Every time I accelerate hard if feels like someone took a baseball bat to the bottom of my car. I know this is a symptom of tranny mounts. I don't have a way to get the car in the air, so I crawled under it with half the car on a curb and the other in the street. I could only see two mounts in the back connecting to the crossmember. Are those the only ones? And if so, what the hel| is wrong with my car?

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Jeff
92 Camaro V6, mods: K&N, modified air box, JET chip 2,Dynomax Cat & Cat Back System
www.camarors.4t.com

 

Yeah, those are them!
The bolts in there may be 15mm. Go get a tranny mount, deep sockets, lots of rags, (REAL GREASY BACK THERE) and piece of wood, to GENTLY raise the tranny to replace everything. 99% of time is setting up everything & examining. 1% is the replacement.
OR it is kinda easy to do!
Keep the car exhaust COOL! Get up in the air, quick or jack it up. SECURE IT SECURE IT apply rear parking brake too!!
If you did the ground driveway trick (to observe), you're 1/2 way there!

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Chat Soon,
KED85
Karl
1985 Firebird 2.8 to 3.4 swap project for Smog Happy LA, CA

 

The V6 cars use primary and secondary tranny mounts. The secondary are rubber donuts between the crossmember and a raised metal piece, the primary connects the raised piece to the tranny. The mount thats likely broken is the primary mount. Invest in a good jack and stands and have a look. On one hand its a cheap fix ($40 or less) to have a shop do it, on the other you'll gain the tools, and experiance from doing it yourself.

 

I seem to have the same problem w/ mine. I'm really afraid to take off hard anymore b/c it is so bad. I'm afraid of the damage it is causing. It seems to be worse the more weight in the car. My girlfriend likes to drive my car and I cringe everytime she takes off from a light. One last thing, first post in a while for me. Not been on the net a lot at all since I moved in w/ my new gf. Nice to be back for the night though!!

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Red 1986 SC, 2.8L, rebuilt 700R4, 3.42, t-tops, 161K miles and counting, K&N air filters w/ removed air baffles, hopefully more to come!
RIP #3

 

I see those, and they seem to be intact. are there any other ones?


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Jeff
92 Camaro V6, mods: K&N, modified air box, JET chip 2,Dynomax Cat & Cat Back System
www.camarors.4t.com

 

well I have a 92 3.1 and I have 1 and only 1 mount. It cost me 156 bucks from the dealer for a manual mount and I am still pissed but as far as I know there should be only 1. It's on the center cross frame bolted to that plate that sticks out on the front face. I think it was 13/14/maybe 15 MM Not very big as I recall but this was last christmas is the last time I was under there replaceing the clutch.

 

My 89 v6 and my 87 t/a both only had a single mount. The secondary could have been removed, mind you, but l only saw the one big one.

For you automatic guys, the price is about $7 for a new one. You stick guys are stuck w/ $140+

Proceedure for replacing mount:
1: Jack the front up (YOu might can do it w/ car on ground, just a PITA that way)
2: Get a jack under the Tranny, and raise it enough to take the strain off the mount.
3: Remove the Nut/Bolt that holds the mount to the crossmember. (2 IIRC)
4: Remove the 4 bolts that hold the crossmember to the frame of the car
5: Remove crossmember
6: Remove the Nut/Bolt holding the mount to the tranny.

Intallation is the reverse of removal. Just do a countdown.

Really simple, really easy. And for you auto guys, why not? Only $7. (This is one of the few areas we can stick our tongues out at the manual guys)

Clayton

 

Clayton, You had to remove cross member?
I just used wrenches to get the bolts off tranny for the mount.
Like I said, 99% is the mess, set up, 1% the removal & reversal of the mount. Took like 60 minutes, if that much. Sockets and wrenches, was all it took. Oh yeah, the jack!

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Chat Soon,
KED85
Karl
1985 Firebird 2.8 to 3.4 swap project for Smog Happy LA, CA

 

The V6 automatic cars use a primary and secondary mount, the sticks use a single mount. The auto & manual V8's use a single mount thats different than the V6 stick mount. Anyway here's a picture or two that should explain it.

 

a few side notes... You should be able to change the mount without removing the crossmember. Also its a good idea to invest in one of the poly mounts that are available. They last virtually forever. After you do this once or twice you should be able to change em and have the car back on the road in less than 20 minutes total. But if you don't already have a good jack, jackstands, rachets, extensions, sockets, and the mount, buying these items will cost more than having the local mechanic do it. Like I said a shop can do it for about $20 total, a good jack, stands, or a small set of tools will cost more than that.

 

Im going to try to do this myself, I will be under there putting in a catback soon anyway, my uncle has a lift at his bodyshop. Til then, Im just gonna have to keep my foot light on the gas.

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Jeff
92 Camaro V6, mods: K&N, modified air box, JET chip 2,Dynomax Cat & Cat Back System
www.camarors.4t.com

 

LUCKY
Wish I was in HB (those WOMEN as SO FINE, they all work at Grinders! after I partied with them all night!).
AND those infamous Labor Day, Fourth of July "events"!
And you have access to a lift, no less.
Get under there and go enjoy the waves later on.

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Chat Soon,
KED85
Karl
1985 Firebird 2.8 to 3.4 swap project for Smog Happy LA, CA

 

ive done this 4 *****in times... but i also discovered ES urethane mounts... so i dont plan on replacin that dam thing again.. i also replaced the crossmember bushings while i was under there... all in all was bout 35-40 bux for a mount which should never brake as easily as the rubber stock replacement ones.

 

Ha..I had the exact same thump when I first got my car. I didn't know anything at all about cars back then, so I had thumped it like 12 times before I started learning things..brought it to a mechanic and guess what I found? It had no transmission mount WHATSOEVER. Had to pay for the whole thing, bolts, etc. plus labor. Wasn't expensive at all though, considering anything with the word transmission in it practically means expensive.

91 3.1 V-6 RS
Mods:
-K&N Filtercharger
-Copper-Core Superstock 7 mm spark wires
[Would've put spiralcores or 8.8's in, but I heard it didn't make any difference if you put them in a 6 cyl, so I went with cheaper 7 mm's.]

 

My '86 doesn't have the "secondary" crossmember bushings, either.

There was somethign I read a lonnng time ago about the center hole in the crossmember cracking due to stress. I believe this later-mod of the secondary trans mount came about as a "fix" to the cracking of the center bolt hole. Instead of the trans mount stressing out one bolt hole, it has two, and spreads the load out evenly, and the crossmember doesn't suffer as much.

The '89 V6 I did the swap on had the secondary mount.


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-Tom P (Hot rodded 1986 Firebird 2.8l)