Engine out of blance?

Hello eveybody, I flip cars for extra money and this one car is giving me the run around, from idle (800rpm) to 2000rpm the engine seem to feel like somthing is out of bablance, after 2000rpm it feels great, any ideas? the car is a 93 pontiac grand am gt, 5speed with a 2.3 HO 4cyl. thanks for anyhelp.

Automatic or manual? How many miles and what year GrandAm? does it do it when out of gear or when in gear driving or both?

Most 4 cylinder engines over 2.0L have balance shafts. Sometimes these can slip time, especially if the timing belt/chain has been replaced.

Worn or broken motor mount(s)?

I think this is a quad-four engine. They always seem rough running to me.

It could also be bent connecting rods because of hard driving. This is a 16 yo GT model with a stick shift. Throw some of the timing off with components that were stressed out, and you can put a shake in an engine.

Are you sure this is the original engine in this car? Could it have been replaced with one that was once mated to an automatic?

Are you sure it isn’t just misfiring some? Fuel filter? Plugs/wires? Air filter?

I’d also think about the mounts.

this is a 5speed, suposedly the motor had a rebuild 60k ago,the mounts apper ok, the motor dont move(the hood has been off for a week)ya its a quad 4, it has 215k on the odometer,it sits at idle smooth, plugs and wires and air filter i replaced, i havent gotten to the fuel filter yet, dont know if its the orginal engine. the guy i got it from blew out a spark plug while hott rodding it, i tapped and hili coiled it. no check engine lights. im gunna have to have the tranny fixed the syncros are shot in second and 3rd, no knocks or taps, it does feel a bit gutless in normal driving, if you get on it around 4k it wakes up like its got a turbo. thanks for the help

your tranny mounts could be bad. if thats the deal, your CVs are junk too. and your tires may have worn odd.

did this with chrysler van. shop said engine mounts were good, but didnt check the tranny untill a guy who formerly worked for toyota got in the car and knew what was up.

ill have to check cause the tire are worn pretty bad in an odd way that didnt seem like a hub or ball joints and when i raised the front nothing felt loose when i grabbed the wheel. ill have the trans guy look at the mounts its going it today casue i belive the sincros in 2nd and 3rd are bad casuse they gears grind