Trans Mount

[nc211]

I'm about 99% sure the trans mount in my GS is shot, but I have not had the time to look at it lately. Wanted to see if you guys think the same with the following symptoms I'm having. 1) Car shakes when at warm idle and in gear "stop light situation" - shake goes away if put into neutral or park, or a/c or cold idle is at play "higher rpms". 2) When cold, backing up out of the driveway and put it in neutral to coast, it gives a hard kick out of reverse into neutral.

3) audible vibration noise at speeds above 80mph. Could be tires, but I think it's mount. Tires are Goodyear GT4's, with 80% tread left.

So, think it's the mount?

Transmission fluid is flawless, as the previous owner had the 60k service done prior to trading it in at 56k miles, this included the trans fluid "flushed" by lexus dealer, of which I did a drain n' fill after purchasing the car myself with oem fluid "did this before verifying 60k service at dealership".

[SKperformance]

I would change it as it almost the same as the LS one just easier as it has less bolts.

[sakataj]

normally a motor or tranny mount will vibrate while its in park also....not just when its in gear. cant hurt to change them though...makes a world of difference

[nc211]

normally a motor or tranny mount will vibrate while its in park also....not just when its in gear. cant hurt to change them though...makes a world of difference

That's why I think it's just the transmission mount and not the two other engine mounts, as the car idles smooth as silk when in park or neutral, but starts to shake when in gear, with the engine engaging the transmission. With the roads the way they are here in Chicago, I'm refusing to spend a lot of money on this car. Just today I was about to order all new rotors and pads, as I'm pretty sure the ones on there now are Autozoney aftermarkets. But, when I saw the total bill for the brakes and mount for $600 bones "with shipping", I decided against it and to live with the brakes until they really need to be replaced. Just doesn't make sense to me to spend hundreds of dollars on a car that is going to get beat to sh*t by potholes, road salt, and all the other crap associated with the horrible "and I mean HORRIBLE" roads here.

Paid $12k and change for the car with the plan to drive it for a couple of years and then ditch it on our way out of town back to the south, when the economy gets better. But the transmission mount is a fix I'll do, as I don't want that one to break and cause serious damage to the car.

[sakataj]

That's why I think it's just the transmission mount and not the two other engine mounts, as the car idles smooth as silk when in park or neutral, but starts to shake when in gear, with the engine engaging the transmission. With the roads the way they are here in Chicago, I'm refusing to spend a lot of money on this car. Just today I was about to order all new rotors and pads, as I'm pretty sure the ones on there now are Autozoney aftermarkets. But, when I saw the total bill for the brakes and mount for $600 bones "with shipping", I decided against it and to live with the brakes until they really need to be replaced. Just doesn't make sense to me to spend hundreds of dollars on a car that is going to get beat to sh*t by potholes, road salt, and all the other crap associated with the horrible "and I mean HORRIBLE" roads here.

Paid $12k and change for the car with the plan to drive it for a couple of years and then ditch it on our way out of town back to the south, when the economy gets better. But the transmission mount is a fix I'll do, as I don't want that one to break and cause serious damage to the car.

well again...if you change the tranny mount go ahead and spend the other $ to do the motor mounts. will make a noticeable difference and you hate to replace tranny mount and a month or two later the motor mount go out and have to do this job/pay for labor again...u know what i mean my friend?

[nc211]

I hear ya', but I'm taking the "if it ain't broke, I'm not fixing it" theory on this car. The transmission mount is broken, so I'll fix it. I don't plan on having this car for more than a couple of years, and since I've driven a total of 502 miles since I bought it, I can't bring myself to spend the money on it. When the motor mounts start to show signs of wearing out (noise in the cabin, thumping at start up, shaking), I'll pony up the greenbacks. I wasted thousands of dollars on my LS400, only to sell it three years later. I get the 3 year itch, and I can tell I'll get it again with this car. I like it, but I don't love it.

[nc211]

Well I finally got around to changing the trans mount yesterday. Took all of about 45 minutes to do. The hardest part for me was getting the cross support bar to wiggle itself free from the 4 screw pins of the mount itself. One of the little holes of that cross bar is smaller than the rest, and all of the rust from years of snow/salt up here created some buildup on that screw pin. After that, it was cake. When I pull the old one out and placed it next to the new one, it didn't look bad at all, and certainly didn't look compressed. But, when I put the new one in, did I realize just how "soft" the old one had become. When I went to put the cross bar back on, there was about a 3/4th to 1 inch gap between the car itself and the cross bar, which wasn't the case when I took the old one out. I had to lift the trans up a tad to get the cross bar screws to grab their threads within the car.

It certainly helped with the shaking, and it certainly firmed up the feel of the car. But, the shaking is still there, so I'm guessing the engine mounts are probably ready to be replaced as well. Guess I'm back to parts.com for two mounts. Nothing clunks, clanks, clicks, just a little vibration at idle.

[sakataj]

Well I finally got around to changing the trans mount yesterday. Took all of about 45 minutes to do. The hardest part for me was getting the cross support bar to wiggle itself free from the 4 screw pins of the mount itself. One of the little holes of that cross bar is smaller than the rest, and all of the rust from years of snow/salt up here created some buildup on that screw pin. After that, it was cake. When I pull the old one out and placed it next to the new one, it didn't look bad at all, and certainly didn't look compressed. But, when I put the new one in, did I realize just how "soft" the old one had become. When I went to put the cross bar back on, there was about a 3/4th to 1 inch gap between the car itself and the cross bar, which wasn't the case when I took the old one out. I had to lift the trans up a tad to get the cross bar screws to grab their threads within the car.

It certainly helped with the shaking, and it certainly firmed up the feel of the car. But, the shaking is still there, so I'm guessing the engine mounts are probably ready to be replaced as well. Guess I'm back to parts.com for two mounts. Nothing clunks, clanks, clicks, just a little vibration at idle.

nice....any chance of you doing a pictorial or a diy on this when you do the mounts? i wish i had asked you to do one on the tranny mount as im wanting to do this but im unsure of how difficult it would be

[SKperformance]

it is just bolts , nothing that needs a tutorial as it only goes one way.

Sak , what is up with the novel for the sig ?

The damn thing is a blog .

[sakataj]

it is just bolts , nothing that needs a tutorial as it only goes one way.

Sak , what is up with the novel for the sig ?

The damn thing is a blog .

hmmm...ok...well i mean its not just 3 bolts so i dunno, im a visual person :)

its just some of the stuff im working on, ha its not even all of the stuff im working on

[SKperformance]

check carson for a picture of the part with bolts for a visual.

Might want to try and make a normal sig instead of a novel.

[Slvr99LS]

Well I finally got around to changing the trans mount yesterday. Took all of about 45 minutes to do. The hardest part for me was getting the cross support bar to wiggle itself free from the 4 screw pins of the mount itself. One of the little holes of that cross bar is smaller than the rest, and all of the rust from years of snow/salt up here created some buildup on that screw pin. After that, it was cake. When I pull the old one out and placed it next to the new one, it didn't look bad at all, and certainly didn't look compressed. But, when I put the new one in, did I realize just how "soft" the old one had become. When I went to put the cross bar back on, there was about a 3/4th to 1 inch gap between the car itself and the cross bar, which wasn't the case when I took the old one out. I had to lift the trans up a tad to get the cross bar screws to grab their threads within the car.

It certainly helped with the shaking, and it certainly firmed up the feel of the car. But, the shaking is still there, so I'm guessing the engine mounts are probably ready to be replaced as well. Guess I'm back to parts.com for two mounts. Nothing clunks, clanks, clicks, just a little vibration at idle.

nice....any chance of you doing a pictorial or a diy on this when you do the mounts? i wish i had asked you to do one on the tranny mount as im wanting to do this but im unsure of how difficult it would be

Hi Sakataj, about 2 weeks ago I posted a DIY on the trans mount on an LS (very similar) with photos of both the old and new mount. It fixed a significant part of my vibration issue as well and I highly recommend replacing it. I'll try here to attach the link:

http://us.lexusownersclub.com/forums/index...mp;#entry371875

I realize it's a somewhat lengthy read, but for clarity I wanted to provide the whole story. Hope it helps...

[sakataj]

check carson for a picture of the part with bolts for a visual.

Might want to try and make a normal sig instead of a novel.

um so that wont help but i guess thanks for the effort ??

i ignored this the 1st time u said it but now im curious...why do u care bout my sig

Hi Sakataj, about 2 weeks ago I posted a DIY on the trans mount on an LS (very similar) with photos of both the old and new mount. It fixed a significant part of my vibration issue as well and I highly recommend replacing it. I'll try here to attach the link:

http://us.lexusownersclub.com/forums/index...mp;#entry371875

I realize it's a somewhat lengthy read, but for clarity I wanted to provide the whole story. Hope it helps...

i will look at it....thanks alot man. how timely was this? also how much of a PITA?

[nc211]

Changing the mount is actually quite straight forward and easy. Spend a couple of minutes just looking at the mounting under the car, and it should be easy to figure. This was the first trans mount I've ever done myself. I did not refer to my pdf repair files, I just took a look and backed my way into it. The KEY thing that you MUST DO though, is make sure you've the transmission supported with a floor jack first. I did this with my rolling floor jack and a 12 in' long 2x4 under the transmission pan itself "Be cautious of the transmission pan drain bolt, don't put the wood over it." Basically, just roll the lift under the pan, and start jacking it up. When you get a couple of inches from the pan, balance the 2x4 on the lift and lift the transmission maybe an inch at most. You just need to releive the pressure of the transmission from the mount. Once that's done, it's off to the mount itself.

The mount is directly behind the trans pan, along the lines of the driveshaft itself. Look for a light grey cross member, maybe 6 inches long by 3 inches wide. It almost looks like plastic. It's arched a little too, with a criss-cross pattern of squares under it. It's the only one under there, and easy to spot. It is attached to the car with four bolts. In the middle of the cross member are four more bolts recessed. These are the "punch through" bolts from the bottom of the mount. There are 4 more bolts on the top of the mount that connect it to the transmission.

Step 1: Take off the four smaller bolts that are recessed in the center of the crossmember.

Step 2: Take off the four larger bolts that hold the cross member to the car.

Step 3: Slide the cross member down over the four screw in the recessed part (the screw closest to the front passenger side might give you a little trouble, just work it back and forth to get it loose. This is the hole that is the smaller than the other three)

Step 4: Now the transmount is exposed. Take the four bolts off at the top of the mount. Now, the mount is out of the car.

To reinstall, just go backwards in the process. It took me about 40 minutes to do this. And considering it was my first time to do this specific repair, I'm pleased with that.

You only need to sprocket sizes to get the bolts off. The sprocket for the crossmember bolts, and the sprocket for the recessed bolts. The bolts at the top of the mount are the same size as the lower.

Sorry, I don't have pic's. But honestly, if you can change your own oil, you can do this as well. It's very easy and once you look at the mount, you'll see why.

[sakataj]

Changing the mount is actually quite straight forward and easy. Spend a couple of minutes just looking at the mounting under the car, and it should be easy to figure. This was the first trans mount I've ever done myself. I did not refer to my pdf repair files, I just took a look and backed my way into it. The KEY thing that you MUST DO though, is make sure you've the transmission supported with a floor jack first. I did this with my rolling floor jack and a 12 in' long 2x4 under the transmission pan itself "Be cautious of the transmission pan drain bolt, don't put the wood over it." Basically, just roll the lift under the pan, and start jacking it up. When you get a couple of inches from the pan, balance the 2x4 on the lift and lift the transmission maybe an inch at most. You just need to releive the pressure of the transmission from the mount. Once that's done, it's off to the mount itself.

The mount is directly behind the trans pan, along the lines of the driveshaft itself. Look for a light grey cross member, maybe 6 inches long by 3 inches wide. It almost looks like plastic. It's arched a little too, with a criss-cross pattern of squares under it. It's the only one under there, and easy to spot. It is attached to the car with four bolts. In the middle of the cross member are four more bolts recessed. These are the "punch through" bolts from the bottom of the mount. There are 4 more bolts on the top of the mount that connect it to the transmission.

Step 1: Take off the four smaller bolts that are recessed in the center of the crossmember.

Step 2: Take off the four larger bolts that hold the cross member to the car.

Step 3: Slide the cross member down over the four screw in the recessed part (the screw closest to the front passenger side might give you a little trouble, just work it back and forth to get it loose. This is the hole that is the smaller than the other three)

Step 4: Now the transmount is exposed. Take the four bolts off at the top of the mount. Now, the mount is out of the car.

To reinstall, just go backwards in the process. It took me about 40 minutes to do this. And considering it was my first time to do this specific repair, I'm pleased with that.

You only need to sprocket sizes to get the bolts off. The sprocket for the crossmember bolts, and the sprocket for the recessed bolts. The bolts at the top of the mount are the same size as the lower.

Sorry, I don't have pic's. But honestly, if you can change your own oil, you can do this as well. It's very easy and once you look at the mount, you'll see why.

thanks....i guess i'm gonna have to get down there and look :) appreciate it though

[MaJo]

On 5/12/2009 at 8:02 PM, nc211 said:

That's why I think it's just the transmission mount and not the two other engine mounts, as the car idles smooth as silk when in park or neutral, but starts to shake when in gear, with the engine engaging the transmission. With the roads the way they are here in Chicago, I'm refusing to spend a lot of money on this car. Just today I was about to order all new rotors and pads, as I'm pretty sure the ones on there now are Autozoney aftermarkets. But, when I saw the total bill for the brakes and mount for $600 bones "with shipping", I decided against it and to live with the brakes until they really need to be replaced. Just doesn't make sense to me to spend hundreds of dollars on a car that is going to get beat to sh*t by potholes, road salt, and all the other crap associated with the horrible "and I mean HORRIBLE" roads here.

Paid $12k and change for the car with the plan to drive it for a couple of years and then ditch it on our way out of town back to the south, when the economy gets better. But the transmission mount is a fix I'll do, as I don't want that one to break and cause serious damage to the car.

With the hybrids, the brakes are not used too much. So Its better to changes the breaks too its its too long. My GS 450h had very bad vibration. All my disk and pads looked okay. But I decided to change it. Then realized the vibration was caused my jammed calipers.