I have a 98 Chevrolet Cavalier 4.2L automatic. I have a constant thumping sound and vibration. It almost feels like the engine is rocking side to side but I can also feel it in my seat, in the steering wheel and under the floorboard. It increases and decreases in osolation with the speed of the car and is constant except at vary slow speeds (like under 10 MPH). The rocking is so bad, I'm almost afraid to drive over 60 mph because it feels like ill rock off the road. The thumping sound is so load. I have to turn the radio way up to cover it. As I said the thumping and vibration are constant with one small exception. Something on winding roads when I'm banking left and the center of gravity shifts to the right, it will stop until the center of gravity shifts back to center. That does not happen when I bank the other direction. I also believe there is a loss in power and gas mileage. Every once in a while I also smell a small amount of gas in the cabin, but I'm not so sure it’s connected.
I have replaced the upper engine mount insert “it was crushed”. The lower stabilizer mount (the dog bone) “the rubber was torn”. The CV joints looks good and the boots have no cracks, and I don’t see any leaks in them. I also don’t hear any metal on metal grinding like I would expect for a broken CV joint. I just had the tires balanced. I don’t believe I have bent or out of round rims or tires. The control arms look good “no play with it when I put it on stands and poke it with a flat head”. Thiers no oil or transmission fluid leaks like I would expect with a transmission mount.
For some reason my mind keeps coming back to Transmission mount, CV joint or struts but I don’t have the money to keep pulling and replacing parts. Any Ideas?
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Monday, May 20th, 2013 AT 7:05 PM
