faulty engine and transmission mounts WREAK HAVOC! my trans started with a cold slip. took it to a transmission specialist (before it got worse). after 2 weeks he said he cant find anything wrong with my trans. it wouldnt slip on him. told me he could do a flush/maintenance for $799.00 with a 6 month warranty. he also told me that i had motor oil and transmission fluid ALL OVER the place. so now i ask him if he could do PACKAGE REPAIR (engine AND trans). he says that he ONLY does transmissions. i take my car home - ready to do research and find that mechanic wizard that WILL DO EVERYTHING. my boyfriend parks the car then says that he THINKS its the MOTOR MOUNTS. he opens the hood and guns the engine while i watch - sure enough. BROKEN MOTOR MOUNTS - my engine was lifting from the rear/drivers side of the motor and crossing over to the front/passensger side of the motor.

whats CRAZY is that i called the transmission repairman and told him about the broken engine mounts and he instantly tells me that HE KNEW!!! that is freaking nahtzzzz! so that means that even though he did the work with a six-month warranty, i would STILL HAVE PROBLEMS!!!

in short, i ordered the ENGINE/TRANSMISSION MOUNT KIT from ebay for $115.50 shipping to HAWAII INCLUDED (and fast - package arrived in 3 days just got them installed at goodyear (labor only $367.00) and my car runs like a DREAM!!!

ONE MOTOR MOUNT WAS COMPLETELY SEVERED AS WAS THE TRANSMISSION MOUNT. THE OTHER MOTOR MOUNT WAS JUST ABOUT TO SHEAR (MY BOYFRIEND SEPERATED THE MOUNT BY HAND!!!).

i will UPDATE on the transmissions "COLD-SLIP".

 

$799 for a transmission flush! He definitely was trying to rob you. I'm assuming your a woman. This issue is so easy to diagnose that he knew what the issue was and still tried to sell you the service that HE provides. Good thing you asked for the engine service and he declined!

 

Yep, I had a vibration when i purchased the car and used it to negotiate the price of the car. I changed it's felt like a new every since. I applaud you for getting estimates and being hesitant to let them do the work. Kudos to your boyfriend who saved you a crap ton of money and unnecessary work.

 

glad the mounts are sorted out. i would do a drain and fill on the trans, using only toyota type-IV transmission fluid. usually a drain and fill would necessitate 2 quarts. then do it again at the next oil change. then the next until about 5-6 iterations to get all the bad fluid out. an complete whole flush is not recommended as these transmissions are sensitive to fluid. too new fluid and things tend to get wacky.

also make sure you have the right amount of fluid. measure using the trans dip stick, on level ground, and best to use the 'hot' side of the stick. there is a 'cold' side but is not as ideal.

 

sometimes its good to be hard-headed - especially at that price!

 

actually - i purchased my car with the broken mounts (i KNOW this NOW) because its like an ENTIRELY NEW CAR!!!

these are issues i HAD before the motor/trans mount replacement >

engine had a mild knock (i thought it was internal)
while in motion - the car would ALWAYS drift towards the right
between 70 and 80 mph - pretty mean vibration throughout the car
the pull was very hard during deep acceleration

NOTICEABLE CHANGES AFTER REPLACEMENT >

NO knock - at all
NO drifting - at all
Vibration is now very slight - enough for me to notice that its coming from my passenger/rear side.
NO pull at all - TRANSITION is EXTREMELY SMOOTH.

 

i am truly blessed! i ordered a trans flush at the goodyear that replaced my motor/trans mounts. they said they didnt want to do it because there is fluid all over the place.

my boyfriend washed the entire undercarriage and engine compartment to try and locate the source and said that the lines need to be tightened and/or replaced.

THANK YOU FOR YOUR ADVICE!!! the LAST thing i want to do is make things worse!

 

Don't buy junk aftermarket motor mounts. Only get OEM. Lexus of South Atlanta and Sewell have good pricing.

 

thank you for that advice - im planning on getting a SPARE SET of motor/trans mounts!

 

-your photo looks like a 98-2000, is that right? how many miles ?