14 replies to this topic

[Tommymo]

Does anyone have a top engine steady on an mpi. I have bought an mpi which has one but had to take it off for doing pipework etc. Just wondering people's thoughts about if a top one is needed.

[sonscar]

It needs the original one at the clutch end,any others can be personal preference.Have a look at the sturdiness of the engine mounts and make your choice(they are not sturdy)Steve.

[stuart bowes]

I would have thought it's not so much the normal movement and vibration of the engine that is a problem - its more when you put it in gear and drive, yes the wheels turn but also the engine wants to turn in the other direction - newton's 3rd law. The top mount is best positioned to minimise that movement and maximise the energy to the wheels

Edited by stuart bowes, 08 July 2022 - 08:24 AM.

[KTS]

running without any upper engine steadies is a recipe for disaster, so i assume you are referring to an additional stop steady (usually at the water pump end of the motor).

 

whilst a single engine steady does work, it doesn't work very well as it puts a lot of stress through the single set of rubber bushes and the bulkhead bracket, which end up having to be replaced.  in the case of the bulkhead bracket, stress fractures are a relatively common occurrence, and will require removing the engine to fix.

 

adding a second steady at the end of the engine allows loads to be spread across both steadies, reducing stresses on each, and also significantly improves engine stability by locking out the twisting action of the engine that comes from just a single steady

[Tommymo]

Sorry should have said it'd an aftermarket additional that sat over the thermostat housing on the head. Decided to remove it. I'm not rallying or driving hard and the car is standard engine spec.

[Matt2035]

When the rubber bushes went on my top engine steady on my MPI I had significant movement of the engine, you could feel the engine move in the car under hard acceleration. Replaced the rubber bushes and the car felt transformed. I would say it’s is hugely better to have fitted.

[DeadSquare]

Does anyone have a top engine steady on an mpi. I have bought an mpi which has one but had to take it off for doing pipework etc. Just wondering people's thoughts about if a top one is needed.

 

Please keep us informed about the cost of the repair bill, when you have driven the car without its "top engine steady".

[stuart bowes]

Sorry should have said it'd an aftermarket additional that sat over the thermostat housing on the head. Decided to remove it. I'm not rallying or driving hard and the car is standard engine spec.

 

I know even the biggest mini engines are comparatively very small but I wonder if extra top engine mounts contribute to additional NVH in the cabin especially at idle.. if that was the case I'd definitely be tempted to lose it especially when not planning to drive it hard 

 

KTS makes an interesting point about twisting motion but I wonder if  that applies to all of the engines or just the more powerful lumps?

 

also being in the early stages of my build with nothing in the engine bay right now it does tempt me to get in there and add some weld to the bracket as a preventative measure

Edited by stuart bowes, 11 July 2022 - 08:25 AM.

[sonscar]

Left field idea,rubber mount the subframe and use solid engine mounts?Bound to be lots of reasons for it being a poor idea.Steve..

[Tommymo]

Just to be clear. It didn't come as standard on the car so sarcastic comments saying let you know the cost of a repair is a bit shitty isn't it. Its an aftermarket additional engine steady. Had it confirmed by a mini garage so I'm not rolling a dice or taking risks as far as I can see if it is how rover originally designed the car???

Thought this forum was for helping people and a bit of community not for people to be sarcastic d*cks.

Thank you to everyone else though for sensible comments and for a bit of steer.

[Tommymo]

This photo is of a Cooper sport 500 with no engine steady to the thermostat. Factory standard

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[KTS]

easy tiger; you asked for help/advice and have been given a number of different opinions, and a rather tongue-in-cheek comment about the consequence of running without upper engine steadies fitted.  

 

not entirely sure what you were expecting...

[brivinci]

I think that people are a little confused by this post...and correct me if I am wrong of course. The OP was asking if the aftermarket/additional engine steady was really needed on a stock car, correct? He made that more clear later on. Running without any upper steady would be catastrophic...but the OP was never planning to do that.

 

Stuart - that is a brilliant idea to sure up the original mount while you have access. My SPi's snapped clean off to the point where you could not even see the crack when inspecting...until you manually rocked the motor that is. I installed a very beefy, bolt-in bracket that replaces the stock weld-on one. Nice to have that peace of mind now. The reason it cracked was due to a failed clutch that became unbalanced and added a lot of vibrations. 

[Steve220]

Agreed. Usually 'top engine steady' refers to the OEM one. I believe this is about the thermostat housing one. If so, then yes. It is worth it. I've got 2 top and 2 lower on my MPi turbo. Not sure about engine twist, i've watched mine on the rolling road and it barely moves (although it is entirely poly bushed bar the OEM engine mounts).

 

[Tommymo]

Thanks brivinci. Cleared that up a treat.

That is exactly what I was asking and at first I wasn't sure if it was stock or an aftermarket until I had it confirmed it was an aftermarket version.

Steve220 that engine bay is a thing of beauty.