Feel like Jello...

[precopster]

You say the engine "physically moves" If you give it the boot and floor the pedal do you get the same performance?

Is it a vibration which increases with revs?

[kluchtman]

You say the engine "physically moves" If you give it the boot and floor the pedal do you get the same performance?

Is it a vibration which increases with revs?

When I give it gas, no it doesn't move, hums like a bird, no movement. Only when the car is stopped or in park, gets worse when the engine gets warmer / hotter.

[billofdurham]

If the engine is moving and not misfiring check the engine mounts. As they get warmer they will soften causing any movement to be exaggerated.

Bill.

[kluchtman]

If the engine is moving and not misfiring check the engine mounts. As they get warmer they will soften causing any movement to be exaggerated.

Bill.

Bill, How do I look for wear on the engine mounts. I can see at least one and have read how to replace them as that was my original thought. I really need to get this fixed in the 2 weeks as I will be putting 1200 miles on the car for christmas break.

[precopster]

I'm inclined to go with Bill. Inspecting the mounts involves removing them. Undo the air intake. Support the weight of the engine with a piece of wood attached to a jack (a larger piece of wood supports it without denting the sump)

Undo the mount nuts (15mm) on top of both of them , jack the engine a bit higher (no more than an 2 inches or you'll snap your heater hoses) and undo the bolts from underneath. Take them out and check the condition of the rubber. Replace if necessary.

[kluchtman]

How long should engine mounts last? I am pretty sure these are the original ones so they are 18 years old and have 164k miles on them.

[billofdurham]

How long should engine mounts last?

That's a lot like asking, "How long is a piece of string?". However, if they are the originals I should think that the rubber will be, at least, starting to deteriorate. Engine mounts are subjected to heat, cold and movement during their lifespan.

Bill.

[precopster]

There are plenty of engine mounts for sale so they must be going bad all over the world. Don't feel singled out, it's quite common on older cars.

[kluchtman]

I got the engine mounts replaced. The tech said that both were going bad. After they were replaced the check engine light came on. According to the tech he said that my engine is misfiring and that is causing the engine to continue to physically move. It's not as bad as before but it's still noticeable. I have already replaced the spark plugs so the next thing would be wires. However on this model I don't see a distributer cap. I see the wires wrapped in a plastic tubing but after that I don't see where they go. I currently have Bosh 4 prong spark plugs in the car but I am thinking of switching back to the other plugs to see if that will make a difference. Does anyone else have any ideas? Oh and how can I get to the computer on this thing? It has a connector but it is unlike any kind of connector I have seen.

[billofdurham]

I am not a great believer in that type of plug for the older cars, tending to stick to Volvo's spec but not necessarily Volvo's plugs.

You don't have a distributor. Each plug has an ignition coil sitting on top of it. The wires you can see are for the six coils.

Which computer are you trying to get to and why?

The first thing to do is to check for fault codes using the OBD unit in the engine compartment. Instructions are pinned at the top of the forum. If the CEL has come on since the mounts were replaced I would check for codes and erase them, run the car again and see if the CEL comes back. Often a code is set that never repeats itself but as long as it is in the memory the car will think it is poorly.

Bill.