Manual transmission roughness

An engine mount that is torn is easy to spot. If on the surface it appears fine, then how are the mounts tested?

I'm not certain in your transverse motor. In a "regular" motor, you could lock the brakes and gently engage Reverse, and if the motor mount is broken, the motor will lift on one side -- I have a fuzzy recollection that the right side will lift. I don't know if the same test will work for you, and "left and right" mounts will be rotated 90 degrees to become front or rear.

The idea is that when you slow AND the mount is broken, the drivetrain will push against the engine and mounts, which will move around, and you feel as a vibration.

Another test from my Jeeping days was that if the vehicle moved jerkily (is that even a word?) in Reverse (manual transmission), then the mounts were torn/broken.

After a lot of hunting, I finally found a transmission shop in town who sells this Amsoil product and keeps it in stock regularly. Paid $15.10 plus taxes per quart. I expect to have it installed in the new year when my ECM recall gets done. I'll try to post the results in a few months time.

Using gear oil in a manual transmission designed to use ATF will cause harsh shifting so double check your owner's manual to see what type of lubricant is specified for your transmission. ATF is less viscous than gear oil so it is easier to shift when the fluid is cold.

A bad solid engine mount will probably have cracks. You can try using a prybar to lift the engine away from its mounting point and see if a gap appears.

Some engine mounts are fluid-filled and you'll see a greasy mess around the reservoir if it has leaked.

Thanks. Driving it yesterday, it does appear to be a mounting problem rather than internal transmission. I will look and try to nail it down. But a gear oil change is in order while I am at it. In this very cold weather, fully synthetic oil.

The engine/tran has 4 mounts.

1. Upper left
2. Upper right
3. Front
4. Rear (between rear of transmission and subframe).

All are "very" easy to see, inspect and change, except No. 4. Knowing my luck it if one needs changing it will be No. 4.

The bad motor mount will always be the one that is most difficult to see and/or replace.

As far as changing the transmission fluid, make sure that you use the correct type of fluid. Using even the finest synthetic gear oil in a transmission designed to use ATF will cause difficult shifting. If the manual calls of ATF, use ATF. If the manual calls for gear oil, make sure you use the same weight and specs.

I tried to rock the engine when in neutral and in gear. It never moved. Although the weight of the engine and tran is quite considerable to move. They all look OK, but I know visually that may mean nothing. They are all largish and round.

It does not use ATF fluid.

The larger round motor mounts that are shaped like a marshmallow are probably liquid filled. Look for a greasy coating on the outside. They are pretty reliable but are costly to replace.

What year Avensis do you have and what country was it sold in?

Logic says that the fore and aft mounts would go first on transverse engine/tran. Probably the one on the firewall. The difficult one.

1997. One of the first. pre-launch. UK. I have had it from new.

Some 1997 Toyotas sold in the U.S. have fluid-filled engine mounts, so it is possible that yours has one or more fluid filled mounts.

Mine was registered in late 1997. The model came out in early 1998. Are the fluid engine mounts in larger cars?

If I recall correctly, fluid filled engine mounts were introduced in the

1992 Camry in the U.S., and then use spread from there. I'm not really sure which vehicles are equipped with them, but they are quite a bit larger and cylinder shaped instead of a square rubber.

Sorry to labour this, I am just interested. Are the cylinder mounts, fluid and non-fluid, or are all cylinder mounts fluid?

I know in the past many makers would have fluid mounts on the up-market models to give a quieter and smoother ride and non-fluid on the basic trim. I'm not sure if Toyota do this.

The Avensis is a model smaller than the Camry. It is BMW 3 series size, being rip-off of the shape.

I can't say whether or not all cylinder shaped mounts are fluid filled, but all of the ones I've seen are. The fluid filled mounts are significantly larger than the solid rubber mounts.