I agree with qtiger, it really could be the upper motor mount too. h:

 

lets play a game called, label my motor mounts h:

can someone save my pics, and circle where the motor mounts should be so i can check on their conditions?

is there anything i can do to determine if its the motor or tranny mounts?

 

the one that it looks like I circled the intake manifold is actually underneath the manifold. It bolts from the back of the tranny/motor to the frame.

 

thanks.

take for example the mount closest to the cam gears, that mount looks pretty sealed off. how i can i tell if its bad or not?

 

you can fold that rubber covering back a bit to look at it... it's not hard to remove either so you could just pop it off and look at it.

If you need another one of those, I have 2.

 

ok, i just tried the pull and push method that someone on HT told me to try. i placed the car in neutral and pulled the Ebrake. i pushed and pulled on the valve cover, but the engine doesnt move. i also peeled back the rubber on the mount near the cam gears, and they look ok to me. they arent cracked or anything.
so does this mean that it is my tranny mounts?

 

Okay first of all the engine and transmission are bolted together as one unit so the drivetrain moving back and forth doesn't really indicate one particular mount is any worse than the others. It may just be that all of em have weakened enough to allow that much movement. Rubber kind of gradually deteriorates so you can't say "oh this one's crossed the line now" from just looking at it.

 

Correct, sometimes they get so bad that they crack or break.

Throw some inserts in there and call it a day.

 

what are inserts? i remember reading inserts = harsh vibrations. :thinking:

 

Depends on which inserts you get. The Energy Suspension inserts come in a pack of 3 (front tranny / A/C mount / rear tortion mount). They are not all that stiff and will cause a little more body vibration, but it's not all that bad. If you want to experience some crazy vibration, also get the Protane kit. This kit comes with inserts for the rear tortion / cam mount / upper tranny mount and these are pretty solid.

Furthermore, if you don't like listening to CDs, get the J's Racing front tranny / A/C mount replacement mounts. Those things are CRAZY stiff.