Marine engine mounts play a crucial role in ensuring engine vibrations don't pass to your boat. Moreover, they absorb vibrations and shocks when the engine runs, preventing damage and ensuring comfort for those on board. Generally, like other engine components, marine engine mounts are designed to last. However, normal wear and tear down the line and contamination from the seawater, coolant or engine oil can affect their performance over time. Therefore, it's imperative to plan for replacement when this happens. Fortunately, it's not always hard to tell when your marine engine mounts are failing, and here are the tell-tale signs to identify.
Increased Vibrations
Increased vibrations are the most obvious signs that you need new marine engine mounts. Therefore, if you feel more vibrations than usual when you start the engine, your engine mounts could be the culprit. That's unsurprising because worn-out, loose or damaged marine engine mounts tend to lose their antivibration properties. You may also hear noise when you start the engine when dealing with an engine mount problem. Therefore, have the engine mounts inspected if your engine is unusually louder.
Rough Engine Start or Stop
Have you noticed excessive engine movements upon starting or stopping your boat? The engine mounts could be worn out, leaving you with a rocky start and stop. Usually, the marine engine mounts are designed to keep your engine in place, preventing it from lurching excessively upon starting and stopping. In most cases, you won't notice the movement unless you turn the ignition on (when you subject your engine to a greater shock or power) or off (when the engine power reduces instantly) because it tends to stabilise when the engine is running.
Excessive Movements in Turbulent/Stormy Seas
It's also crucial to pay attention to your engine's performance in stormy or turbulent waters. Unusually excessive engine shaking could indicate loose, worn or damaged engine mounts, so be on the lookout for that. In most cases, excessive engine movements are often accompanied by excessive noise as the engine makes contact with other parts of the boat.
Visual Cues
Regular inspection of your engine mounts is also essential to help you identify potential issues. For instance, it is easy to notice signs of wear like corrosion, deformations, worn pieces and cracks. You can also inspect the engine mounts for looseness because they must be rigid to be effective. Fortunately, loose engine mounts can be tightened. Otherwise, you will need to replace them. Reach out to a professional for more information about marine engine mounts.
