Mike Goble
Well-Known Member
I recently pulled the front axle support from a 74 Bavaria and it has a couple of pieces of metal bolted to the motor mount brackets called stoppers . What do they stop? #4, 11, 12, 16 and 17.
Stoppers?
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MMercury
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As an added safety measure, they limit excess engine/drive train travel. Despite supporting a relatively smooth running engine, M30 mounts rarely last forever, and every once in a while, the rubber softens with time and exposure to the elements. They can become too flexible and even let loose, wreaking havoc in the engine bay.
In theory, depending upon their placement/adjustment, these limiting brackets may prevent an engine from kissing the hood and may reduce damage to linkages and exhaust. Restricting longitudinal movement might prevent a fan from kissing a radiator under heavy braking and/or acceleration (especially in conjunction with a soft/worn-out transmission mount). And, of course, limiting the movement of a mount may even prevent the mount's destruction.
There are evidently variations between Euro and North American models. This may also be true between early and late models. I have seen a few untouched early Euro E9s and at least one early E3 without any "stoppers." Whether they were later modified due to anecdotal evidence or due to additional bolt-on accessory weight or greater number of auto transmissions and air conditioning especially in the US, remains unclear (to me). In any event, newer mount designs seem to include greater protection against unbridled mount flex, as with non-BMW examples below.
hth
Mike Goble
Well-Known Member
My 72 Bavaria doesn't have these stoppers, hence the questions.