Hi. Can someone give me some info?

[babylonsister]

I have a 93 Toyota with about 55,000 miles on it. Just made a trip from TX to GA where I moved. The car is noisy and shakes. Seems to even out if I'm able to get out of the 45 mph zones that rule around here.

I asked someone working at a station and she said it's probably the motor mounts that need replacing. She quoted $25-30 per mount, plus labor. Can someone tell me what replacing these 4 mounts might entail labor-wise? Is that a big job? I'm a bit worried about the price. Is that quote reasonable?

Also, it might be the transmission. :( If that's the case, I'm not sure what I'll do. Don't know if it'd be worthwhile to pour thousands into a 93 Toyota, but the alternate isn't worth considering at this point.

Any thoughts or suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

[flvegan]

1. "noisy and shakes" could be an awful lot of things.

Also, and someone correct me, I've not heard of 4 motor mounts breaking/going bad at once. With motor mounts, it is often one of those "cheap part, intense labor" deals.

That said, "noisy and shakes" could be all kinds of suspension related, tire related, etc too. You need to have the car checked out by a competent mechanic that can pinpoint the problem(s) and hopefully get them fixed as inexpensively as possible. Also, "noisy and shakes" can be inherently dangerous. It doesn't HAVE to be, but it could be, so please get it checked asap.

Sorry I wasn't a bigger help.

[babylonsister]

2. Thanks for your response. Yea, that wasn't a very good description,

was it. But that's what it's doing, though it's not consistent.

I was told all 4 motor mounts would need to be replaced. There's rubber in them? and might have dry-rotted after all these years? I was afraid it would be labor-intensive. :(

And yes, I will go get it checked out asap; I cannot afford to lose my wheels over something I can fix.

[bluedigger]

3. To replace the motor mounts you have to pull the motor.

The "mounts" are what connect the motor to the frame, or body, of the car. They are of a softer material, to reduce vibration from the motor, and can go bad. It's pretty rare, though. If even one does go, it makes sense financially to replace them all while you have the motor up off the frame, plus you would otherwise introduce uneven wear into the equation. Some cars can have the engine partially pulled and you don't have to disconnect everything. Others, you have to get the motor completely out of the car. I would get a second opinion. Good luck!

[babylonsister]

4. Thank you. I will definitely get a second opinion. nt

[Tab]

5. If it events out at 45 mph

Is it worse around 55 to 65? Then I'd guess your wheels are out of alingment.

If it's worse below that, could be anything, but motor mounts are good to check, especially on a 16 year old car when you live in a hot, dry environment.

[babylonsister]

6. It gets more even the faster I go; I don't think the wheels are out

of alignment because I know how that feels, and that would affect the steering, I think.

I'm going with the motor mounts, and hopefully that is the problem. Maybe. :shrug:

The hot environment this car has lived in hasn't helped.

[ConcernedCanuk]

7. Get more opinions - get other mechanics to DRIVE it

.
.
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It could be a universal joint, wheel balance - but I DOUBT very much that it is the motor mounts.

I'm a licensed mechanic since 1975 - yeah I'm gettin' up there . .

ANYHOO

Don't be embarrassed to bug every garage in town until you are convinced the mechanic knows what he is talkin' about.

It has been my experience in my over 40 years of dealing with mechanics that most of them have more bullshit than brains.

Alignment would not cause a vibration, but balance will

AND - sometimes a tire goes out of round - usually a belt separation issue.

NO ONE can hope to diagnose the car accurately without driving it . .

no one

[babylonsister]

8. Great advice, and from a pro. Thank you! nt

[DainBramaged]

9. tire balance

probably threw a weight. If the steering wheel shakes, it's the front if your seat shakes, it's the back. Balance and rotate, the key to long tire life (along with maintaining tire pressures).