motor mount 1990 pontiac grand am


  #1  
Old 01-31-02, 07:59 AM
B
Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: May 2001
Location: Just outside Vancover Canada
Posts: 20
Upvotes: 0
Received 0 Upvotes on 0 Posts
Question motor mount 1990 pontiac grand am

Hello,

Would anyone know how to tell if my front motor mount is broken. I was at midas recently and they said it sounded like it was broken, and they said they would change it for $350.00.

I was wondering if there is any kind of test to make sure its the motor mount. These midas guys also tried to sell me new shocks, while my old ones were only four months old.

When I accelerate I can feel a small bump, something like the tranny is enguaging. When I took a look under the hood, and had someone behind the wheel. When they put the car into gear the motor raised a bit. I know motors raise a bit bot how much is normal. I called my local parts store and the motor mound is in the $250.00 range, so I would like to make sure it the mount and not waste the big dough.

thanks for your help

Bill
 
  #2  
Old 01-31-02, 09:04 AM
the_tow_guy's Avatar
Group Moderator
Join Date: Feb 2001
Location: SW Fla USA
Posts: 12,235
Received 249 Upvotes on 201 Posts
Sounds as if the mount could be bad. Try checking it with a friend at the wheel again. Have him put it in gear, push firmly on the brake pedal so the car won't move and apply some pressure to the accellerator; if the mount is bad the engine will probably rock noticably in the direction of engine rotation. If the mount is good you should get very little movement, less than a half inch or so. You can also manually check it if you can get a pry bar in the right spot, but you have to be very careful doing that so as not to crush/break/destroy any parts. The Midas guys may be right, but I would find a new garage if someone tried to sell me shocks to replace some that are 4 months old, unless you are driving 10,000 miles a month. Surprised they would only hazard a guess that it MIGHT be broken; checking for a bad mount is not rocket science for a decent garage. Not sure how hard the job is on your particular car or what the labor rates are in your area, but $100 labor sounds a little steep to me [what do you think, Joe?].
 
  #3  
Old 01-31-02, 09:23 AM
Joe_F
Visiting Guest
Posts: n/a
You don't tell us what motor, but I assume it is the venerable 2.5 liter Tech 4. A rough, crude, noisy and oil leaking engine, but it gets the job done .

As I recall it's a bit cramped in there, so 100 bucks sounds about right. You might check around for the price.

TowGuy gives you the proper way to check for a broken mount. With all the oil that leaks in that engine and the mileage and age, the mount is probably shot at that point.

As for the shocks, I would say they should be warrantied if they are bad. So, tell the guy that you'll gladly put new shocks in, at Midas expense .
 
  #4  
Old 01-31-02, 09:39 AM
the_tow_guy's Avatar
Group Moderator
Join Date: Feb 2001
Location: SW Fla USA
Posts: 12,235
Received 249 Upvotes on 201 Posts
C'mon, Joe, don't sugar coat those technical descriptions on the engines!

One thing I left out; DON'T STAND IN FRONT OF THE CAR WHILE DOING THE MOTOR MOUNT CHECK!
 
  #5  
Old 01-31-02, 09:41 AM
Joe_F
Visiting Guest
Posts: n/a
Lol.

Fact is, it DOES get the job done and is pretty reliable overall, but is very rough and crude and leaks oil. They go for a long time though and are pretty easy to repair for the most part.
 
  #6  
Old 01-31-02, 09:48 AM
B
Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: May 2001
Location: Just outside Vancover Canada
Posts: 20
Upvotes: 0
Received 0 Upvotes on 0 Posts
Sorry Guys,

It's the 2.3 quad four motor.
Everything on this peppy motor is difficult to work on.
It was quite a pain changing the timing chain and startor.

Thanks for the suggestions. The motor moves a fair bit a couple of inches or so.

As far as the shocks go, I installed them myself and have no problem with them. They are just dirty and I think the midas guys were trying to soak me.
 
  #7  
Old 01-31-02, 09:54 AM
Joe_F
Visiting Guest
Posts: n/a
No problem.

Those motors are rockets (they MOVE!) but they are money pits and unreliable.

Head gaskets and other woes plague them and continue to do so.

My cousin bought a Grand Am of a bit later vintage than this, and didn't ask me first. I would have steered her far away had she asked.

She got soaked for the car, the repairs and the woes. By the time I got involved, she wound up giving the car back to the dealer, cancelling her contract and walking away, losing it all .
 
  #8  
Old 02-01-02, 06:11 AM
sportster pete
Visiting Guest
Posts: n/a
moter mount

having replaced seveal mounts on gm motors (front drive quads are allabout the same) they should not move a couple of inches and changing it with out the proper tools and motor support/lifting device is a good way to loose some fingers
 
  #9  
Old 02-01-02, 07:15 AM
B
Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: May 2001
Location: Just outside Vancover Canada
Posts: 20
Upvotes: 0
Received 0 Upvotes on 0 Posts
Thumbs up

Thanks gang,

I tried your diagnostic. The motor was definately raising when in drive. And yes, I stood on the side of the car, during the test. I changed the mount, didn't loose any fingers. Its now purring like the tiger it used to. Without the ka chunk. It sure is tough to locate this mount in our neck of the woods. I tried three parts chains and finally had to go with the local g.m. dealer. Surprisingly the dealer was about forty bucks cheaper than the other guys.

Many thanks,
Bill
 
  #10  
Old 02-01-02, 09:34 AM
Joe_F
Visiting Guest
Posts: n/a
Bravo! Good job.
 
  #11  
Old 02-04-02, 08:03 PM
Guest
Visiting Guest
Posts: n/a
hey least your in luck the motor mounts on that are easier than the timing chain...belt...18mm and if i remender right 25 for the part u can usually tell if the mount is broke like they told ya or stick a long rod down by the the mount and try to move the engine (please be easy and don`t pry on something you might crater..ya should be able to see if there is anyplay in the mount...no way i would give 350 to have it changed...
 
 

Thread Tools
Search this Thread
 
Ask a Question
Question Title:
Description: