have the HPA puck if that means anything. I've reinstalled the pendulum but no change, just like that video.

Maybe the bearing needs to be tightened or something? Maybe the subframe mounts are slightly misaligned? Has anyone solved this?
 

MKVInnie

Passed Driver's Ed
Upon further inspection, the subframe mount is slightly off and the gaps from the arm where it connects to the transmission section weren't even, so I aligned them the best I could. Could have just been awkward because its on jack because it didn't help too much. The sound is coming directly from the middle bolt by the bearing. I loosened it a little with the car on and the sound got worse. Tightening it made it better. When I press toward the passenger side on the arm near bearing section the rattle dies down drastically. This rattle only happens at 900rpm, otherwise this thing is fantastic. I emailed APR support about it, I also want to get new bolts to try it fresh, the middle one is starting to wear down from all my wrenching. A positive review is that this wasn't happening ( or wasn't as pronounced ) when I initially installed it.
 

TimS

Go Kart Newbie
Be careful tightening the bearing, it'll bind and fail if you overtorque it. Check with APR for the proper torque spec and tightening procedure for it so you can make sure it's right.

There's probably only so much you're going to be able to do; extra noises and vibrations are just a fact of life when you swap rubber bushings for spherical bearings.
 
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