Edited Sunday 0925 pst

Daughter has a 2002 sxt (not turbo) with 85k miles and is away at college and i have flown in to try and diagnose further on this problem before taking it back to mechanic.

Mechanic changed both lower control arms, top engine mount, lower front engine mount. I just looked and the mid engine mount that the bolt goes through timing cover and mount is bolted to pass frame was not changed, trans mount was not changed either. After looking and driving today im thinking it has to be the middle engine mount that goes to timing cover/frame rail is the problem.

It has a severe vibration in drive only at any speeds. If taking off VERY slowly with very very little throttle its not vibrating/noisy but any other and it sounds like a huge noisy exhaust leak. Reverse is fine and makes no noise at all even hard throttle up to 20 mph in reverse. Park and neutral is fine as well with no noise/vibration revving it up. Take it up to 80 mph and its very loud in vibration and noise but coast and no noise. Its only under throttle load it has noise/vibration.

If its in drive and throttle applied its very loud like and sounds like and exhaust leak while inside the car or something torquing over and rubbing somewhere. If you hit bumps while acceleration the noise comes and goes like its lifting/dropping on a mount or something and rubbing and follows the bumps in rhythm.

If Im standing outside of the car I cannot hear any noise at all while its accelerating hard past me. Its only inside the car is loud as heck and I mean it sounds like the car is gonna fly apart its so loud. How can no noise at all be heard outside the car but be so loud inside the car????

Also if car is not moving and is in reverse and lever moved to neutral its a nice very smooth transition, if moving lever from drive to neutral its a really big jerk as it goes into neutral. Its like the engine is torquing over only in drive and hitting something.

While in drive its the torque of engine moving and vibrating on something cause if you let up and coast the noise goes away.

so does this sound like it could be a bad trans mount causing this or the mid engine mount?
So am I correct in there are 3 engine mounts and 1 transmission mount on this year Neon?

I also did brake torque test in reverse and engine moved very very little as engine torqued hard against brake. I then did it in drive and engine torqued a huge amount so im wondering if this is the problem with it moving way too much towards firewall (counter-clockwise rotation if facing motor on passenger side). I need to measure the top mount distance between the two bolts but cant see that this would make that much difference if it was off some (should be 4.7" i read).

so how much should motor torque (rotate CW) when in drive and foot had on the brake? it seems to be way too much to me.

Thanks

 

There are two load carring mounts right side on the engine and the left on the transmission.
In addition an upper and lower torque strut. The struts can cause vibration if out of adjustment.

 

Thanks...

What about the engine to frame mount? Thats the one thats between the timing cover and the frame and the bolt going through it to timing cover.

 

Thats the right load bearing mount. It's pain to replace or check due to the lack of clearance.

 

In order to remove the front engine mount the front mount plate on the engine must be removed. This involves tearing down the front of the engine as if you were doing the timing belt. I don’t believe you can remove this mounting plate without removing the crank pulley and outer timing cover. You have to have a jack under the engine a remove both upper and lower torque struts as well.

 

Im gonna take the bolt out first from the mid mount that goes to timing cover and see if the noise goes away, as i have a feeling the rubber in the mount is shot and bolt is rubbing on the frame itself or the mounts metal sides. The trans mount looks fine even though it wasnt replaced. struts were checked and appear ok as well.

 

Careful, that bolt carries the entire weight of that end of the engine, I do not believe you can remove it without a jack under the engine.

 

ahhhh even more so i bet this mount has been the whole problem from the get go then...

I just checked the measurement from the one stud center of top mount to the hole towardsfirewall on strut tower section and its supposed to be 4.7" or 4 11/16 and it was 4 15/16. You can see where the bolt was before as it was a clean circle and they didnt even have enough common sense to figure the bolt should tighten down in probably the same exact place so they didnt even check it only throw it on and tighten it down. not sure if this wouldcause thevib ration though.

Mine as well change the timing belt at the same time changing this mount also.

 

Do the water pump too then. Best to replace the belt and pump together. That center mount is the only thing left that could be causing my vibration problem.

 

https://dodgeforum.com/forum/2nd-gen...ater-pump.html

http://chronoscender.freeservers.com...imingbelt.html

http://wiki.answers.com/Q/How_do_you...000_Dodge_Neon