chronic 95 camaro z28 transmission mount failure

hello all !

i have a 1995 camaro z28, 350, auto tranny,
with about 130k miles.

i changed the transmission mount out about
2 months ago (~3k miles now) and about an
hour ago, as i'm leaving a traffic light, i hear
that all-too-familiar "thump" under the seat
floorboard and as i gas it leaving the light,
and when it shifts into second gear.

is this a chronic issue with this series of
camaro?? i'm thinking i probably need a
more sturdy tranny mount, versus the
ANCHOR Part # 2817 mount.

any suggestions are appreciated ...

happy holidays! michael

JimV wrote:
> LinuxTester wrote:
>
>> hello all !
>>
>> i have a 1995 camaro z28, 350, auto tranny,
>> with about 130k miles.
>>
>> i changed the transmission mount out about
>> 2 months ago (~3k miles now) and about an
>> hour ago, as i'm leaving a traffic light, i hear
>> that all-too-familiar "thump" under the seat
>> floorboard and as i gas it leaving the light,
>> and when it shifts into second gear.
>>
>> is this a chronic issue with this series of
>> camaro?? i'm thinking i probably need a
>> more sturdy tranny mount, versus the
>> ANCHOR Part # 2817 mount.
>>
>> any suggestions are appreciated ...
>>
>> happy holidays! michael
>>
>
> Did you check the motor mounts too? Or it could just be crappy quality
> aftermarket parts.

Does it use the standard generic GM transmission mount? If so then
Energy Suspension makes a polyurethane version. A little stiffer than
stock so it will transmit more vibration but it will also last longer
and help you launch harder, if you care about such things. I wouldn't
recommend a solid mount for a street driven car, although those are
available as well (I think from Moroso.)

nate

--
replace "fly" with "com" to reply.
http://home.comcast.net/~njnagel

LinuxTester wrote:
> hello all !
>
> i have a 1995 camaro z28, 350, auto tranny,
> with about 130k miles.
>
> i changed the transmission mount out about
> 2 months ago (~3k miles now) and about an
> hour ago, as i'm leaving a traffic light, i hear
> that all-too-familiar "thump" under the seat
> floorboard and as i gas it leaving the light,
> and when it shifts into second gear.
>
> is this a chronic issue with this series of
> camaro?? i'm thinking i probably need a
> more sturdy tranny mount, versus the
> ANCHOR Part # 2817 mount.
>
> any suggestions are appreciated ...
>
> happy holidays! michael
>

Did you check the motor mounts too? Or it could just be crappy quality
aftermarket parts.

JimV wrote:
> LinuxTester wrote:
> > hello all !
> >
> > i have a 1995 camaro z28, 350, auto tranny,
> > with about 130k miles.
[snipped]

> Did you check the motor mounts too? Or it could just be crappy quality
> aftermarket parts.

thanks JimV ... yea ... checked the motor mounts
and they are fine. i've got the old tranny mount
out now and going to Oreilly to change it out.
(the rubber section split in half).

my check at RockAuto and a couple of other
part stores only show this part#/manufacturer.
tomorrow, i might call around to a performance
parts house or two and see if i can find some
other option, in case it happens again.

but i suspect you're right - a low-grade part.

regards, michael

Nate Nagel wrote:
[snipped]

> Does it use the standard generic GM transmission mount? If so then
> Energy Suspension makes a polyurethane version. A little stiffer than
> stock so it will transmit more vibration but it will also last longer
> and help you launch harder, if you care about such things. I wouldn't
> recommend a solid mount for a street driven car, although those are
> available as well (I think from Moroso.)

hi Nate ... i suspect this is the standard
GM tranny mount, although purchased
through Oreilly (parts chain/US).

if this thing goes out again, i'll look for the
Energy Suspension part - thanks for the info!!!

here's a photo of the borked part:
http://mjt.homelinux.net/z28_tranny_mount.jpg

> if this thing goes out again, i'll look for the
> Energy Suspension part - thanks for the info!!!
>
> here's a photo of the borked part:
> http://mjt.homelinux.net/z28_tranny_mount.jpg

That is a REALLY crappy design... Only about 1/8" of rubber holding it
together.

Noozer wrote:
> > if this thing goes out again, i'll look for the
> > Energy Suspension part - thanks for the info!!!
> >
> > here's a photo of the borked part:
> > http://mjt.homelinux.net/z28_tranny_mount.jpg
>
> That is a REALLY crappy design... Only about 1/8" of rubber holding it
> together.

hi Noozer ... the last mount that went out
is the same design and went the same as
this one ... the rubber sheared apart.

it's not that the rubber is ripping from the
metal plate or that the stud is breaking
loose .... the rubber itself sheared in half ...

cheap rubber? most likely. bad design?
again, most likely, it might be interesting
to discover if they make the OEM part for
GM (i hope not) ... i'll call tomorrow.

wrote:
> Nate Nagel wrote:
> [snipped]
>
> > Does it use the standard generic GM transmission mount? If so then
> > Energy Suspension makes a polyurethane version. A little stiffer than
> > stock so it will transmit more vibration but it will also last longer
> > and help you launch harder, if you care about such things. I wouldn't
> > recommend a solid mount for a street driven car, although those are
> > available as well (I think from Moroso.)
>
> hi Nate ... i suspect this is the standard
> GM tranny mount, although purchased
> through Oreilly (parts chain/US).
>
> if this thing goes out again, i'll look for the
> Energy Suspension part - thanks for the info!!!
>
> here's a photo of the borked part:
> http://mjt.homelinux.net/z28_tranny_mount.jpg

I just checked the Energy Suspension web site and they list part no.
3.1108 for all Camaro 1967-81... probably no help to you. It sure
looks like the pic you posted, not sure what the differences are.

nate

N8N wrote:
> wrote:
[snipped]

> I just checked the Energy Suspension web site and they list part no.
> 3.1108 for all Camaro 1967-81... probably no help to you. It sure
> looks like the pic you posted, not sure what the differences are.

hi Nate ...

yea, i just looked at the site and they don't list a
tranny mount for my 95. i also checked for other
F-body types (Firebird) and they [obviously] don't
list a mount for those years.

the 3.1108 mount looks pretty close: it has the two
holes to bolt the mount to the tranny, but it doesn't
have the stud which protrudes through the crossmember.

interestingly, the results from a google search led me
to Pit Stop Auto Parts, who magically has the Energy
Susp item in zinc or chrome, red or black:
http://www.pitstopautoparts.com/cata...y=1&make_code=

how it is they have the item, and the actual manufacturer
does not list it, is beyond me. they also list Westar mounts.

LinuxTester wrote:
> N8N wrote:
> > wrote:
> [snipped]
>
> > I just checked the Energy Suspension web site and they list part no.
> > 3.1108 for all Camaro 1967-81... probably no help to you. It sure
> > looks like the pic you posted, not sure what the differences are.
>
> hi Nate ...
>
> yea, i just looked at the site and they don't list a
> tranny mount for my 95. i also checked for other
> F-body types (Firebird) and they [obviously] don't
> list a mount for those years.
>
> the 3.1108 mount looks pretty close: it has the two
> holes to bolt the mount to the tranny, but it doesn't
> have the stud which protrudes through the crossmember.
>
> interestingly, the results from a google search led me
> to Pit Stop Auto Parts, who magically has the Energy
> Susp item in zinc or chrome, red or black:
> http://www.pitstopautoparts.com/cata...y=1&make_code=
>
> how it is they have the item, and the actual manufacturer
> does not list it, is beyond me. they also list Westar mounts.

Maybe that's the difference, instead of a stud there is a threaded
hole? take a look at the Energy web site, they have dimensions listed
for this part, you could compare to your old busted one. The immediate
thing that *I* thought of was that maybe the newer version used metric
hardware and the "old" one obviously uses SAE fasteners.

nate