DIY DIY - VF Engineering Mounts (pics & video)

[SpeeDemon]

I remember back in the day when I added polyurethane engine mount inserts to my first car and the incredible difference it made. There is no exception to this with the GTI. VF Engineering fabricated these new mounts perfectly. Not only does the power get to the wheels quicker, but the added sound note it contributes makes my Fast sound like it's pushing a turbo'd v8! Here's a clip of what the car sounds like now that I have the mounts in (keep in mind I have other mods that contribute to the sound as well). You can hear a nice low throaty rumble when accelerating :-)

YouTube - GTI mkV 2.0T FSI Sound clip

Tools you will need:
1/2" Torque wrench (you absolutely need this)
3/8" socket wrench
1/2" to 3/8" socket adapter (if you only have a 1/2" torque wrench)
10mm 6pt socket
16mm 6pt socket
18mm 6pt socket
20mm 6pt socket
21mm 6pt socket
6mm Allen socket
Socket wrench extensions
Floor jack
A piece of wood
Jack stands

Installation Time:
30 minutes - Pendulum Mount
30 minutes - Engine Side Mount
1 hour - Transmission Side Mount

Pendulum Mount:

1) Use a floor jack to jack both front tires on jack stands to get underneath the car. Use the jack and place a piece of wood (not shown in picture) between the jack and transmission. Only raise the jack until the transmission lifts slightly, alleviating the weight from the Pendulum mount.


2) Begin by removing the 21mm bolt from the engine torque arm. Insert the supplied engine torque arm insert (it takes some pushing). Place the supplied washers properly on the bolt and set bolt aside for now.


3) Remove the middle bolt from the pendulum mount.


4) Remove the Transmission bolt from the pendulum mount. The mount will be in two pieces. Remove both.

5) Re-bolt from subframe mount out to the two bracket bolts in order. Only hand tighten the bolts at this point.


6) You'll have to mess around with the engine torque arm because there's 3 sections where the bolt with the new washers has to thread through (The lower half, the pendulum mount, the upper half...it takes some time to line them up).

7) bolt the joint of the pendulum mount with the supplied allen bolt (the stock bolt is too long for the new mount).

8 ) The last bolt will not line up with the threading at this point. You'll need to use the jack and lift either the front or rear of the transmission up to line up the threading.

9) Once all the bolts are hand tight, remove the jack and jack stands. Use the torque wrench to torque the bolts to spec. Try to do it this way because the car really needs to be on the ground in it's natural state for the mount to seat properly.
Subframe bolt: 74 ft-lbs
The 2 bracket bolts: 30 ft-lbs

Engine Side Mount:

1) Jack up the engine side just until the stress on the mount is relieved (have a friend jack slowly while you watch the mount).

2) Remove the washer reservoir bolt.


3) Remove the two bolts from this reservoir as well.


4) Remove the bolts from the mount and remove mount.



5) Hand tighten the new mount in place. Remove the jack underneath the car. Torque the bolts to spec.
The 2 Bolts to the frame/body: 30 ft-lbs
The 2 Bolts to the engine: 44 ft-lbs
center bolt on top of mount: 30 ft-lbs
2 bolts on the black bracket: 18 ft-lbs


Transmission Mount:

1) This one is the most time consuming because you'll need to remove the intake and battery first. Once the battery is removed, remove these 3 bolts to free the battery tray and remove the tray.



2) There is a wire strip harness that you will have to free to get at the bolts holding the mount to the frame. It's being held in place by two clips (circled in red) underneath it. Push both of them toward the driver's side and press up on it.



3) Jack up the Transmission side just enough to alleviate the weight on the mount (have a friend jack slowly while you watch the transmission mount)

4) Remove the stock mount. Insert the new mount and hand-tighten the bolts.



5) Remove the jack from underneath.

6) Use a torque wrench to torque all the bolts to spec
The 3 bolts that mount to the Transmission: 44 ft-lbs
The 4 bolts that mount to the frame/body: 30 ft-lbs
Top Allen Bolt: 30 ft-lbs

7) Reassemble everything.

It is important that you drive the car for about 200 to 300 miles and check the torque specs again (I know, pain in the butt. But better safe than sorry)

Big thanks to Nick Wagner of North American Motorsports (www.namotorsports.net). He was my contact for this last batch of parts I ordered. Not only was it a great deal, but communication was always met with a quick response and the shipping was super fast. They only had the pendulum mount in when I ordered and he went out of his way to ensure that the other two mounts got sent to me directly from VF Engineering instead of going to them first and then shipped out to me...so I didn't have to wait longer. This is the second time I've gone to namotorsports for parts and I would gladly do it again! Thanks Nick!

[SpeeDemon]

I drove the car around for the suggested mileage before checking the torque specs again. I got around to checking them this morning. Both bolts on the engine part of the engine side mount needed to be torqued about 3-4 ft-lbs. The transmission side mount needed two bolts on the transmission and one on the frame torqued (2 ft-lbs for the frame bolt and about 3-4 ft-lbs on the transmission bolts). The Pendulum mount was good to go.

Not everyone's car will be the same way, but I'm posting this so people don't overlook this important part after installing the mounts (speaking mainly about the transmission side mount since the battery and tray need to be removed to get at it).

SD

[Twoeighty]

On the pendulum mount, I noticed that it is much easier to use a floor jack to aide in pushing the polyurethane insert into the stock bushing than to use your hands. I greased it up and slowly raised the jack while a friend was under the car guiding the fingers straight. Otherwise it's a huge pita.