I've got a weird problem with motor mounts and am looking for ideas --- the issue might end up being obvious, but here's what's going on.
when I first got my car (a 98 gtp close to 2 full years ago) I replaced the motor and trany mounts with napa solid pieces. They cured a world of ills but the motor mount didn't last that long. The napa pieces were the noted crappy ones of the era and the motor mount had collapsed on itself in about 3 months, to the point where the oil filter (long one) was almost on the cradle.
Anyway, I got some plates made for shims to level the motor up and I got a AZ piece, made by anchor. I used a 3/16 plate to shim the motor to level and life was good ---- for about 6 months when that motor mount collapsed on itself. I got the mount replaced under the lifetime guarantee and fixed it again.
So great -- I need to replace another mount now -- about the fifth one in two years. The car had been making strange noises the past week, which I attributed to the mount but I noticed during it's weekly once over the DS dogbone bolt to the rad support was missing ---- which does explain a lot of the weird noises and feels I was getting. I'd found the nut laying down by the crank pulley last week but thought it was maybe from when I did my shocks last summer? So after a stop to home depot I get it all bolted down again. I rocked the motor a little (probably an inch worth) and noticed that both round bushings in the dogbones had quite a bit of play in them. They are new Montana pieces (shorter) from Rock Auto (made by Anchor) but sure look like they need to be replaced again (~ 6 months)
Now to the motor mount issue --- all that seems to happen to them is they collapse. I don't see any sheer or anything but them crushing down to where my spacer place it resting on the pin of the mount. I've got an oil leak down there and the mount gets pretty wet. I'm not sure where the leak is --- but it's not a lot, about a quart in 5K miles. I replaced the front seal when I did the CPS but noticed a groove in the balancer shaft that I'm not sure is supposed to be there. The other is the oil pan --- a stealership replaced the gasket but didn't do a great job on it. I'm just not sure that that little oil can rot a mount in 6 months time though?
the car is mostly stock so it's not a power issue --- lol.
anyway --- any ideas on any / all of this? does the balancer need to be replaced because of that groove? are the anchor mounts just junk (AZ gave me a different brand one this time) or wtf could I be doing wrong?
thanks in advance