Engine Mount & Transmission Mount Replacement in Fort Lauderdale & Oakland Park

Engine mount replacement in Fort Lauderdale is the fix for a car that has started to shake at red lights or clunk when it goes into gear. Engine and transmission mounts connect the powertrain to the body or subframe. They carry its weight, limit how far it moves and keep engine vibration and noise out of the cabin. Motor mount is another name for the same part.

What engine and transmission mounts do

An engine twists against its mounts every time you accelerate, brake or change gear. The mounts have to be firm enough to hold it in place and soft enough to absorb vibration at idle. Makers meet both needs with three kinds of mount:

Layouts differ too. Many rear-wheel-drive cars have a mount on each side of the engine and one under the back of the transmission. Front-wheel-drive cars with a sideways engine usually add a torque strut, sometimes called a dog-bone mount, that stops the engine rocking forward and back.

Signs an engine or transmission mount has failed

• Vibration at idle in the seat, floor or steering wheel, often worse in drive with the A/C on
• A clunk or thud when shifting between park, reverse and drive
• A knock when you press or release the gas, as the engine rocks back and forth
• A lurch on takeoff or during gear changes
• The engine visibly lifting or rocking when revved with the hood open
• Dark, oily fluid on a mount or the subframe under it, from a leaking hydraulic mount. It is easy to mistake for an engine oil leak
• A check engine light on some cars with active mounts
• Rattles from the exhaust or a heat shield, because the engine is sitting lower or moving further than it should

A few other faults feel similar. A misfire shakes the car at idle, a worn inner CV joint shudders under acceleration, and a worn control arm bushing clunks over bumps. We check for those before quoting a mount. Our CV axle and driveshaft repair and steering and suspension repair pages explain those causes.

Hydraulic and active mounts on modern cars

Hydraulic mounts, also called hydro mounts, are common on European and luxury cars because they isolate vibration better than plain rubber. When one leaks, the fluid that did the damping is gone and the vibration comes straight through.

Active mounts go a step further. Earlier designs use engine vacuum to keep the mount soft at idle and firm it up when you accelerate. Some Honda, Toyota and Lexus V6 models work this way. Newer designs use an electric actuator controlled by the engine computer. These can fail mechanically like any other mount, and they can also fail because of a cracked vacuum hose, a bad solenoid or a wiring fault.

For that reason we read fault codes and test the vacuum supply or the electrical control before replacing an active mount. We also fit the same type of mount the car was built with. A plain rubber mount in place of a hydraulic one will hold the engine, but it will not damp vibration as well.

What we inspect

1. Road test. We note when the clunk or vibration happens: at idle, going into gear, on takeoff or over bumps.
2. Load test. With the brakes held, a technician loads the engine briefly in drive and reverse while another watches how far it moves.
3. Lift inspection. Each mount is checked with a light and a pry bar for cracks, separation, sagging and fluid leaks, and photographed.
4. Transmission mount and crossmember, plus the torque strut where the car has one.
5. Scan and control checks on active mounts: stored codes, vacuum supply and hoses, solenoid operation and wiring.
6. What the movement has touched. We look at coolant hoses, wiring, exhaust flex joints and axle boots near the engine for rubbing or strain.
7. Oil leaks above the mounts, so a new mount is not left sitting in oil. See oil leak repair.

What we replace

• Failed engine mounts, with OEM or OE-equivalent parts of the original type
• The transmission mount when it is torn, collapsed or separated
• The torque strut or its bushings
• Vacuum hoses or a control solenoid on vacuum-switched mounts, when that is the fault
• Mounting bolts where the maker calls for new ones

On many cars the engine or the subframe has to be supported and raised slightly to change a mount. We support the powertrain properly, tighten the fasteners to the maker’s torque values and settle the mounts so the exhaust and driveline are not left under strain. Then we road test and recheck for vibration at idle with the A/C on.

When the transmission is already out for a clutch or gearbox repair, the mounts are easy to reach, so it is a sensible time to replace any that are worn. See clutch replacement and transmission repair.

Why mounts wear in South Florida

Rubber hardens and cracks with heat, and engine bays here stay hot for most of the year. Long idles in traffic on I-95, Federal Highway and Oakland Park Boulevard with the A/C on keep a steady load on the mounts, which is also when a tired mount is easiest to feel. Speed bumps, steep driveway aprons and flooded streets that hide potholes add sharp jolts. Near the beach, salt air rusts mount brackets and the bolts that hold them.

Related engine and driveline work

A mount fault is often found during other work. If the vibration turns out to be a misfire or a timing problem, our engine repair page covers the diagnosis. If you are not sure how to describe the noise, the car noises guide sorts clunks, knocks and rattles by when they happen.

What to expect on your visit

Walk in at either shop or request an estimate. We road test the car, inspect the mounts on the lift and send photos with a written estimate before any work. Service is performed by ASE-certified technicians, and repairs carry a 2-year / 24,000-mile warranty.

• Oakland Park: 250 NE 44th St, open 7 days, 8 AM to 7 PM, with a 24-hour key drop box at the front door. Call (954) 303-0758.
• Fort Lauderdale: 930 NE 4th Ave, open Monday to Saturday, 8 AM to 7 PM, closed Sunday. Call (954) 562-8045.

We speak English and Spanish at both shops.