ascdesigns Posted January 20, 2014 Share Posted January 20, 2014 Knock on wood, most everything else in my 1997 Pathy with 185K miles is going well. Per the title, how can you test if the tranny mount is going south? The reason I'm asking is I can feel more movement than I think is normal (maybe not?) in my manual tranny shifter along with a slight clunking when I hit larger bumps in the road. The clunk is not loud but it just sounds like the clunk you can make in your drivetrain when you tap the gas while coasting. I checked my driveshafts/ujoints - they're not loose. Yes, I can twist the driveshaft a little bit however I think that's just normal play in the transmission or the differential. One thought was to place the jack under the transmission (buffered with a piece of wood to protect it) and gently apply pressure. Would that show if the tranny mount was separating from the cross-member? Has anyone had issues with their tranny mounts? I can't visually see anything wrong with mine however it is sandwiched in there pretty well. Thanks in advance for any suggestions! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
barnum Posted January 20, 2014 Share Posted January 20, 2014 Bump. I'm experiencing a similar issue on my 02. Interested as well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MY1PATH Posted January 20, 2014 Share Posted January 20, 2014 Tranny pads seldom fail on these vehicles but Torn motor mounts (ESP Driver Side) can be fairly common and will make your shifter jump under load.A clunk under acceleration/braking can also be attributed to upper and lower link bushings being wore out but I think R50's are still too new for those to be a common issue. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ascdesigns Posted January 20, 2014 Author Share Posted January 20, 2014 Thanks MY1PATH. How would you go about checking the d/s motor mount? The engine doesn't rock much when I give it gas. Are there visible signs of a torn bushing? I'm not sure if they're the fluid-filled kind. Also, when you refer to the upper/lower link bushings, do you mean the rear control arms? Those were replaced around 165K and are tight (can barely twist the lower/longer arms a little by hand); no death sway either. Thx again! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nefarious Posted January 20, 2014 Share Posted January 20, 2014 I use 3M window weld (curable liquid polyurethane) to fill my engine and transmission mounts on all my vehicles. As long as it's not broken and it's just sloppy, then it will rebuild them stiffer than factory. Never had any issues with any of them! Tightens up the response of the vehicle and makes your shifts easier since the transmission doesn't rock around on the body. Just my 2c but it works great for me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
adamzan Posted January 20, 2014 Share Posted January 20, 2014 I use 3M window weld (curable liquid polyurethane) to fill my engine and transmission mounts on all my vehicles. As long as it's not broken and it's just sloppy, then it will rebuild them stiffer than factory. Never had any issues with any of them! Tightens up the response of the vehicle and makes your shifts easier since the transmission doesn't rock around on the body. Just my 2c but it works great for me. Is this the same stuff you use to install glass? Where do you get it? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ahardb0dy Posted January 20, 2014 Share Posted January 20, 2014 auto parts sells it, I just bought a tube not too long ago, couldn't believe how much it went up in price from the first time, I used it to re attach the glass lense on my sentra headlight, it was like $25 I think. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ascdesigns Posted January 21, 2014 Author Share Posted January 21, 2014 So I guess I'll need to remove the tranny mount first to see if it's sloppy? Based on the responses, it doesn't seem like a frequent problem... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
silverton Posted January 21, 2014 Share Posted January 21, 2014 Tranny pads seldom fail on these vehicles but Torn motor mounts (ESP Driver Side) can be fairly common and will make your shifter jump under load. A clunk under acceleration/braking can also be attributed to upper and lower link bushings being wore out but I think R50's are still too new for those to be a common issue. Age isn't really the deal any more. Commutes are getting longer, so I'm sure there are a bunch of R50's with my mileage than my WD21. A good way to see if an engine or trans mount is broken is take a good look at your transfer case shifter. With a broken mount it will move so much that it could break your center console if you romp on it hard enough. Normal movement in that shifter when applying brisk throttle is an inch to an inch and a half, and it will move towards the passenger side. If it moves much more than that, there is a problem with a mount. Hard to say which one without actually taking it out and inspecting it. If your motor doesn't rock really bad while cranking, then it could be your transmission mount, but those don't fail all that often. The link bushings are easy to determine. 60mph on the freeway, give it the gusto! Then snap off the throttle. If it changes lanes when you give it the gas, and changes back to the lane you were in to begin with when you let off, that's a rear link bushing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
adamzan Posted January 21, 2014 Share Posted January 21, 2014 That link bushing test only tells you if the lower ones are bad. You need to crawl underneath to see if the uppers are loose Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ahardb0dy Posted January 21, 2014 Share Posted January 21, 2014 My tranny mount was toast when I got the truck, all tore up, tore on one side: new one: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kingman Posted January 21, 2014 Share Posted January 21, 2014 To test motor mount: put it in drive, stand on the brake pedal, and hit the gas. If its broken the engine will jump up. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ascdesigns Posted January 22, 2014 Author Share Posted January 22, 2014 Thanks everyone! OK, so it's not the motor mounts ...whew. They look like a PITA to change out. The engine stays firm (no knocking, clunking, jumping) when I try Kingman's method. Actually, I modified his method a little since I have a manual tranny. I put it into 1st pulled the e-brake and slipped the clutch just a little to "simulate" what Kingman suggested. I'll re-double check my upper control links. As far as the tranny mount, condition-wise it doesn't look anything like ahardb0dy's. (I think his is from a WD21; I have an R50). I may just need to pull mine and check. Perhaps my Pathy is just a little worn and tired. It does have 185K after all. Again, thanks all y'all for your suggestions! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nefarious Posted January 22, 2014 Share Posted January 22, 2014 No problem , I like nice solid shifting vehicles. Shifter play drives me nuts, filling the transmission mount with poly just makes the vehicle feel and shift much better and its the easy one to do. Engine mounts, not so easy....lol Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ahardb0dy Posted January 22, 2014 Share Posted January 22, 2014 yes mine is a WD21, mine was banging, originally I pryed up on the top half and jammed some rubber into it until I could replace it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
silverton Posted January 22, 2014 Share Posted January 22, 2014 Thanks everyone! OK, so it's not the motor mounts ...whew. They look like a PITA to change out. The engine stays firm (no knocking, clunking, jumping) when I try Kingman's method. Actually, I modified his method a little since I have a manual tranny. I put it into 1st pulled the e-brake and slipped the clutch just a little to "simulate" what Kingman suggested. I'll re-double check my upper control links. As far as the tranny mount, condition-wise it doesn't look anything like ahardb0dy's. (I think his is from a WD21; I have an R50). I may just need to pull mine and check. Perhaps my Pathy is just a little worn and tired. It does have 185K after all. Again, thanks all y'all for your suggestions! Just as I thought, lots more miles than my WD21 ;P Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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