Hey guys.

I bought my 2004 SXT 2 months ago with a 1 month warranty. I brought it into a shop a few weeks after purchasing it for them to see if anything needed fixing before that 1 month warranty expired. I specifically asked them to look at the motor mounts (after reading up on here and seeing it was a common problem ), and they said all was well except it could use a tune-up, plugs, and wires.

Today (month later) I brought it in to have those things taken care of. When I picked it up, they said that the upper and lower passenger side motor mounts were bad. I thought WTF, I asked you to check it 1 month ago before the warranty was up (they're really nice people, and I think they're doing a good job, but I guess I really don't know).

I don't have any rattling, shaking, or banging. Ever since buying it, shifting into drive always made the car jolt noticeably, more than any other car I've driven, but I thought it was just the way the tranny is (maybe is).

At what point do these mounts need to be replaced? If I wait for worse symptoms to appear, am I going to develop significant problems? She said the exact part numbers were proprietary for AAMCO and wouldn't help. Are the pass side upper and lower mounts the ones that need the timing belt removed for replacement? Is there something I can do myself to check the health of the parts?

Thanks in advance!

 

LMAO, "proprietary" for AAMCO? Any parts store can get them. I had a shop do the same thing to me. I sat there all day, but they eventually took care of it (I took it there a month before and they said it was fine and that I somehow in one month's time raced a DODGE NEON around enough to break both torque struts). None of them need the timing belt to be removed to replace them. The upper and lower torque struts (not engine mounts) are two bolts for each. The actual motor mount is across from the timing cover. As for when they go bad. Every car is different.

 

Thanks for the response darthroush, I appreciate it. I don't know much about cars (started very late), but I'm glad to learn.

I called the shop back. She was still hesitant to give me the numbers, but she did. 2948 and 2949. She even had to admit that she originally wrote down "passenger upper and lower," when there is one on either side (plus the front and trans mount and any other ones I don't know about). A two second bing search gave me:

-"Trans mount auto" is 2947
***-"Front left upper engine mount" is 2948
***-"Front right lower engine mount" is 2949
-"Front engine mount" is 5318

Interesting note: Fr R lower mount (2949) was changed to 5364 for 2005 model. This seems to be one of the problem parts. Does anybody know if the 2005 part is better, or if it wouldn't fit?

I couldn't find anything about "torque struts." Maybe some of the mounts function as torque struts but are called "eng mounts"? Either way, would it be difficult to change the Fr L upper or Fr R lower mounts myself? I read in another post that adjustment of the "torque struts" might come into play, and I think a suggestion was to change the engine mount if changing the torque struts.

Thanks again.

 

The are called torque struts because all they do is keep the engine from rocking back and forth (torque-ing back and forth). Those are the top and bottom mounts to the left of the engine. They will not support the engine. 2005 got some different parts for some odd reason, but they are all the same as far as I know. It's not difficult to change them at all. You just have to align them when you are done. Changing the actual motor mount wouldn't be a bad idea as they seem to go bad quickly once the torque struts are gone.

EDIT: Those part numbers seem to be just the basic, Anchor brand replacement numbers.
#2947 is the actual motor mount.
#2948 is the upper strut mount.
#2949 is the lower strut mount.

The automatic transmission mount is #3124.
The manual transmission mount is #3050.

Also, I looked and the mount numbers are all the same, even for 2005MY Neons.

 

Thanks again. So that begs the question: if I decide to replace all three of the mounts (fr L upper, fr R lower, AND fr engine mount), will that involve any engine disassembly, an engine lift or anything else? If all of these parts can be easily bolted on and then aligned without special tools, I'll probably wait for the summer. I just don't want to be driving it if the engine is going to twist in the engine bay and wreck the transmission or other stuff in there.

 

The torque struts each have two 19mm(?) bolts that come out. Easy. The motor mount I haven't gotten to yet, but I think it's 4 bolts holding the mount on plus one large one in the middle that attached to the engine. It is my understanding it is a bit of a PITA to change. The motor mount may need something else removed to get to it. I can look up the procedure if you like and let you know for certain. To align the torque struts, you'll need a jack, block of wood, and your 19mm socket.

 

I replaced the main motor mount on my 2001. I had to lift the motor quit a bit to get the 4 bolts out but once that was done replacement was not to bad. Make sure you take the power steering res off, it will make it easier. The hardest part was aliening them, which I think I failed at. Plus I replaced the strut mounts a couple months before the main mount so I still have the shake at stop signs

 

You also need to perform the alignment procedure for the upper and lower torque struts.

 

I just had all 4 changed I didn't do it myself and yeah i'm glad i didn't because it was a PITA! The guy got pissed and wanted more money but I told him a deal is a deal and he agreed. Now when I accelerate I get a vibration but it goes away when I let off the gas. The dreaded noise when turning is gone . My brother who is a mechanic told me he had a dodge that had that problem and what he did was loosen the two bolts that hold the motor mounts and let the engine settle in . I did the torque strut alignment and got the two bolts to 4.7 inchs.

 

PS the vibration at idle is gone now for me. And this cost me over 300 dollars.