Motor mounts are a vital part of any car, and a Dodge Neon is no exception. They help maintain torque when the vehicle's engine is hitting high RPMs and keep the engine from moving too much while driving. Replacement of these two motor mounts normally is not required, yet there are a few instances when they should be examined during a car's life span.
An excessively bad vibration as the RPMs rise on your Neon is the first sign of a bad motor mount. Motor mounts are designed to allow the motor to have slight play when gaining torque. When a motor mount begins to go out, it gives the motor more free play and causes it to move around more than usual, which causes the excessive vibration. This is caused by the hinge of the Neon's motor mount beginning to get play in it as motor mounts are designed to have a short distance to where they can move through the hinge, but after a long life span and excessive drive, this hinge may loosen up to gain more free play than specifications allow.
The seriousness of the condition depends on how bad the vibration is. Many times only one motor mount will go out, but the vibrating from the one will cause wear on the others when they try to compensate for the loss of structure. If the bad one is not repaired, it will eventually cause the others to go out, which will become a financial nightmare. So, if you begin to feel more vibration than usual, take the car to a mechanic or check the mounts yourself by tugging on them and seeing if any feel loosened at their pivot points.
Another issue to check is the torque of the Neon's bolts on the motor mounts. You essentially have two motor mounts, one on each side of the motor, along with one transmission mount. Every 10,000 miles or so, check the bolts connecting the mounts to the car to make sure they are at their factory specifications. This ensures that the engine mounts are in their proper spots and no extra stress will be put on them if they become loose.
A loosened motor mount on your Neon could cause the engine to stretch the mount itself and create play inside the motor mount, ruining it to the point where it will need to be replaced. This is often the reason why a motor mount goes out without any accidents or major speed bumps being the cause.
Avoiding going too fast on speed bumps or hitting pot holes can save your motor mounts. Anything that causes stress to your Neon can affect these essential parts, especially when it sends a jolt to the car's infrastructure. This is a common case for many issues that go wrong with cars and also one that can be easily avoided when driving, although some conditions are unavoidable.
