When I first start my car up and i open the hood i can tell that my motor is shaking. It looks like it is not connected to anything. I figure it needs a tune up because I have not done it since I have had it (bought in 2007). However, I have read some other places that it might be an engine mount problem or fuel filter problem. Car does not rattle when driving it. Any and all help would be great.
With engine idling and hood open, watch what happens when someone else shifts car into reverse and drive. How much does the engine move or lift up on one side? What year Saturn and how many miles?
There is obvious movement of the engine. If looking at the motor it lifts towards the window and towards the front of the car. It is a 2000 LW2 with a little over 92000 miles.
Have the motor mount replaced SOON.
Any check engine light on? (motor mount won’t cause a CEL)
The check engine light is on? Is the motor mount expensive to replace?
The part should be $50 or less. Probably more if you go to the dealer.
Find out why your CEL is on, read the codes for free at your local auto parts store.
Went to the auto store and got the engine light to go out. Also asked about motor mounts and they said there were three of them. How do I tell which one is causing the problem?
On GM vehicles, the first motor mount to go bad is almost always the “dogbone” mount, which runs from the engine block to the forward bulkhead, near the radiator. This is also the most easily accessible motor mount.
While an accurate assessment of the mounts is really what you need, it is probably safe to begin with replacing just the “dogbone” mount. If that does not resolve the problem, then you will have to replace the two underneath the engine.
Incidentally, just because the engine light was turned off, that does not mean that the underlying problems have fixed themselves. Don’t be surprised if the light reappears in a day or so, and at that point it will be necessary to do the maintenance that is needed.
If, as you imply–the car has had no maintenance in 3 years, there is a high probability that it needs new spark plugs and/or air filter and/or fuel filter, and God only knows what other maintenance procedures. If the engine is running roughly, that is a really good way to wear out the motor mounts. I strongly suggest that you have maintenance performed on the engine, as well as having the motor mount(s) replaced.
What was the code that caused the CEL? You want to fix the underlying problem.