I'm guessing it's not supposed to do that. Yours lasted longer than mine, but why only several weeks? Did you get it resolved?
Motor mount failure after a few days?
- Thread starter Jonas
- Start date
Isn't this the one where the brother-in-law did the rebuild and possibly botched the jog? I ask because it could be that the motor really is hosed and destroying the mount? (I've only replaced about 3 mounts, and know it is easy to mess up).
I doubt it. The engine is solid and the vibration is definitely due to the torque mount which was very much shot. The car is not undrivable now and it was perfect until the mount blew. The whole thing about him screwing up the timing/balance shafts was speculation and turned out not to be the case.
I am not at all familiar with that vehicle, so what I say may not even apply to it. That said, if applicable, check the trany mounts. If it has rear wheel drive, then even the mounts back there. I suspect something else in the drive train has a broken mount, and is causing over-stress movement on the engine. In other words give ALL parts of the drive-train in addition to the engine mounts a through inspection for some kind of broken mount.
The Pontiac Vibe has a Corolla drivetrain, it is front wheel drive.
I mentioned I pulled the engine up to the mount by turning the screws, but I didn't need to. I just didn't have the engine jacked up quite high enough for the parts to meet. This was only by a half inch or so. Could that have damaged the mount? Everything lined up pretty much perfectly and the big insert screws didn't even rub or scrape once I had the mount attached to the frame. Also, people on some other message boards mentioned the mount being oil-filled and if it gets even a tiny pin hole in it, it will fail in, you guessed it, about an hour lol.
I agree with a previous post above. Replace *all* engine mounts/dampeners at same time. Use a floor jack and board(s) as needed to relieve all tension, install in neutral position. Use ratchet straps and a crow bar if you have to!
How do I know?
Picky as snot 1st gen. Nissan Murano with ferrous-fluid filled, electronically dampened engine mounts. *Zero* room for mistakes.
Zero.
Out of the realm of your casual weekend wrencher?
Not at all. Go slow, go safe, pay attention to details. And of course, you did mention OEM parts usage. I won't compromise on driveline parts either. But double check, make sure you're getting genuine bits inside the boxes. Reject any that are remotely suspect.
How do I know?
Picky as snot 1st gen. Nissan Murano with ferrous-fluid filled, electronically dampened engine mounts. *Zero* room for mistakes.
Zero.
Out of the realm of your casual weekend wrencher?
Not at all. Go slow, go safe, pay attention to details. And of course, you did mention OEM parts usage. I won't compromise on driveline parts either. But double check, make sure you're getting genuine bits inside the boxes. Reject any that are remotely suspect.
So, replace all the mounts, even though they are all fairly new? Are you sure the torque mount won't work even if I install it correctly this time? The mounts are all pretty basic, unlike on the Murano-just rubber and metal.I agree with a previous post above. Replace *all* engine mounts/dampeners at same time. Use a floor jack and board(s) as needed to relieve all tension, install in neutral position. Use ratchet straps and a crow bar if you have to!
How do I know?
Picky as snot 1st gen. Nissan Murano with ferrous-fluid filled, electronically dampened engine mounts. *Zero* room for mistakes.
Zero.
Out of the realm of your casual weekend wrencher?
Not at all. Go slow, go safe, pay attention to details. And of course, you did mention OEM parts usage. I won't compromise on driveline parts either. But double check, make sure you're getting genuine bits inside the boxes. Reject any that are remotely suspect.
To be thorough this time through? I would. Again, anecdotal experience. Had to do a motor mount job on a Ford Focus wagon (XW4, if I'm recalling correctly)
Complaint from friend was an idle engine rat-a-tap-knock in gear @ idle. Especially when AC was engaged. The engine was just as loose as a goose's neck in the cradle. It would rock and buck all around when changing from forward to reverse gears, etc. It really needed all three mounts replaced. He had monies for one.
One.
I had to redo the job after replacing the worst looking one. The other two were so weak that it just shredded the dogbone up behind the oil pan in just a week.
He bit the bullet and brought me all three, FoMoCo branded and sealed. Did the job again with all three new mounts...
Not a third complaint in over 2 years now.
So my vote again, just be thorough and patient. Cheap fixes cost 2x as much... grab all your mounts and replace at same time. Level and stabilize the engine so you don't have to "draw up" the motor by the bolts. They should slip right in, rest in place, bolt down snug with just 3-4 uggah-dughas from your impact gun without having to pull up or push the engine down against your jack(s).
...
Profit!
Edit: and for goodness' sake, work carefully and slow. Engines are abysmally heavy. Work each mount one at a time and double check as you go along.
My mounts aren't nearly that bad. They're less than 4 months old and the car only vibrates a little. This is not something I can afford/do myself.
No wrecks were reported when I looked up the vehicle history.
It looks like the mount just can't support the weight of the engine on that side. When I let the jack down, it sinks about 2 inches. Weird thing is, the (2 week) old mount felt like it was breaking in and smoothing out some. I thought it was just in my head, but it's worse now with the brand new mount.
No way for me to tell, but the flimsy plastic front fender was broken when I got the car. It's just decorative, though.
Recap: My mechanic, who replaced the front mount on a lift and inspected the other mounts, said everything is fine and 4 cylinder engines typically vibrate a little. I'd be fine with that if it didn't run perfectly smooth for an hour when I installed the first top passenger side mount. When I installed the second one, it made no difference. I'm also not sure if the mount is failing or if it's supposed to be bulging at the bottom from the weight of the engine. All three mounts bulged when let down. It's so disappointing because I had it running glass smooth for a little while. Any ideas why that happened?
(Un) Balanced shaft is causing it
You may be right. It also makes a horrible metallic screech on cold startup sometimes (or I just notice it sometimes) It lasts about half a second. I don't think it's the drive belt. It's like a crunch/grind kind of noise.
Might be the VVT phasers rattling away until they get sufficient oil pressure - not a hugely common issue like on Honda K-series. I have two neighbors with Toyota 4 bangers (1 Camry with the 2AZ and 1 with a Taco with presumably the 2.7) that have the grind/rattle at start. The Taco has it really bad, the Camry it only happens every so often.
