Engine ~shake~!

[89Metro]

I just bought a 89 Geo Metro Lsi for $600.00 US. There's a little front end damage, mostly cosmetic.

I'm looking for feedback on this symptom.... When I start the car it ~shakes~, almost like it's idling fast and rough. I pop the hood and look at the engine and the engine dosen't seem to be shaking. My guess, there's a bad motor mount?

I'm waiting for my Haynes manaul to arrive to make sure I order the correct mounts. In the meantime the only place on line I've found to order the mount si from http://www.geoautoparts.com . Anyone ever order from here?

Any feedback will be appreciated.

[jwxr7]

When I start the car it ~shakes~, almost like it's idling fast and rough.

Mine shakes pretty good too, but only when it is idling low. Mine also has front end damage. It seems to have affected the PS motor mount location on mine though. New rubber in my case should help, but I didn't know if that was just the way these 3 cyls idle. Plus I haven't checked my idle rpms to see if they are normal.
I've never ordered from the link you supplied, but looks like a good place to find hard to get parts for geos. I've been lucky enough to find parts at the local junkyard.

[89Metro]

Update!

So I was able to get out and snap a picture of the motor mount in question, it's the front one passenger side right behind the headlight.


Here's where I get confused, I looked up the part on the website above and they show this guy as the mount???


HELP!!!!

[MetroMPG]

How badly is it shaking?

My first Firefly had a shake in it too (hey, it's 3 cylinders, right?) but only when it idled low. When it was hot (e.g. after a highway run), it would only idle in the low 700 RPM range.

When it was rough, the gear selector would flop side to side a little (in neutral).

[89Metro]

Yeah, it's "tweaked" alright...lol I think from the front end fender bender it was in. I'm starting to wonder if it's even the orginal engine.

I'm hoping someone else wiht the same year Metro can confirm the engine mount/bracket. My Haynes manual should be here by the end of the week and I can check that. Then it will most likely be off to NAPA and hope they can find me one.

[MetroMPG]

BTW - how would you know if a mount is shot? Can you tell by looking at it?

[MetroMPG]

If I'm not mistaken, the holes through the mount (black part) are oblong. If someone did replace the engine, they may not have taken the time to line the mount up straight, and there may still be some adjustment room in there.

Careful though: the engine bracket half of the mount is aluminum, and the bolts are steel. I broke off one of these bolts when I did my taller tranny upgrade, and had to drill it out & tap it.

[89Metro]

Originally Posted by MetroMPG

BTW - how would you know if a mount is shot? Can you tell by looking at it?

I can lift the engine (when it's not running) and there's a lot of play, I can see the bolt move up and down before it starts to push on the rubber mount and pick up the car... God I love this light little engine....lol

The other thing is when I start the car, sitting in the drivers seat, the steering wheel even shakes. I've got a new digi camera that does movies, I'll see if I can record it, upload to You Tube and post a link here so you can see and here what I am talking about.

Originally Posted by MetroMPG

If I'm not mistaken, the holes through the mount (black part) are oblong. If someone did replace the engine, they may not have taken the time to line the mount up straight, and there may still be some adjustment room in there.

Careful though: the engine bracket half of the mount is aluminum, and the bolts are steel. I broke off one of these bolts when I did my taller tranny upgrade, and had to drill it out & tap it.

Thnaks, I'll have to make sure and not reaf on anything too hard.

[Gary Palmer]

The motor mount brackets shouldn't have any play in them, that you can feel by lifting or moving something. Generally what happens is that the rubber tears away, to a point where it won't come apart because of the bolts, but the motor is not isolated or held solidly. Most of the time I can't tell they are bad until I've taken them out and I can see them on all sides. They usually crack or tear along one side, while the other look's ok. If in doubt, I'd replace them, their pretty inexpensive.

[jwxr7]

So I was able to get out and snap a picture of the motor mount in question, it's the front one passenger side right behind the headlight.

That is the same one I question on mine. Wow, your's looks like new compared to mine though . Mine is a little more tweaked too . maybe this summer I will look into fixing mine.