how do you know if youve got bad engine mounts?

[newaccorddriver]

as the topic says...


im not completely sure if the harsh shift between first and second gear is all about the transmission as my friend told me my engine moves too much while shifting out of park. hes no mechanic and im no mechanic either(trying to find a first year job), but is it possible that bad mounts can lead to harsh shifts?

[paso100]

I don't think so.
When my mounts went bad, my car had a bad vibration felt in the dash and steering wheel, especially in D (automatic) during idle. The vibration lessened when put in P or N.

Check the rubber on your mounts, try moving them with a tool that won't gouge the rubber and look for cracks with a flashlight. Sometimes the rubber will split in two.

DO NOT BUY AFTERMARKET MOUNTS. I learned this the hard way. After installing them my vibration was worse; the rubber is harder the OE and tolerances are off.

If you're going to replace one, you might as well replace all 3 major mounts: front, driver's side, rear mount. I went ahead and replaced the donut style transmission mount, the bottom trans. buffer, and the torque rod mount bushings, just for peace of mind.

Also, the factory manual specifies you tighten mounts in a very specific sequence and torque settings, or you MAY experience vibration.

Check it out:
The main mounts are 2,3,8.
http://www.hondaautomotiveparts.com/auto/jsp/mws/prddisplay.jsp?inputstate=5&catcgry1=Accord&catcgry2=1988&catcgry3=4DR+LXI&catcgry4=KL4AT&catcgry5=ENGINE+MOUNT

[newaccorddriver]

thats somewhat exactly what im feeling paso, so ill check them out.


would the mounts have an effect on gear shifting cause tahts wheni feel the most vibration

[newaccorddriver]

almost forgot, is it expensive to replace these mounts? part cost, not including labor :)

[paso100]

almost forgot, is it expensive to replace these mounts? part cost, not including labor :)

About $140 for the 3 main mounts from Majestic. Check out their website.
Also, my bad: Cracked mounts won't CAUSE your trany to shift harder, they'll just make it feel worse because of the extra load your engine is putting on the mounts at the time.

[AccordEpicenter]

weeelllll actually guys, my front motor mount got fubared and the entire engine got moved backwards on the tranny side, and it was harder to shift... I fixed the mount and my shifting was fixed somewhat too. Its a solid front mount now ;)

[superdesi]

In the following link (illustration # 2). Is that front mount any different for an automatic versus a manual transmission? I noticed that they have different part numbers for automatics & manual transmissions.


http://www.hondaautomotiveparts.com/auto/jsp/mws/prddisplay.jsp?inputstate=5&catcgry1=Accord&catcgry2=1989&catcgry3=4DR+LXI&catcgry4=4AT&catcgry5=ENGINE+MOUNT&vinsrch=yes

[86 barnstormer]

i did notice the bottom middle mount is slightly different. haven't looked at it in awhile but i think the auto mount had more rubber to it.

but i don't think anyone who's done the auto to manual swap has had to change them. so far i've only swapped out the pedals from auto to manual so i'm not 100% certain.

[Strugglebucket]

this thread made me think of another thread:
http://www.3geez.com/showthread.php?t=41961

[Cant Stop]

if your mounts are worn out as they are on my poor neglected 3g then you will feel some clunking as it shifts it will be mild,
also if you rev the motor in drive with the brake on and you see the motor move alot then you definitely need to replace the mounts , putting the car in reverse and revving it with the brake on also shows how bad the back mounts have gotten and if you hear it clunk with it sitting there then ya you got metal to metal motor mounts this will stress the whole front end as this is too much play and at high speeds it stresses the cv joints as well , because this is too much movement and changes angles etc.
here in florida its $60 for the front $35 for the driver side $18 for the passenger top mount(my car is a auto) plus about another $50-$60 for the tranny mounts.
a very important investment if your car is over 100,000 miles or you never changed them, then it is about time to change them out.

[Cant Stop]

p.s. ya bad mounts can make it seem like your car is shifting hard when it is really the motor and trans twisting too much on the shift

[lostforawhile]

i got mine at NAPPA and they were very good quality looked just like oem. haven't had a problem since. the only difference is that they aren't cracked and dryrotted. oh if you have oil leaks they will ruin your mounts.

[mercerus]

what is the difficulty in doing this as i believe that mine are bad and i don't have really too much money to spare on them well thanks

[superdesi]

what is the difficulty in doing this as i believe that mine are bad and i don't have really too much money to spare on them well thanks
I did my front mount back in July. First of all, you need a friend helping you. Mine was a hydraulic one and it was a bitch to take out unless you have some way of taking the crossmember out. I did it out on the street and was getting really frustrated pulling the old one out......not to mention how I got the new one it and properly aligned it despite the fact of having 2 jacks underneath.

[Cant Stop]

i did mine 2 weeks ago auto trans , not too bad
had problems on rear one then reached in on driver side and it was easy then, loosen the side mount and rear use 2 jacks one on trans and one on oil pan with wood between then you can do the front 2 jacks made it easier for me hell loosen up all of them then do them one at a timei was unable to buy a new mount for where the trans rests on the cross bar so i flipped it over seems to work ok