hi guys - new to the site here, and it seems you may be able to help. My 1990 turbo developed a front end shake, as if the motor mounts were worn. I replaced them, but the front shimmy came back. The van uses the 1990-95 V6 mounts, and I'm just wondering if the front mount was inserted correctly (I replaced it the same as the old one) - does anyone have any picture or info of the correct direction the front mount is insterted? This is the rubber insert, btw, not the whole bracket - any help would be great! Cheers

JJ

 

i doubt its the front mount below the rad. you need to describe under what conditions this shimmy occurs. if ur getting it and lower speeds and under acceleration or turning, id suspect the driver side inner cv joint tension spring has failed.
also look into the passenger front engine mount and trans mount if they have failed or sagged there may be abnormal angles on the cv's and also if the engine isn't centered properly you could have binding on the inner plunge cv joint. btw the mount under the rad is the same for 4 or 6 cyl (rubber insert part) some guys put a plate on one side of this mount and fill it with rtv then let it cure and install to make the mount more solid.

 

hi - yeah sorry, it's lowered on Daytona struts, and I replaced both driveshafts, as the shorter driver's side had been eaten up (a friend just lowered it). I also replaced all motor mounts, but like you say, it only shimmys under acceleration and in right hand turns - this and the previous driveshaft failure lead me to believe that the driver's driveshaft is binding. I believe that the engine is not centered or that the front mount may be installed incorrectly, and letting the motor rotate too much under load. The mount I use is the larger, split front mount (see below) - the non turbo 2.5s used the earlier smaller mounts in 1990 - that's the point I was trying to make - this is my mount (below) - the offset of the center spacer may be backwards, and I'm wondering if this may causing the problem

thanks again!

JJ

 

i just checked my old 89 turbo stick minivan (its a project waiting for me to get to). the offset of the bushing is down or closer to the bottom. this would make the motor tip forward slightly. i dont see why u would put in shorter axles when the vehicle is lowered the distance from the trans to hub actually increases because the shaft will run uphill. my van is stock height an the shafts are parallel to the ground by lowering the ride height, the distance increases because the hub is higher than the trans making it angle up from the trans. somthing to think about. i suspect you have an axle shaft prb w/ your shimmy do u have equal length axle shafts? if so did you check the center bearing?

 

no, I meant that the driver's shaft is shorter than the passenger's shaft - they are both stock shafts in there. The shafts are identical to the '89, I believe - I just need to see a '90 V6 or 2.5 turbo front engine mount (under the rad) in order to make sure mine's inserted correctly - Then I'll probably have to work on centering the engine afterwards

 

i went out and checked my old parts van (body parts to fix my turbo van) 1990 3.3 caravan and the rad front engine mount is exactly as i said it was on my 89 turbo van with the offset closer to the bottom. this would rotate the engine slightly forward which would raise the trans outputs upward. again most common shimmy probs are caused by the driverside inner joint failure of the tension spring inside. btw u really should use equal length shafts in that van. i got them in my turbo van and in the 1990 3.3

 

can you post a pic of the 3.3 front mount? - here's mine. Also, what do you mean by equal length shafts? My passenger drive shaft is about 18" shorter than the driver's side - or do you mean each drive axle should be split into 2 equal parts?

 

i took pics of my mount on a 3.3 and equal length axle shafts from my turbo van but i cant get them to post i click on manage attach and nothing happens.

 

i think it got the pic thing working this time

 

brilliant - cheers man. It looks as though I have my mount in correctly - there must be a left/ right issue on the passenger and transmission mounts then - I'll check to see how I can adjust - it also looks liks I have some leeway at the front (back and forth, too

thanks a bunch SD!!!