mount diagnosis?

[dwhisent]

I think it's an engine/trans mount problem, but open to other ideas, but if mount, which one?

If you hit the brakes hard, it pulls to the right. Romp on the accelerator, it briefly pulls to the left.

Any suggestions? Thanks.

[Cntrysthbst]

I have a bad mount in mine now, it does not pull when braking, I dont believe a bad mount will affect the brakes. Now torque steer is alittle greater with a bad mount from what I can feel. The best way to check is to have some one inside of the car with the brakes applied the whole time, put it in rev. and tap the gas, then in forward and tap it, check all the mounts when doing this, when tapping the gas make sure its not to hard, or to soft. All this with the brakes on/pushing the brake pedal! A flash light helps. Are the brakes in good shape? So how many miles are on it, and what year is it? PSI is good to? Good alignment? Well hope this helps for now....

[dwhisent]

Thanks Cntrysthbst, I'll try to do the test if I can get my teenager home long enough to help me out. It has about 110K miles, 1992. Tires & pressure should be good (two are brand new), although the alignment needs checking. I've been stalling on that, as I think I will having to replace the rear struts, and I don't want to have to pay the $$ twice.

[82Stang]

Pull to the right upon braking, I'd think rightside caliper is sticking. Pull to the left upon acceleration, I'd think left side caliper was sticking, but this is a guessing game. Try checking if the calipers are working properly.

Hope this helps.

[TopherS]

Originally Posted by Cntrysthbst

I have a bad mount in mine now, it does not pull when braking, I dont believe a bad mount will affect the brakes. Now torque steer is alittle greater with a bad mount from what I can feel. The best way to check is to have some one inside of the car with the brakes applied the whole time, put it in rev. and tap the gas, then in forward and tap it, check all the mounts when doing this, when tapping the gas make sure its not to hard, or to soft. All this with the brakes on/pushing the brake pedal! A flash light helps. Are the brakes in good shape? So how many miles are on it, and what year is it? PSI is good to? Good alignment? Well hope this helps for now....

I, too, have bad motor mounts at this moment...my car goes into the Buick Service Dept on Wednesday to have them replaced. I noticed that when putting the car in reverse or drive, that there is some clunking/shaking going on. My mechanic said it wasn't the transmission, but the mounts. My mechanic showed me that with the foot on the brake and the car in either Reverse or Drive, the engine is rotating significantly forward or backward, almost looks like it may hit the hood. However, I haven't noticed any issues regarding braking, nor have I noticed anything regarding torque steer (but then again, with our gas prices at over $2.90 for reg unleaded , I'm trying to keep my foot out of the gas pedal as much as possible).

Hopefully, this helps with your diagnosis...good luck.

[dwhisent]

Thanks for all the replies. I've had no chance to investigate it further, right now I'm dealing with a Honda Civic with a head that's either warped or cracked, and next in line is a Saturn SL1 with a leaking rear seal. The pulling to me felt so minor that it got outweighed by these other problems. My wife really complained about it though, maybe it reacted worse with her than it has done with me, she was afraid to drive it!

I guess you shouldn't buy older cars if you don't have some extra time on your hands.