Lexus Repair: 2000 Toyota Sienna Van XLE, toyota sienna, transmission case


Question

I'm no mechanic, are you suggesting I go to ebay and buy a used or low priced engine mount and DIY?  How difficult is it to replace it meself?  I really have no equipment anyway but just a few wrench and sockets...

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The text above is a follow-up to ...

-----Question-----
Hi, it's me again and hope you can also help me on this.  My sienna just got it's timing belt and water pump changed. After a week or so I started to hear a noise from near the front right side of the van where it sounds like a loose metal is hitting the hood or something of that fact.  I brought it back and they show me that when the engine is rev or tranny move from D to R, the engine moves really bad up and down and sideways.  I was told it's the engine mount needs replacement.  I asked if this could be caused by changing the timing belt where the engine mount need to be remove to do so.  He said not, this model do not need the engine to be move so no mounts were unscrewed when timing belt was done.  He also said that to fix this problem will cost around $500.  Is it true that this would not be his fault when timing belt done.  IF he's not liable, then is his price for fixing it a fair price?  Thanks again for your help, Frankie
-----Answer-----
Eh, just poor timing.

Depends on the mount, but that's abit steep. With most of Toyota' stuff, see there's a transmission mount, a front & rear engine mount that hold the engine & transmission up.
Then you've got newton's third law. For every action there's an exqual, but opposite reaction.


See the recipricating mass of the engine & transmission spin one way, so the engine block & transmission case want to spin the other way. Alot when you're accellerating, braking, or shifting.

Toyota puts a mount on the side (Dog bone, longitudnial, torque mounts, same thing) that doesn't support engine weight, but generally ties the engine into the upper body structure (Normally the passanger's wheel well). It's sole purpose is to absorb most of that torque & keep the other mounts life span alittle better.



Check on ebay if you just want a cheap, crappy, aint gunna last year & years mount. That's always the first mount to go. For the Camry's, I know they run about $35-50 shipped.

Answer
Yup! I can't see your Sienna in my head at the moment, so run out to yours & look.

But see if there's not an engine mount on the passanger's side that bolts from the engine, to the wheel well. Sorta a round bar, looks sorta like a dog's bone.
Big rubber bushings inside the ends.


Those bushings eventually split. (You won't be able to see it while it's mounted because it's under some compression that holds the rubber tightly together. If you take it off & wrench on it enough to budge the rubber. You'll see it split apart in alot of places I bet.)

I'm pretty sure yours uses that particular setup too. If so, you really normally only need a 14mm socket & some grunt to install/remove them.