Looks like the Caravan will be going in for Warranty

[dave1251]

Originally Posted by atikovi

Originally Posted by StevieC

I put it up on my ramps before I got ready for my day and I see excessive play in the front engine mount compared to what I know is normal for these having 4 of them in the family. The rubber is not broken through but the engine does rock pretty good past normal amounts.

If the rubber isn't broken, I'll bet they will say it's normal wear and you will have wasted a day.

I bet they don't replacing a mount on FCA's dime is a better pay day then on 10 oil changes.

 

[Andrew1972]

Originally Posted by JohnnyJohnson

Remember the days when engine mounts last the life of the car even with big block high performance engines?

Good old days of cars lasting 100k miles and then rolling junk? Also a "high performance" engine putting out less HP then a caravans standard 285HP?

 

[OVERKILL]

Originally Posted by madRiver

Originally Posted by JohnnyJohnson

Remember the days when engine mounts last the life of the car even with big block high performance engines?

Good old days of cars lasting 100k miles and then rolling junk? Also a "high performance" engine putting out less HP then a caravans standard 285HP?

5.0L, 145HP, LMAO! All the road manners and composure of a wet noodle, 2 and 3 speed transmissions... Ahh yes, the glory days!

 

[atikovi]

Originally Posted by madRiver

Originally Posted by JohnnyJohnson

Remember the days when engine mounts last the life of the car even with big block high performance engines?

Good old days of cars lasting 100k miles and then rolling junk?

Most cars rusted out well before 100K.

 

[JTK]

Originally Posted by StevieC

They do all the loaners through a Rental place they pick-up the tab for because they are also a body shop location. I know because I've had to request a vehicle in the past.

That's pretty sweet if they'll do that for you for a repair that will take them less than one day. I know for fact my local mega dealer will only give you a loaner if the repair can't be done in one day. At least from the brands I've bought from them in the past, which includes FCA products.

 

[Subdued]

Originally Posted by JohnnyJohnson

Remember the days when engine mounts last the life of the car even with big block high performance engines?

you have got to be kidding

 

[CR94]

Originally Posted by Subdued

Originally Posted by JohnnyJohnson

Remember the days when engine mounts last the life of the car ...?

you have got to be kidding

No engine mount problems with any of the cars listed below in over a million miles. They should last.

 

[Skippy722]

Originally Posted by CR94

Originally Posted by Subdued

Originally Posted by JohnnyJohnson

Remember the days when engine mounts last the life of the car ...?

you have got to be kidding

No engine mount problems with any of the cars listed below in over a million miles. They should last.

NVH standards are totally different now than they were in the years 1954, 1972, or 1981... a rock solid mount that they probably used long ago transferred more vibration and noise to the rest of the vehicle, but it'll last forever. A softer mount quiets everything down and smooths it out, but is more prone to failure. And sometimes you just get a bad part, it happens. You win some, you lose some. Assuming the 54 Chevy was an i6 none of them in your list made over 135hp with 2 being under 90. Can't break something if it barely has enough power to move out of its own way.

 

[tiger862]

Originally Posted by StevieC

Looks like I have a bad engine mount in the front on the Caravan. I started noticing more and more vibration from the engine especially when parked up a slight incline. Hadn't had a chance to look at it until this morning with all the rain and in that time the shifting of the transmission was also becoming a lot more noticeable whereas before you couldn't tell it was shifting most of the time. I put it up on my ramps before I got ready for my day and I see excessive play in the front engine mount compared to what I know is normal for these having 4 of them in the family. The rubber is not broken through but the engine does rock pretty good past normal amounts. It's this one that is the issue it looks like... It's only $15 CDN on Rock Auto so I might just do it myself and spare the whole day appointment at the dealership because I'm impatient. Side, rear and transmission mounts all look ok. Just about 32,000km (20K miles) so I would call that a manufacturer defect as my dad's with over 300K km are on original mounts although they are definitely worn some feeling the driving dynamic when I'm behind the wheel of it.

Are you sure it's not the 2 cycle oil you put in gas tank? I seen you already changed changed coolant sensor for stumble at idle as well as pulled plugs. I would try removing the fuel additives before doing anything else as they could affect fuel injector which will cause engine vibrations as well as transmission shifting harshness. Just a thought.

 

[CR94]

Originally Posted by Skippy722

... NVH standards are totally different now than they were in the years 1954, 1972, or 1981... A softer mount quiets everything down and smooths it out, but is more prone to failure. ...

Given that that compromise is not exactly a recent discovery, what you're really saying is that durability standards are lower than they used to be. Even modestly powered vehicles have to be designed with drivetrain parts and engine mounts strong enough to withstand chirping the tires momentarily (albeit obviously for not as long, or at such high speeds as is possible with a more powerful engine).

 

[tiger862]

Originally Posted by CR94

Originally Posted by Skippy722

... NVH standards are totally different now than they were in the years 1954, 1972, or 1981... A softer mount quiets everything down and smooths it out, but is more prone to failure. ...

Given that that compromise is not exactly a recent discovery, what you're really saying is that durability standards are lower than they used to be. Even modestly powered vehicles have to be designed with drivetrain parts and engine mounts strong enough to withstand chirping the tires momentarily (albeit obviously for not as long, or at such high speeds as is possible with a more powerful engine).

The problem is not that standards are lower but customer expectations are higher. If a car from the 60's had a vibration it was ok just the way it is. When engines had to be rebuilt at 60k no one complained as it was out of warranty so they either bought a new one or repaired not worrying about resale as they figured if I get another 60k out of it then I could possibly afford new one better than at the moment. Times have changed.

 

[Uphill_Both_Ways]

Originally Posted by CR94

[quote=Subdued][quote=JohnnyJohnson]Remember the days when engine mounts last the life of the car ... ? ____________ 1954 Chevrolet retired at 121K

The motor mount(s) broke in my '53 Pontiac Laurentian in 1967 or '68, so any fond memories of mounts lasting forever in the good ol' days are tinted by rose-coloured glasses. I remember because it was the first I heard of motor mounts. (Anyway, nostalgia ain't what it used to be.) I dumped the car with 89-something thousand miles on it when I could toss grand pianos onto the street through the holes in the floor. But I shoulda kept the dashboard, if nothing else.

 

[Garak]

Originally Posted by StevieC

Looks like I have a bad engine mount in the front on the Caravan. I started noticing more and more vibration from the engine especially when parked up a slight incline. Hadn't had a chance to look at it until this morning with all the rain and in that time the shifting of the transmission was also becoming a lot more noticeable whereas before you couldn't tell it was shifting most of the time.

320,000 km (200,000 miles - I fixed your decimal place error) since you got it will do that.

 

[wag123]

Originally Posted by Chris142

Originally Posted by JohnnyJohnson

Remember the days when engine mounts last the life of the car even with big block high performance engines?

We used to chain them down because they broke so often.

Yep. When I was drag racing back in the day, I always chained-down the engine. Without doing this it only took one run with slicks to break a motor mount. In the late 60s and early 70s, motor mount failures were so prevalent in the high horsepower muscle cars, in 1973 the federal government mandated that car manufacturers use captive motor mounts, but by 1973 the high horsepower party was over.

 

[Jarlaxle]

I recall Chrysler phased in spool (captive) mounts in mid-1971.