t2d2

iTrader: (8)

Moving on down my to-do list, replacing the transmission mount (#12371-50030, SC400) is one of the things I would like to do next to possibly eliminate some minor vibrations. I haven't been able to find whether there's any difference between the brands, other than price. Usually, there's a vocal crowd saying "OEM!" but I just can't find much of anything for tranny mounts.

The ~$50 ones on eBay are all Volligs, but the brand has a terrible reputation with the various German cars. Then again, it's just a chunk of metal with no moving parts.

There's also WD Express and MTC, both in the $60 range. (The LS400 gets lucky with the WD Express #232 30003 673 for $30-ish.)

OEM is $90+ at Sewell.

Is OEM going to be twice as good/reliable as the others, or is it like many parts where there's really only one manufacturer for all of the brands? Too bad AutoZone doesn't have one under the Duralast umbrella.

turbodremz

iTrader: (18)

If you notice most of the OEM mounts last 20+ years and with all the GTE swaps using the stock mounts, they also handle a fair amount of abuse and have been proven. Just based on that I would stay OEM.

t2d2

iTrader: (8)

But to play devil's advocate, have any of the non-OEM ones had the luxury of 20+ years of testing to see if they don't hold up just as well?

I did find a couple OEM ones for $70-80, though, so I'll probably go that route for peace of mind unless anyone chimes in with very good experiences with the aftermarket brands.

scENFORCER

The only different mounts I was aware of was Megans and OEM.

t2d2

iTrader: (8)

They're definitely out there, but who they're actually made by is the big question. The prices I've seen mentioned for CL'ers upgrades makes me think I a lot of people have gone with the "off brand" options, which is why I'm curious if any differences have been noted.

Does Megan Racing sell just the tranny mount by itself? I've seen it as part of a kit with the engine mounts for $300+.

scENFORCER

Not sure about Megan selling seperately. But that's a good engine/tranny kit if you like a sturdy ride.

As far as brands of OEM, I've replaced the tranny mount on all my SC's with an OEM rubber one off eBay. I didn't even think to check the actual manufacturer, but they've all given me a night and day improvement on ride quality.

t2d2

iTrader: (8)

Sturdy as in very firm? I've read the Megan mounts are quite a bit firmer than stock, which probably wouldn't be to my liking. Tough to say without seat time, though. I haven't had my engine mounts looked at to see what state they're in...

I currently have a small amount of vibration that I'm assuming is attributable to the transmission mount. Most likely, my 20 year old car still has the original one in place. The most noticeable thing I'm hoping it will also address is a fair bit of herky jerky in reverse, although my gut feeling is that has something to do with the IAC trying to modulate the idle.

Biddles

iTrader: (2)

I thought the tranny mount would reduce that clunk when going into reverse as others have stated, but for me it hasn't, however one of my tranny bolts broke and I could not remove it so I am only bolted in with three bolts...

Still have the jerk, but I'm thinking its a bushing somewhere. I forget which bushing, but I bookmarked the thread somewhere with the info. Rear diff? Can't remember, anyway I got the OEM one from Sewell, and with the CL Discount it's not too bad. My old one was completely shot, split and cracked. Definitely replace, if in doubt just grab OEM you know it's good for another 15+ years.

oldManTan

i have the clunk too, replaced diff bushings with the poly ones from here and it's still there, so who knows why that clunk is there but it's annoying. i'm hoping to change my engine mounts sometime soon also because when i'm inching forward the entire car sways side to side with the engine. kinda nauseating sometimes lol

t2d2

iTrader: (8)

Yeah, I'm also not expecting the into-gear clunk to go away from changing the tranny mount, based on so many people saying nay to the many yays. The thing I was talking about is what feels like an uneven idle when I'm in reverse.

When I was under the car swapping mufflers this week, I noticed a pretty worn out looking bushing. I think it was the rear diff, but that's an area I've never worked on so I need to consult some pictures to be sure.

t2d2

iTrader: (8)

I just realized, I never actually created an account on Sewell's site. I was thinking it was just a checkout thing as far as the discount being applied, which I thought was 10%. It's actually more like a third off, at least on the transmission and engine mounts, making OEM a much better price than I figured. $150 for all three, plus whatever shipping is.

t2d2

iTrader: (8)

Although, it seems I may have actually fixed the herky jerky reverse thing yesterday when I reattempted to set the TPS properly. I still couldn't get it to meet each of the feeler gauge criteria, but it seemed like it came closer than previous attempts. Might be a good excuse to get a better multimeter... The partial throttle 40 mph bucking hesitation that's driven me nuts for months has been gone since then, and the idle is smooth as can be in reverse now.

So, I'm back to just looking for a small vibrations improvement out of the transmission mount. Mine is probably worn but not shot.

t2d2

iTrader: (8)

After a bit of searching, it appears that it is indeed the diff mounts, that attach the differential to the rear subframe. The one on the driver's side looks pretty bad... I guess I need to read up more on what's involved in swapping them out (sold replacements are welded in, but rubber/poly are pressed in?), which part numbers I need, etc.

These pictures are looking up under the back of the car, just ahead of the mufflers.

bigwhite

Bought mine from Lexus thinking it would take out a very small amount of vibration i had in my shifter while driving down the road. It did not.

t2d2

iTrader: (8)

That sounds more like the the bushing at the base of the shifter itself, which is a common wear item. I went with the quick and dirty solution of wrapping some electrical tape around the shift **** so it doesn't vibrate against the bezel from the excessive play. That eliminated 90-95% of the vibration and bought me some time on fixing it properly.

I've been reading up some on the differential-subframe mounts/spacers, and it appears the old ones need to be burned out. That makes it a job for the mechanic... Oddly, the driver's side one is only $57 at Sewell, while the passenger side one is $110. I'm guessing it would be a bad idea to replace just the bad one, even though the other isn't showing any obvious deterioration?

I haven't had any luck finding a polyurethane option yet, but the solid aluminum Battle Version ones are about the same price as stock rubbers. Is it bad to switch to solid for some bushings but not others, or is it okay to upgrade them bit by bit as needed?