1997 Nissan Altima Motor mounts

I use Rock Auto all the time for reference but I've never purchased anything from them. A friend has, and he was happy with everything. Remember that you won't have anyone behind the parts counter to ask if you have questions.

There will be mounts on the sides that can allow that end to sag if the rubber tears. There's usually one or two in the middle, front and / or rear that limits how much the engine can rock. Some movement is normal. Excessive movement can cause an exhaust leak, binding shifter cable, and engine pulleys rubbing on covers and brackets.

Best is to inspect the mounts for signs of torn rubber, but often that's hard to do. You can also rock the car back and forth while it's in "park" to see how much movement takes place. If you hear banging, rubbing, or squeaking of the spring-loaded exhaust gasket, there's too much movement.

I'd have to look to see how many mounts there are. If one on the side is allowing the transmission to droop, it will put the inner cv joint out of line, and that can cause binding three times per wheel revolution. The binding prevents the half shaft from changing length freely, and that causes the shaft to push and pull on the spindle which tugs on the steering linkage and steering wheel.

One mount also sets the position of the engine left to right. If that mount allows the engine to slide to one side just a little, or when that mount is replaced and not centered the same as the old one, it will place the three rollers in the inner cv joint in a slightly different position. It's fairly common for wear to take place in the joint's housing, and often that doesn't cause a problem, ... Until the engine shifts position. Then, the rollers run in a different area and go in and out of those worn spots. That will also set up a miserable steering wheel vibration during acceleration. It's the load on the joint that prevents the rollers from moving freely.