Powerflex Top Engine Mount Bush and Strut Brace Tensioner Bushes fitted today....

[JamesT5]

I thought I'd go out and finally do a job I've had an absolute hankering to do for a while, and that was to fit a Powerflex top engine mount bushing along with Strut Brace Tensioner Bushings. I just felt the engine bay needed 'tightening up' a bit and this certainly seemed like a good start.

So I went on line and brought these, the Powerflex Black range which as a lot of you are aware already is a 'teeth chattering' 80% stiffer than rubber and 25% stiffer than Powerflex Purple.....





So all I needed was a 15mm, 17mm and 18mm spanners, a hammer/mallet and a flat headed screw driver. I initially took off the top plastic cover under the boost pipe as I felt it gave me more room but in the end it wasn't necessary. I removed the black engine mount bar which was a pretty easy job.......



Took out the old rubber bushing, this was really easy just knocked the end plate off with a flat headed screw driver and the mallet and pushed the bush out by hand, I was like "OMG, that easy"!.............





Then I used the copper slip provided with the bushes to grease up the Powerflex bush and pushed each section in to the gap, again this was really easy and required hardly any effort........







Next the metal rod goes in (again copper slipped it first).....



Then I fitted the strut brace tension bushes (they go in to the underside of the side mount), and then put the black bar back on doing up all the bolts and nuts tightly....







I even had time to give the car a Rapid Detail today and all is well......





As for the 'feel', there is definitely more vibration through the cabin now from the engine but that engine mount bar is much more solid that it was, in fact it takes some effort now to get it to move more than just a few millimetres where are before I could rock it back and forward quite easily. The difference is certainly 'night and day'!

[p fandango]

i upgraded all my Powerflex bushes on the 850 from there normal ones to the Blacks, working with both sets side by side it amazed me how much more solid the Blacks are

i keep threatening to get another set of engine bar bushes for the S60, i knackered the first set trying to get them into the top of the bar lol

[JamesT5]

The Blacks are rock bloody solid. To start with I though there was a problem with the engine until I realised that actually there is very little budge in the Powerflex bush. The vibration is only really noticeable at idle though and to be honest I kind of like it because it reminds me of what I've just done and now much more solid the engine mount now is. An easy job for anyone too so it's well worth it, unless of course someone wants to get it done by a Volvo specialist!

[p fandango]

i've got Blacks on the engine top mount, bulkhead (850 so doesn't go to the engine bar like yours) & both gearbox tie-bar bushes. Plus the front engine mount is literally a solid bar now. Think i might quite a bit of vibration lol

[V70 Graham]

Must say my purple one hardly increased the cabin noise at all, nice and quiet.....just how I like it.

[t5 pete]

Looks good ill await your thread on my t5 is rattling/knocking again lol

[Harvey]

The washers on the strut - brace / engine brace are meant to go below the powerflex rings not above the alloy mounts. Or the powerflex rings will fallout.

The washers are dished to tighten up to the powerflex bush.

[M-R-P]

Oops!

Best get that sorted soon James, you don't wanna loose £25 of powerflex on the road like I did with a HID ballast the other day

Good work otherwise, I'm surprised you went for the black series, the vibration from the yellow top mount bush annoyed the hell out of me til I fitted the strut brace tensioners.

[JamesT5]

The washers on the strut - brace / engine brace are meant to go below the powerflex rings not above the alloy mounts. Or the powerflex rings will fallout.

The washers are dished to tighten up to the powerflex bush.

Well given that it says "Fitting Instructions Inside" and there weren't any, I double checked another Performance Volvo site (T5/D5 I think people call it), someone said to fit the ring on top. Looks like some forum advice isn't worth following...... Anyway, I'll see if I can rectify the situation before my trip to the Midlands later today.

[JamesT5]

Oops!

Best get that sorted soon James, you don't wanna loose £25 of powerflex on the road like I did with a HID ballast the other day

Good work otherwise, I'm surprised you went for the black series, the vibration from the yellow top mount bush annoyed the hell out of me til I fitted the strut brace tensioners.

The vibration is great, I've now got a built in massage chair! Anyway, this Black range is superb and well worth the extra few quid, there just is no budge in it at all and if I'm going to stiffen the car up I'll be using black where it's available.

[Harvey]

The vibration is great, I've now got a built in massage chair! Anyway, this Black range is superb and well worth the extra few quid, there just is no budge in it at all and if I'm going to stiffen the car up I'll be using black where it's available.

James are you going to do the 2nd bush on the engine brace bar as it won't last to long with large black bush fitted in the top engine bracket.

It's also worth changing the brace bushes under the engine/gearbox.

Old M-R-P how to do post .

http://www.vpcuk.org/forums/showthre...l=1#post422300

[graemewelch]

i might get the yellow one. get a timing belt cover on your shopping list. not a good idea to keep them exposed.

[jdavis]

Looking good James. I had a yellow one on my p1 v70 and that sounded nice in the cabin. Mine needs the lower front one replacing so will be doing top and bottom soon. Will look into the black series when I get them.

[JamesT5]

i might get the yellow one. get a timing belt cover on your shopping list. not a good idea to keep them exposed.

Don't need to buy one, there's one fitted to my car already that I just removed as a means to an end to get the main cover off.

[JamesT5]

James are you going to do the 2nd bush on the engine brace bar as it won't last to long with large black bush fitted in the top engine bracket.

It's also worth changing the brace bushes under the engine/gearbox.

Old M-R-P how to do post .

http://www.vpcuk.org/forums/showthre...l=1#post422300

I did wonder whether there was a bush available for that back section but just haven't noticed it. I'll be buying one on pay day in that case!

The bottom brace I've already changed for a standard rubber one but I plan to poly up the old one and refit it to the car. It's on my to-do list.

[JamesT5]

Looking good James. I had a yellow one on my p1 v70 and that sounded nice in the cabin. Mine needs the lower front one replacing so will be doing top and bottom soon. Will look into the black series when I get them.

I think people under estimate just how hard the black powerflex stuff is, the dashboard and glovebox now buzz at idle or very low rpm.

[JamesT5]

The washers on the strut - brace / engine brace are meant to go below the powerflex rings not above the alloy mounts. Or the powerflex rings will fallout.

The washers are dished to tighten up to the powerflex bush.

Problem solved yesterday before my trip to Walsall, took me 10 minutes!

[LeeT5]

Problem solved yesterday before my trip to Walsall, took me 10 minutes!

Well i went from the purple strut brace bushes to these:





i gotta say the difference was night and day. Steering is a lot more sensitive and responsive. Also, cured 80% of rear end stability 'Side hop'.

A vast improvement. I know they are expensive but well worth the money and 100% improvement on a poly bush!