is my tranny mount bad?

chrome91 · 10-18-2009, 06:55 PM

I was just looking about tranny mounts and im worried mine might be bad, when i first put my 3rd gen into D in the morning it shifts fine and it shifts fine into D after i park it for a few hours. if i park it, and start it 5 minutes later and put it into D, it does a jolting clunk. i always thought this was just from age but i guess this could mean my tranny mount is bad. its been doing this for quite a while and ive gotten various work and oil changes on the max and not one person mentioned my mount is bad

does it sound like my tranny mount is bad? only does the clunk when put into D, not R or P

chrome91 · 10-18-2009, 07:16 PM

forgot to mention too that i have it on power mode and when it rides to about 3k rpm on first gear, you can hear a quiet click when it goes to 2nd, only when it rides to 2.8-3k.

1992maximase30 · 10-18-2009, 08:39 PM

i'm sure you can inspect your mount yourself.
all you have to do is probably remove the filter box to get a good view.
if the mount is separated from it's base or where the bolt goes into. then the mount is bad.
i'm sure there's probably other ways to check it.

chrome91 · 10-19-2009, 01:26 PM

well, i couldnt see anything funky so i took it to a good shop i know. figured may as well get my shifter bushing looked at too

good news is, my mounts are fine and my shifter bushing is fine. bad news is he said my tranny has some bad stuff going on in it

he said its one of those problems that you can do nothing about, and its a car with 414k on it so what can you expect

I dont know what to do, either go to a transmission place and get it rebuilt or something or just throw in a whole new tranny.

*AM_BlackMax* · 10-19-2009, 01:46 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by chrome91

well, i couldnt see anything funky so i took it to a good shop i know. figured may as well get my shifter bushing looked at too

good news is, my mounts are fine and my shifter bushing is fine. bad news is he said my tranny has some bad stuff going on in it

he said its one of those problems that you can do nothing about, and its a car with 414k on it so what can you expect

I dont know what to do, either go to a transmission place and get it rebuilt or something or just throw in a whole new tranny.

If he could elaborate on the "you can do nothing about" part that would be awesome.

chrome91 · 10-19-2009, 01:52 PM

lol i said the same thing, i said whats up with it and he said its a 414k car so you know.

when i pick it up in a bit i'll ask him again, i posted a thread in the Canada section to see if someone could do a 5spd swap or throw in a new auto tranny (i dont have the know how), if i cant find someone worst case is i have a cousin that could probably do it or just get it rebuilt

what im wondering is if they took it for a drive, i have it on power mode so it shifts in high RPM and that might be why they think something is up. or they just might have looked at my tranny and saw some bad stuff. she drives awesome though, no slips or issues at all, it was just the clunk that was making me antsy to take her in.

chrome91 · 10-19-2009, 05:17 PM

so i just went to pick her up, funny thing is about a week and a half ago my alty went downtown and i got her boosted and dropped off at the same shop since i needed it done ASAP. noone could drive me to pick the Max up then and i took a cab with a really nice guy, again had to take a cab, same guy and says "car broke down again?"

i went and asked the guy what made him think my tranny is going, he said he drove it and its the clunk of course and he said it "feels" like the trans is going when he drives it. i dont get it, she still pulls strong, shifts smooth, and no slips (though ive never been in a car with a slipping trans, but Cadaver said its like a noob 16yr old driving stick and into high RPM and she shifts smooth like butter)

i dont know what to think, she drives like she has since i got her, i might just make a appointment to a tranny specialist tomorrow and let them take a drive. I just wish Cadaver could drive it and see whats up

if it matters, the history of my 3rd gen is 1. old dude drives it brand new for a little bit, doesnt like it, trades it in 2. middle age dude buys it, uses it as a highway car (hence my high mileage). that dude was IMMACULATE with her records, kept a log, reciepts, EVERYTHING 3. 16 year old me gets it, back then i didnt know crap about it, bought it because it looked sweet, was a V6, could get a good deal on it because my uncle knew the guy, and there were a dozen people puting in offers

so basically the cars been babied.

and what i dont get the most is my shifter bushing is fine? you have to wiggle it down a bit in D for her to slip into gear and sometimes she wouldnt start (didnt stutter, but did nothing like when you try to start her with the gas cap off, that safety feature) and you have to rock her back and forth until theres a click and she starts, thats like 99% shifter bushing but they said my whole shifter is fine

maxinout93 · 10-20-2009, 12:16 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by chrome91

so i just went to pick her up, funny thing is about a week and a half ago my alty went downtown and i got her boosted and dropped off at the same shop since i needed it done ASAP. noone could drive me to pick the Max up then and i took a cab with a really nice guy, again had to take a cab, same guy and says "car broke down again?"

i went and asked the guy what made him think my tranny is going, he said he drove it and its the clunk of course and he said it "feels" like the trans is going when he drives it. i dont get it, she still pulls strong, shifts smooth, and no slips (though ive never been in a car with a slipping trans, but Cadaver said its like a noob 16yr old driving stick and into high RPM and she shifts smooth like butter)

i dont know what to think, she drives like she has since i got her, i might just make a appointment to a tranny specialist tomorrow and let them take a drive. I just wish Cadaver could drive it and see whats up

if it matters, the history of my 3rd gen is 1. old dude drives it brand new for a little bit, doesnt like it, trades it in 2. middle age dude buys it, uses it as a highway car (hence my high mileage). that dude was IMMACULATE with her records, kept a log, reciepts, EVERYTHING 3. 16 year old me gets it, back then i didnt know crap about it, bought it because it looked sweet, was a V6, could get a good deal on it because my uncle knew the guy, and there were a dozen people puting in offers

so basically the cars been babied.

and what i dont get the most is my shifter bushing is fine? you have to wiggle it down a bit in D for her to slip into gear and sometimes she wouldnt start (didnt stutter, but did nothing like when you try to start her with the gas cap off, that safety feature) and you have to rock her back and forth until theres a click and she starts, thats like 99% shifter bushing but they said my whole shifter is fine

Most of the time I always get a second opinion about problems with my car, because most of these mechanics around here dont know about maximas or they dont know a whole lot. Ive had people tell me my car has a timing chain, when in fact I know it has a timing belt. I used to baby my car when she was running. I also never knew what it felt like to have a transmission slip. Im so used to it shifting normally and feeling the shifts, and when it did start to slip I noticed that too. It would be in first gear, then smoothly slip into second, almost unnoticed, and im thinking Im still in first gear! Well my tranny started slipping, then burned fluid , then it died!

chrome91 · 10-20-2009, 03:43 PM

i dropped her off at a tranny place a couple hours ago, it was a nice guy at least. he said it sounds like its a mount that could be causing the clunk, i hope so.

he also said that i should NOT be driving it with power mode, he said the shifts in power mode arent the best for the car and it wastes gas, i was told by various people that its better than normal shifting because in city traffic it saves you from shifting to another gear alot of the time. he said only when towing should power mode be used, and my user manual says aggressive driving. i hope that i havent fuked up my tranny by being on power mode for the last 9 or so months.

anyhow i should know whats up within the next hour, waiting to hear its just a shizzy mount

chrome91 · 10-20-2009, 03:52 PM

good news

he just called, he said he tried her in comfort, normal, and power mode and he said she shifts smooth and my timing is fine and all, he said he cant see a problem. all the tests he did are free even

Stwodahorty · 10-20-2009, 05:46 PM

seems like you and me have the same problem, im not sure what to do either. but when i went to ask my mechanic to change the bushing, he said i need to change the engine and transmission mount in order for him to adjust it so D will be workable. supposedly if the transmission moves around, it causes other things to move. im not quite sure what to do either, imma probably just change the engine and transmission mount.

*CapedCadaver* · 10-20-2009, 06:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by chrome91

i dropped her off at a tranny place a couple hours ago, it was a nice guy at least. he said it sounds like its a mount that could be causing the clunk, i hope so.

he also said that i should NOT be driving it with power mode, he said the shifts in power mode arent the best for the car and it wastes gas, i was told by various people that its better than normal shifting because in city traffic it saves you from shifting to another gear alot of the time. he said only when towing should power mode be used, and my user manual says aggressive driving. i hope that i havent fuked up my tranny by being on power mode for the last 9 or so months.

anyhow i should know whats up within the next hour, waiting to hear its just a shizzy mount

meh, we know more about this car's antics than he does. you can look at it 2 ways for power mode, both of which are true, just depends how you look at it. on the one hand, for any given throttle position, the tranny shifts at a higher RPM. on the other hand, for any given RPM, the tranny shifts at a lower throttle position. meaning if you manipulate the throttle so it shifts at 3500rpm, that 3500rpm shift is actually gentler than a 3500rpm shift in comfort mode. so less heat. also driving around town, the tranny downshifts to the proper gear sooner, instead of hesitating THEN shifting like in comfort mode.. meaning it's less strain for the downshifts as well.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Stwodahorty

seems like you and me have the same problem, im not sure what to do either. but when i went to ask my mechanic to change the bushing, he said i need to change the engine and transmission mount in order for him to adjust it so D will be workable. supposedly if the transmission moves around, it causes other things to move. im not quite sure what to do either, imma probably just change the engine and transmission mount.

well the engine and tranny move as one unit. they are bolted together. so if you really think the mounts are bad (which simply due to the car's age/mileage, they probably are), the best thing to do is get all 4 mounts for $360 from Courtesyparts.com and put them on yourself.

http://www.courtesyparts.com/11220m-...611_1612_1617&

http://www.courtesyparts.com/11320-i...611_1612_1617&

http://www.courtesyparts.com/11340p-...611_1612_1617&

http://www.courtesyparts.com/11270m-...611_1612_1617&

1993-VG30E-GXE · 10-20-2009, 07:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by chrome91

good news

he just called, he said he tried her in comfort, normal, and power mode and he said she shifts smooth and my timing is fine and all, he said he cant see a problem. all the tests he did are free even

A little suggestion, I would consider buying a backup transmission if you can store it somewhere. Your unit is high mileage and likely will blow up soon - you can fit the GXE ones in your trunk. That way you won't get some unexpected huge cost coming your way. This is only if you want to keep the car though.

1993-VG30E-GXE · 10-20-2009, 07:12 PM

Hey look - I noticed the internet nerdlings have changed my photo. I must have hit a soft spot

I kind of like it - I think i'm going to keep it.

chrome91 · 10-20-2009, 07:33 PM

The guy gave me a general idea for a new tranny, i love that car to death so im building up my reserve funds if she does ever go

*mikekantor* · 10-20-2009, 08:02 PM

I had a clunk like that, went away when I filled my trans mounts with poly a few weeks ago. Its niiiice now, a bit rumbly at low RPM, but a good kind of rumbly.

1993-VG30E-GXE · 10-24-2009, 01:18 AM

Good idea chrome planning ahead like that. By the way Mike - do you have any idea how the mounts cause the clunk sound? I get it too when I put it into D or into park, I can't remember. When you say you 'filled your mounts with poly' are you saying you bought poly in some caulking gun or something and squeezed it in there around the rubber?

*mikekantor* · 10-24-2009, 09:15 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 1993-VG30E-GXE

Good idea chrome planning ahead like that. By the way Mike - do you have any idea how the mounts cause the clunk sound? I get it too when I put it into D or into park, I can't remember. When you say you 'filled your mounts with poly' are you saying you bought poly in some caulking gun or something and squeezed it in there around the rubber?

I got this thing from McMaster:
http://www.mcmaster.com/nav/enter.as...1&pagenum=3571

Duct tape one side of the mount, thoroughly, I had some leaks in mine, and set it so the mount is level. Mix the two compounds, pour into the mount, and wait for it to dry. I waited 4 days, but to me it looked fine after 2 days. I didnt bother removing all the old rubber, but I did drill a few holes in it just to add more volume for the poly.

I think the clunk happens when the trans hits the inside of the mount, but thats just a guess. My engine mounts were already filled a while ago by Matt, and still this was happening.