[IggyTheStooge]

Hey gang,

Going to share my experience replacing the motor mounts on my 2004 rwd cargo:

Lots of other folks have posted step-by- steps, so I'll just share what I thought helped me a lot. Feel free to respond if you have any questions and I'll provide whatever insight I may have.

Some Tips:

- Give yourself lots of time to do this job. Get prepared by laying out a variety of sockets/wrenches (my stubby ratchet worked great for this job) and illuminate the work area well. Get the van up as high as you can and secure it with jack stands and wheel chocks. I rolled around on a cheap creeper and that helped a lot.

- Don't jack up the motor at the oil pan, it could cause your gasket to fail! Instead look toward the back of the engine on the side and you'll see these metal tabs. You can gently raise the motor from there by placing a 2x4 on your jack. I'll grab a pic and edit this later. I came across this method either on this site or Youtube.

- To install the new motor mounts, I first installed the bolt that goes through the mount and then lowered the engine into position. This may be incorrect but after over an hour of trying, I could not get the bolt lined up any other way.
Astro veterans: please let me know if I messed this up.

Why you shouldn't listen to me:

After replacing the driver's side mount, I'm getting a lot of vibration. It gets more intense through the gas pedal when accelerating and it's also very noticeable in the steering wheel. I used ACDelco 22188284 that I ordered from Amazon. The new mounts do not have the tabs that seat into the engine bracket.

A couple theories:
- The part is wrong
- the motor mounts need to be replaced as a pair
- I installed them incorrectly (bolts too tight/too loose. Can't get my cheap-*** torque wrench into the mounting holes.)
- There was some other underlying problem that I didn't notice earlier because the mount was completely crushed.

Has anyone else encountered this?

Going to try and get to the passenger mount in the next few days and I'll update with any progress.

 

[Rustbelt_mVan]

I just did my mounts back in June.

Stupidly, I ignored advice here on the forum and purchased the Anchor 2435/6 mounts. I'm pretty sure all of the new mounts available on the market (including ACDelco) are just reboxed units from the same Chinese manufacturer. They are all undersized compared to the originals. The video linked below has a lengthy but thorough explanation of all of this.

They were initially holding up well. About two weeks after replacement I left on a 5500 mile road trip. By the end of the trip the passenger side mount had already failed, resulting in direct contact between the upper bracket and the frame. It has grown steadily worse and I now have a vibration at idle greater than the original mounts had before replacement.

I initially shied away from the Polyurethane option due to some complaints about vibration. I 100% regret that decision. The cheap mounts were a complete waste of $20 and a Summer evening.

It's important to note that the Polyurethane mounts (sold bare) will only fit within the original stock mounts, which are no longer available new. Stupidly (again) I gave my original mounts to the neighborhood scrap guy shortly after replacement. Thankfully, @M_a_t_t is sending me a set from van he is parting out, saving me more miserable hours fighting rust in a local salvage yard.

Looking forward to reporting back on the poly mounts sometime this fall. Learn from my mistakes.....


Motor Mount - Chevrolet Astro - Prothane 7521

Youtube - Astro van motor mounts explained

 

[IggyTheStooge]

That's brutal, sorry you had to deal with these bogus parts. Here's a side by side of the Anchor mounts and the ACDelco ones for anyone that may benefit. Bought the Anchor one's first and lost my return window. They are going to be good door stops one day I guess.

Anchor's say made in Korea on the rubber and ACDelco's say China.

 

[Rustbelt_mVan]

That's brutal, sorry you had to deal with these bogus parts. Here's a side by side of the Anchor mounts and the ACDelco ones for anyone that may benefit. Bought the Anchor one's first and lost my return window. They are going to be good door stops one day I guess.

Anchor's say made in Korea on the rubber and ACDelco's say China.

Do you have a photo of these w/ the original mount?

 

[gwd]

I have my original mounts from a 2004 RWD.
Big gaps in the factory ones.

 

[markmitch]

I attempted using the Prothane, but I could not get the bolts to line up, and that was in the GM original steel shells. but my van is AWD and may be the problem. So for now I have the cheap rubber mounts on it.

 

[IggyTheStooge]

Do you have a photo of these w/ the original mount?

 

[Mmusicman]

I don't think you can really go just by appearances.
It really has more to do with the quality of the rubber.

I spent the big bucks for ACDelco (from the dealership) for my 92 V8 upgrade.
Even thought they are fairly easy to get to, I want them to last.

My 2000 AWD got mounts from NAPA
(I had my transmission shop install them.. lol)

Here's my Anchor vs ACDelco (I still have the $5 Anchor mounts in box.. lol)

ACDelco in my 92 (for V8)

NAPA mounts for my 2000...

 

[markmitch]

I may have had the wrong mount steel portion, I don't remember

 

[MechBob]

A few things--,if you no longer have your old mounts or clam shells, but want to use prothane mounts, I think you will find almost any gm rwd car, and any c or k truck that came with a 4.3 will have the same clam shells.
Also, do what the rice burner guys have been doing for years, to strengthen mounts, wash mounts in hot soapy water well, I used dish soap and a toothbrush, tape off ends and fill with urethane from a caulking tube, like windshield sealer/installer. Did plow truck mounts 3 years ago,I think, and holding up well, do get a tad more vibration, but,hey, it's a plow truck.
Hiya mark, I will try to get on here more often!

 

[jspence27]

How have the Napa mounts held up? They don't appear to be available anymore for the AWD but I grabbed a set on ebay today just in case.

I don't think you can really go just by appearances.
It really has more to do with the quality of the rubber.

I spent the big bucks for ACDelco (from the dealership) for my 92 V8 upgrade.
Even thought they are fairly easy to get to, I want them to last.

My 2000 AWD got mounts from NAPA
(I had my transmission shop install them.. lol)

Here's my Anchor vs ACDelco (I still have the $5 Anchor mounts in box.. lol)
View attachment 286975

ACDelco in my 92 (for V8)
View attachment 286976

NAPA mounts for my 2000...
View attachment 286977

 

[1992safari]

Going to tackle the mounts on my 92 rwd this weekend. Bought GM OE mounts on amazon for $50 each.

I wish i would have done this when i had the control arms last may while i was rebuilding front end... oh well. They looked OK then so I decided not to fix if not broke. Now passenger side mount is broke.

Usually sketched out buying car parts on amazon because theres so many fake stuff being sold there, but heres what those look like.