Proper Engine Torque Strut Alignment

HazmatJeff · Post by **HazmatJeff** » Wed Mar 23, 2011 7:19 pm

Would not doing this after changing out both torque struts cause any noise?

Danteneon · Post by **Danteneon** » Thu Mar 24, 2011 8:00 am

If it were out of alignment bad enough it could, but the most likely problem caused would be vibration.

HazmatJeff · Post by **HazmatJeff** » Sun Apr 03, 2011 9:51 am

So I did this yesterday, following everything minus the exact torque specs (I don't have a torque wrench). But it still vibrates bad, and both the mounts are new. I don't know what is wrong.

Neon4Life · Post by **Neon4Life** » Sun Apr 03, 2011 10:00 am

you dont need a torque wrench. regular muscle force is enough. But if you still got vibration then either you did it wrong or your vibration is being caused because of other worn out parts.

are they stock mounts with no inserts or anything..?

NickKo · Post by **NickKo** » Sun Apr 03, 2011 8:24 pm

Well, assuming that the adjustment of the motor mounts is correct, I would start looking at other causes.

Are you getting any engine (misfire) codes ??
Do the vibrations occur only at idle, or only when the car is moving ??

- Nick

HazmatJeff · Post by **HazmatJeff** » Sun Apr 03, 2011 9:06 pm

The vibration occurs when I takeoff from a stop, no real noticeable vibration at idle.

They are OEM mounts I guess, with the black rubber inserts I guess. Maybe I did something wrong, because when I tried it a few weeks back I didn't measure the distance and it was vibration free for a day or so.

03SXTGUY · Post by **03SXTGUY** » Sun Jan 08, 2012 9:10 pm

Danteneon wrote: Loosen the upper and lower torque strut attaching bolt at the suspension crossmember and shock tower bracket.
The engine position may now be adjusted by positioning a suitable floor jack on the forward edge of the transmission bell housing.

NOTE: The floor jack must be positioned as shown in (Floor Jack Positioning) to prevent minimal upward lifting of the engine.

With the engine supported, remove the upper and lower torque strut attachment bolt(s) at shock tower bracket and suspension crossmember. Verify that the torque struts are free to move within the shock tower bracket and crossmember. Reinstall the torque strut bolt(s), but do not tighten.
Carefully apply upward force, allowing the upper engine to rotate rearward until the distance between the center of the rearmost attaching stud on the engine mount bracket (point “A”) and the center of the hole for the washer hose clip on the shock tower bracket (point “B”) is 119 mm (4.70 in.).

Okay, so I'm about to replace both of upper/lower torque struts as my old ones are ripping and I'm getting horrible vibrations, most while idling in gear. It lessens in N or R as the engine shifts backwards. The mechanic at Dodge is the one that spotted the lower one's rubber esp. tearing around the center. I ordered the two from MPx as they claim to sell official Mopar OEM torque struts for under $40 ea. The stealership wants about $80/ea.

I only have two questions related to the alignment - not how to actually change out the struts...

1) By the Haynes stating to loosen the torque struts at the suspension crossmember and shock tower bracket...obviously for the upper one, the shock tower bracket is the rear bolt, correct? For the lower one, are they referring to the rear or front bolt? Also, should I take the bolt completely out, reposition, then replace the bolt and tighten; or can I just loosen the bolt, leave it in the actual TS, reposition, and then tighten back down?

2) To properly position the jack (+ piece of wood) it says that I should place it on the forward edge (I'm taking this as meaning the side towards the front of the vehicle) of the transmission bell housing. Is the transmission bell housing just where the transmission bolts up to the engine? So it would be just to the left of the transmission solenoid assembly if you are standing in front of the car looking into the engine compartment? I understand the purpose is not to lift the engine straight up, but rather to make it tilt rearwards - I definitely think mine is leaning too forward right now - hence the tearing of the lower TS and the excessive vibrations while in gear.

TIA!

Danteneon · Post by **Danteneon** » Mon Jan 09, 2012 9:37 am

03SXTGUY wrote:the shock tower bracket is the rear bolt, correct? Yes

For the lower one, are they referring to the rear or front bolt? I would loosen (not remove) both. That will allow the lower mount to position itself where it needs to be once the distance is measured.

Also, should I take the bolt completely out, reposition, then replace the bolt and tighten; or can I just loosen the bolt, leave it in the actual TS, reposition, and then tighten back down? If you are referring to the upper bolt, just loosen it enough so it moves easily.

2) To properly position the jack (+ piece of wood) it says that I should place it on the forward edge (I'm taking this as meaning the side towards the front of the vehicle) of the transmission bell housing. Is the transmission bell housing just where the transmission bolts up to the engine? So it would be just to the left of the transmission solenoid assembly if you are standing in front of the car looking into the engine compartment? That is correct.

03SXTGUY · Post by **03SXTGUY** » Mon Jan 09, 2012 7:11 pm

Thanks Dante!

MPx just shipped 'em out today - so I should receive them in 1-2 days

03SXTGUY · Post by **03SXTGUY** » Thu Jan 12, 2012 8:47 pm

Can anyone look up the official Mopar part number for the automatic trans mount? I can't seem to find it anywhere online - just the Anchor part #3124 - I read horrible reviews regarding the Anchor brand...I'm not going to waste $60-100 on one - I'd like to stay OEM

NickKo · Post by **NickKo** » Fri Jan 13, 2012 6:49 am

03SXTGUY wrote:Can anyone look up the official Mopar part number for the automatic trans mount? I can't seem to find it anywhere online - just the Anchor part #3124 - I read horrible reviews regarding the Anchor brand...I'm not going to waste $60-100 on one - I'd like to stay OEM

I don't have the part numbers, but here are some on-line sites :

http://www.mopar-wholesale.com/part-number-search.html

http://wermopar.com/

http://www.dodgecarandtruckparts.com/pa ... eid=215363

The only downfall of these sites is that they don't necessarily 'advertise' the part numbers.
At least they will let folks order the parts on-line, which is nice.

Also, have you tried RockAuto.com ?? Or do they carry only the Anchor part brand ??

- Nick

03SXTGUY · Post by **03SXTGUY** » Fri Jan 13, 2012 9:36 am

Hey thanks Nick! I was looking at those exact sites last night...

Yes, I have checked RockAuto - unfortunately they only sell the DEA and Anchor brands. Their Anchor (Part #3124) price is $46.79. Meanwhile, MoparPartsConnection's OEM price is $48.44 and Mopar-Wholesale is $47.21 - for anyone looking to replace their A/T Trans Mount in the future, I would definitely go with Mopar > Anchor for the same price

I really wish MPx had stock of the Mopar A/T Trans Mount like they do the Torque Struts - that would have made life grand haha

I just ordered from Mopar-Wholesale, with $12 S/H it came to $59.21 - not too shabby considering cheap aftermarket A/T Trans Mounts on eBay were going for $50-100

UPDATE: There has been an increase in the price of all of the OEM A/T mounts - their new prices are around $75-78 per unit - please keep this in mind if you plan on ordering an OEM one from any of the OEM supplier sites that still advertise them for $40-50. My grand total with S/H was around $80

03SXTGUY · Post by **03SXTGUY** » Tue Jan 17, 2012 7:45 pm

Well, the part came and it is the wrong friggin' mount. They sent me the engine support mount that is located inside of the timing cover (the PITA mount as I call it lol) P/N for this OEM Mopar mount is 5086709-AB (supersedes old P/N 5086709-AA).

I have contacted them in hopes of being able to get the correct trans mount which I have yet to find the real P/N for...has anyone come across it? It is the front right (driver) A/T transmission mount

Post by **occasional demons** » Tue Jan 17, 2012 8:21 pm

03SXTGUY wrote:Well, the part came and it is the wrong friggin' mount. They sent me the engine support mount that is located inside of the timing cover (the PITA mount as I call it lol) P/N for this OEM Mopar mount is 5086709-AB (supersedes old P/N 5086709-AA).

I have contacted them in hopes of being able to get the correct trans mount which I have yet to find the real P/N for...has anyone come across it? It is the front right (driver) A/T transmission mount

Always refer to stuff as from the driver's seat. It would be the left mount. Confusing the right and left side by refering to things from the front of the car will get you the wrong stuff.

The parts book shows this number as the mount:

5274952AA 1 ECB DGL SUPPORT, Transmission Mount-Left

I found this pic on Amazon... Seems to confirm it.

03SXTGUY · Post by **03SXTGUY** » Wed Jan 18, 2012 8:57 am

occasional demons wrote:Always refer to stuff as from the driver's seat. It would be the left mount.

Bill, that's the best part about this - in my Comments section during checkout I always re-state exactly what I am ordering. In this case I especially wrote "2003 Dodge Neon SXT Automatic Left (DRIVER) Transmission Mount" - I must have just accidentally said right side in the post above out of frustration - but I definitely know the driver side = left side

But thank you for the pic! You're awesome

Dodge Neon Left-side Transmission Mount P/Ns:

(2000)
M/T 4668530AB
A/T 4668527AC

(2001)
A/T & M/T - 4668192AC

(2002)
A/T & M/T - 5274952AA

(2003-2005)
M/T - 5274951AA
A/T - 5274952AA
SRT - 5037978AB

illriginalized · Post by **illriginalized** » Wed Nov 21, 2012 3:59 pm

Thanks for this write up!

Just a quick question.. according to my friend (he's going to be working on my car this weekend) I need to replace my timing belt as soon as possible (he's basing it off the fact that the car has 130k miles on it and I have no previous knowledge of the timing belt being replaced)

With the timing belt, tensioner, and water pump, he will also be doing camshaft gasket, oil pan gasket, and valve cover set gaskets, in addition he was supposed to replace all three mounts (upper/lower torque strut mounts + engine/motor mount by the timing belt).

But unfortunately I will not be receiving my engine/motor mount until next week, I'll have all the other parts to replace for this weekend except for the engine mount itself.

Is it ok to replace both lower and upper torque strut mounts without replacing the engine/motor mount and drive like this for 1 week (until the following weekend) so then at that time I can have the engine/motor mount replaced?

Or is that going to just tear up my upper and lower torque struts back to uselessness? They'll both have inserts as well which I ordered from Modern Performance.

By the way, do not order from One Stop Auto, those idiots lack communication skills with themselves and with their customers. Took them 1 week to finally ship out my order which I needed by this Friday and it just shipped out this morning. FML.

Danteneon · Post by **Danteneon** » Wed Nov 21, 2012 4:13 pm

Are you saying that the only mount you don't have yet is the passenger side frame mounted mount? You don't have to replace them all at the same time, but you will be doing a lot of the dis-assembly to the engine all over again to replace that mount later.

illriginalized · Post by **illriginalized** » Wed Nov 21, 2012 4:36 pm

Danteneon wrote:Are you saying that the only mount you don't have yet is the passenger side frame mounted mount? You don't have to replace them all at the same time, but you will be doing a lot of the dis-assembly to the engine all over again to replace that mount later.

Exactly, the motor mount that is in between the upper and lower torque strut.

The issue at hand is that there's no way to get a visual of the timing belt. So this whole timing belt replacement is purely out of assumption that the belt has not been replaced. And if that's the case.. the car's been on the same belt for 132k miles. I personally don't know how else to detect a worn timing belt, especially being that every single vehicle I've owned prior to the Neon have all had timing chains, not belts.

So according to my friend, it is imperative we stop waiting and get the timing belt done and the last thing I need is a busted belt + bent valves.

So ya.. it's going to be pretty much double the work all because my motor mount will be arriving after this weekend whereas all my other items are arriving today and Friday.

Danteneon · Post by **Danteneon** » Wed Nov 21, 2012 4:38 pm

Heck, you may not even need the mount. Give it a good look when you take everything apart.

illriginalized · Post by **illriginalized** » Wed Nov 21, 2012 4:41 pm

Danteneon wrote:Heck, you may not even need the mount. Give it a good look when you take everything apart.

Heh.. I dunno.. my dash vibrates at certain RPM frequencies. And my upper torque strut is definitely torn apart. I figured if the torque strut is torn, more than likely the lower one and the actual motor mount are both thrashed.

sidepipe87 · Post by **sidepipe87** » Wed Nov 21, 2012 4:45 pm

I just replaced the top torque strut on my sisters neon as the rubber was completely ripped in half.

Then I went and got a tape measure and made sure it was properly aligned......... said no one ever. Bolt that shit in and roll.

Danteneon · Post by **Danteneon** » Wed Nov 21, 2012 4:49 pm

There is that 2% of Neon owners who are all about the details though. This thread is for them.

NEON PARABOLA · Post by **NEON PARABOLA** » Wed Nov 21, 2012 4:49 pm

I replaced the trans and main motor mounts and my car runs like new, I would look into replacing ALL of them if one has gone bad

sidepipe87 · Post by **sidepipe87** » Wed Nov 21, 2012 7:43 pm

Danteneon wrote:

There is that 2% of Neon owners who are all about the details though. This thread is for them.

Oh, well I need not apply! Only for cosmetic things am I picky

BenAthar · Post by **BenAthar** » Wed Jul 10, 2013 3:35 pm

After reading this thread I'm going to have to change out the mounts now. Had the timing belt changed, and now the mounts (especially the top one) is torn, not sure about the lower one.
I know how to change it and not refer to the error that Haynes manual is having with their measurments. (So which I had a Chiltons book)

I am looking forward to doing this change over, just another thing to change out as the car is getting older and the miles adding up on it!
Thanks for the Info.

moe8555 · Post by **moe8555** » Sun Nov 17, 2013 9:36 am

I want to do the alignment procedure, but the drawing in Figure 11 is not very clear to me. I'm not sure where to place the jack to rotate the engine and don't want to damage anything.

I see that it's towards the front, somewhere between the oil pan and transmission pan...

Would someone be kind enough to take a picture and illustrate where exactly to place the jack?

NickKo · Post by **NickKo** » Sun Nov 17, 2013 12:24 pm

moe8555 wrote:I want to do the alignment procedure, but the drawing in Figure 11 is not very clear to me. I'm not sure where to place the jack to rotate the engine and don't want to damage anything.

I see that it's towards the front, somewhere between the oil pan and transmission pan...

Would someone be kind enough to take a picture and illustrate where exactly to place the jack?

I don't have any pictures - I usually end up placing the jack under/towards the front of the oil pan, using a block of wood between the jack saddle and oil pan.

There are a bunch of videos on YouTube, showing motor mount replacement on a 2nd gen Neon, but it seems that most of those folks neglected to show how they positioned the jack.

- Nick

moe8555 · Post by **moe8555** » Sun Nov 17, 2013 12:35 pm

Well, I checked and I'm at 4.7 inches on the upper torque strut.

Should I be checking the lower strut in any way?

Also, assuming there aren't any other problems with the car and the alignment procedure was performed, would inferior quality mount and torque struts cause shaking at idle versus using OEM Mopar mounts?

NickKo · Post by **NickKo** » Sun Nov 17, 2013 12:57 pm

moe8555 wrote:Well, I checked and I'm at 4.7 inches on the upper torque strut.

Should I be checking the lower strut in any way?

Also, assuming there aren't any other problems with the car and the alignment procedure was performed, would inferior quality mount and torque struts cause shaking at idle versus using OEM Mopar mounts?

The lower mount (along with the trans mount) is the 'pivot point' for the top mount, <-- which is the only mount that needs to be adjusted.

The 'inferior' motor mounts are by 'ANCHOR'.
There may be others, but that is the only one I am aware of.

IF you have already replaced the motor mounts and are still having shaking - It is possible, that you may need to replace the Engine/Motor mount, located in the passenger side frame rail.

- Nick

moe8555 · Post by **moe8555** » Sun Nov 17, 2013 1:42 pm

I replaced all 3... Including the middle mount on Friday.

The vibration is mostly at idle and really only when the RPMs drop down to the 600 range.

I had a vibration before the change, but now it actually feels worse. No vibrations or noises during the drive now or before.

The worn out mounts were OEM Mopar. The new ones aren't Anchor, but they aren't OEM either.

I bought them from someone on eBay who claimed that they are manufactured in the US and Canada. Honestly 2 out of the 3 looked to be of high quality (the lower and the middle).

The upper had "India" written all over the rubber and looked like it had a rougher, less precise finish. I actually had to slice a little rubber/metal out of the raised area where the screw hole is to get it to fit flush with the mount plate...

I guess I can't complain too much for the price: $101.50 for all 3 (plus another $50 shipping).

2GN.ORG

Proper Engine Torque Strut Alignment

Re: Proper Engine Torque Strut Alignment

Re: Proper Engine Torque Strut Alignment