2005 Acura TSX | How To Replace Transmission Mounts

This video was unplanned. I ran into a problem while replacing the lower transmission mounts on my 2005 Acura TSX Automatic. I figured I will make a video to help others that may be doing this job or considering doing it.
Socket sizes you need for the job are: 10mm, 14mm, 17mm, 19mm
First Generation ACURA TSX OEM Service Manual
drive.google.com/file/d/1yuT-...
Be very careful not to strip bolts or nuts. Here's what I used to remove the stripped nut:
Irwin Stripped Bolt Extractor
amzn.to/2u5fv18
I purchased OEM Transmission mounts from Delray Acura online because they take Paypal, have good prices, and the website is easy to use. Transmission mounts are in the "Engine Mounts (AT)" section.
www.acuraoemparts.com/
The two lower mounts are specified "front right" and "rear right". The upper mount is called "transmission mounting upper". You can find them under the Engine Mounts section at DelRay Acura. They are numbers 11, 12, and 13 at this link
www.acuraoemparts.com/auto-pa...
I don't recommend aftermarket mounts, but if you want to go that route you can find after market transmission mounts on amazon too.
The product links below are affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. I may receive a commission if you make a purchase after clicking on one of these links.
PRODUCT LINKS:
Socket Set to Remove Stripped Nuts
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Upper Transmission Mount
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Lower Rear Transmission Mount
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amzn.to/2uXoWfw
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Lower Front Transmission Mount
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Stanley Black Laser Etched Socket Set - 99 Piece
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TEKTON 1/2 Inch Drive Click Torque Wrench (10-150 ft.-lb.)
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EPAuto 3/8-Inch Drive Click Torque Wrench (10-80 ft.-lb.
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Arcan 2 Ton Extra Long Reach Low Profile Steel Floor Jack
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Torin Steel Jack Stands T43202 - 3 Ton
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Torin Double Locking Steel Jack Stands AT43002AB - 3 Ton
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Microflex Diamond Grip Latex Glove, Powder Free, Large
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Video not sponsored
This video is for entertainment purposes only. Miguel Chavez assumes no liability for property damage or injury incurred as a result of any of the information contained in this video. Due to factors beyond the control of Miguel Chavez, no information contained in this video shall create any express or implied warranty or guarantee of any particular result. Any injury, damage or loss that may result from improper use of these tools, equipment, or the information contained in this video is the sole responsibility of the user and not Miguel Chavez.

[@ChavezDIY]

***CHECK VIDEO DESCRIPTION FOR LINKS+UPDATES+CORRECTIONS+MORE INFO***

[@1mrsleepy1]

Thanks brother you helped me out big time could not find the location of the upper transmission mount Tull I watched your video and your right the manual has no instruction for replacement of any of the mounts. Which blew my mind!!! Thanks again brother.

[@ChavezDIY]

Glad to be able to help out! I'd say the transmission mounts and the front engine mount are trickiest of all for the DIY-er. The rear and side engine mount are relatively easy.

[@thaicambo]

Thank you for sharing all these valuable information. I'm definitely doing them one by one I've done the passenger engine mount and will order the engine mounts for the front and rear. I will replace the front myself and might need professional help on the rear mount. Hopefully, you will have time video recording the mounts.

[@abdulpatel7695]

Thanks a lot for the tips. Really helped me save a ton of time and hassle.

[@ChavezDIY]

You're welcome! I just finished replacing the three engine mounts and three transmission mounts. The car accelerates smoothly and I get no vibrations at idle.

[@abdulpatel7695]

Yeah it was unbearable for me in stop and go traffic. My car feels like a different car now. Thanks again

[@suavelo5494]

Miguel Chavez thanks the problem I'm having I had on bad bac engine mount so I did the front & passenger than the vibration I also did the top wen I did the engine mount now try to do the two bottom & having trouble putting the bac on in but I watched ur video hopefully it helps tomorrow

[@yahirlizaola2002]

I highly appreciate this video. And thanks for the tips ! 🙏

[@ChavezDIY]

My pleasure! =)

[@mustyali9529]

I did mine without removing anything and without jacking up the transmission. Its tricky but you can wiggle it from on top the transmission near the resonator box and the subframe. Is tight but doable

[@ChavezDIY]

That's great. It's tricky like a brain teaser puzzle. Did you also change the top transmission mount or just the lower two?

[@suavelo5494]

Yea it helps thanks

[@EXccord]

Funny I came across your video again Miguel. I just dropped my car off at the dealer for an inspection, Airbag system light and an oil change. I am thinking this might be a part of the problem now that I think about it.

[@ChavezDIY]

Get a large pry bar and lift the transmission by leveraging from the subframe and see if the transmission mounts are broken (detached). The top mount is easy to see but annoying to get to for replacement.

[@EXccord]

@@ChavezDIY $200 later (oil change and whatnot)....ball joints. I did test the "clunk" out via higher rpm's and initiating torque a little more and there was no clunk noise. I am familiar with motor mounts though as my front one was in two pieces. I will definitely check out the pry bar stuff soon when I get under the car, we are expected to get hit with snow in CO next week so its making it difficult as hell. I was changing out the driver side LCA in 20 degree weather with a snow storm coming in lol.

[@ChavezDIY]

@@EXccord wow, that's some real winter you have out there. Here in LACounty temps only go as low as about 32F for a few hours in the early morning for a handful of days out of the year. I'm spoiled, I don't work on my car if it's lower than 60 🤣🤣

[@thaicambo]

Hi Miguel, can you tell us why you decided to replace your transmission mounts? I do have a 2006 TSX and would like to know what are the symptoms to look for that might result in replacing such. Thank you for posting this video.

[@ChavezDIY]

After about 10yrs or 100k mi the OEM engine and transmission mounts should be checked for replacement. My car was over 100k and over 10yrs so I knew to keep an eye on the mounts cause they were all the original ones. One of the symptoms that led me to look into it was engine vibrations at idle. I did an oil change, replaced air filter and cleaned the Throttle body to eliminate those maintenance items as possible cause of the vibrations. It helped on the first couple of days, but by the end of the week it still had vibrations on idle. I grabbed a pry bar and lifted the transmission near the lower transmission mounts and noticed the rubber was broken on one. You can't tell just by visual inspection on the lower ones, but the top one I was able to visually see it was broken.

[@ChavezDIY]

The car has three engine mounts and three transmission mounts. Based on the age of the car and mileage I figured if I am going to do two transmissions mounts I might as well do the third as well for peace of mind and easy of replacement. I won't have to think about those mounts for another 7 to 10yrs or another 100k mi.

[@ChavezDIY]

With regards to the engine mounts, You can't really check them with a pry bar cause the engine is heavy. I replaced the passenger side engine mount and noticed it was still good (still replaced anyways for peace of mind). I replaced the front engine mount and it was broken and no longer dampering any vibrations. I noticed the vibrations were significantly reduced with replacing the front engine mount. Now I just have to replace the rear engine mount and the car should be as good as new. I will be replacing the rear mount in about a week.

[@ChavezDIY]

Its been an interesting experience replacing the mounts on the car. The car feels smoother the day after replacing the mounts, almost like new...then over time youll feel vibrations again, but in a different location and different intensity. Its like the vibrations move to the older mounts and eventually they wear out faster cause its the weakest link the group. I have the OEM service manual, but there are no instructions in the book for replacing the engine and transmission mounts.

[@D34D22]

@@ChavezDIY Wow very detailed description respect to you my man for taking the time out of your day to help random people.

[@noobdegs6387]

Would you recommend changing the front and rear engine mounts first or these.

[@ChavezDIY]

Definitely front and rear engine mounts before transmission mounts

[@kollegeman1]

Thanks for this. Yesterday I changed all 3 mounts except transmission mounts. Now I'm having heavy idle vibration when in reverse gear at stand still when AC is on. When AC is off no vibration at idle. The mounts changed arent OEM but they are said to be good aftermarket with great reviews. We will change the transmission mounts and see if vibration minimizes.

[@ChavezDIY]

You're welcome. The AC puts a load on the serpentine belt and will make your car vibrate a lil more, seems to be a normal occurrence for 4 cylinder vehicles. I hope changing the transmission mounts nets you an improvement. Other things that can cause an engine to feel rough on idle is the need for an oil change. I use full synthetic and change it every 6k mi or 6 months (whatever comes first) and I notice that the car vibrates more when the engine oil is dirty.

[@kollegeman1]

@@ChavezDIY I never had that vibration on old mounts when in reverse. Old mounts had alot of Knocks on any hard pavement that I drive. Old mounts gave no vibration or rough idle. All that came right after new mount install except for tranny mount. Last oil change, yes full synthetic high mileage was Feb. Due to quarantine, I drove less for march/April. So im extending the service. Oil still looking good as new. I usually do every 4mths.

[@ChavezDIY]

@@kollegeman1 If the vibrations only occur when in reverse, maybe replacing the transmission mounts will help or the transmission fluid needs service. But if you have vibration at idle with new mounts, that could be that the new engine mounts are stiff and transferring all the engine vibrations to the body of the car. The OEM front engine mount has fluid inside and there's a vacuum line that goes attached to it. Other things that can lead to a rough idle is a dirty throttle body, dirty air filter, and dirty fuel injectors.

[@balancemode4112]

The exact reason is you used aftermarket mounts instead of Genuine Acura parts.

[@kollegeman1]

Update... All mounts were replaced during quarantine 2020. Eliminated vibration. They are aftermarket so the car is not as quiet at idle as it would be with the old genuine mounts. Definitely quiet with AC off though.

[@premthivagar1294]

what your recommendation Acura original parts or Aftermarket for this job..thank you

[@ChavezDIY]

Good question. Depends on how long you plan to keep that car. If you want it to last another 10 years OEM is the way to go. But if you plan to keep it 3yrs or so and let go of the car after that, aftermarket is fine. When my car was 10 years old I would still use OEM parts, but now that its going into 16yr old territory, I see if I can save money on aftermarket parts as long as the part/company has a good reputation. Right now I'm having a problem with my axles. I wouldn't buy new aftermarket axles though. I am trying to rebuild some OEM axles with OEM parts from the salvage yard.

[@premthivagar1294]

@@ChavezDIY Thank you bro ..really appreciated. Make sense to me

[@mAUoalajkso]

3:50 how did you get that battery plate out? Is there a hidden bolt underneath?

[@ChavezDIY]

It's been a long time since I made that video. I don't remember if there's a bolt underneath holding the battery plate, but it won't be difficult to remove it once you get to that point.

[@dantec8854]

Did this fix engine shaking at idle with ac on I'm having issues with motor shaking when stop at light with ac on

[@ChavezDIY]

I didn't have shaking that is specific to the AC on at a stop light, so I can't say if that is going to be your fix. When you turn on your AC, the compressor pulley puts a load on the belt. So there is always going to be a slight increase in engine vibration when you turn on your AC in a 4 cylinder vehicle, that's normal. I get a little bit of vibration, but not a lot to the point where it bothers me. Look into your belt tensioner and pulleys to see if any bearings are noisy and wobbly. You can also see your belt and pulleys (when the engine is on) and look for wobbling of the belt or pulleys.

[@tommyhajimoto6968]

When I start my base auto for the first time every day and I put it in drive it makes a thunk noise. As long as the car is warm it never makes the noise again throughout the day when I put it into drive, could that be a motor mount issue?

[@ChavezDIY]

It's difficult to say. It could be the mounts, but the best way is to check the transmission mounts yourself. For the upper mount, youll need to remove the air intake and maybe battery. For the lower transmission mounts, you need to lift the transmission with a floor jack from under the transmission. What you are looking for is separation of the rubber, are there cracks that open up and separate the mount into pieces. Do the same with the engine mounts.

[@tommyhajimoto6968]

@@ChavezDIY ok thanks

[@vi_EviL_iv]

Thanks for the tips and video. Definitely going to help once i replace all them 3 bitches. Hope it wont be too hard like the motor mounts, they was easy. Oh do you know the tourque specs to the bolts?

[@ChavezDIY]

Here is the torque specs for all the mounts. I noticed it doesn't include the upper transmission mount. For top Mount just hand tighten with 3/8 ratchet. drive.google.com/file/d/1L0TNppF09Itp5ISptcc4Q_2ajCt5XN8R/view?usp=sharing

[@vi_EviL_iv]

@@ChavezDIY Awesome brother. Thank you for the specs.

[@christianmonte1874]

My car clicks when shifting to park or reverse. Could it be the transmission mounts?

[@ChavezDIY]

Its hard to say if its related to the transmission mounts. My car has a light click and slight delay when its warmed up and I shift from park to drive. Probably signs of normal wear and tear. You can check the transmission mounts by wedging a prying bar between the transmission and subframe and prying up on the transmission. If the rubber mounts separate from itself its time to replace them. On normal mounts youll get some stretching but no separation of the rubber in the mount from the metal that holds the rubber together.

[@balancemode4112]

Me does the same and it was the 3 transmission mount

[@balancemode4112]

Did you feel clunking noise when all 3 transmission mount were broken?

[@ChavezDIY]

I had some clunking noise but my front and rear engine mounts were also broken too. The only mount that wasn't broken was the side engine mount. I replaced all the broken mounts and it felt like it did when it was new.

[@balancemode4112]

@@ChavezDIY today i just replaced my 3 transmission mount the top one was all broken, the 2 bottom are kinda ok but cracked! Can’t wait next week the 3 engine mounts to arrive and replace them too! So i can feel like new again

[@Alvaresmaico20]

Have you done the one in the front yet?

[@ChavezDIY]

Hi. By the front, are you referring to the engine mount at the front of the car? Yes I have replaced that engine mount. Its a tight spot so you'll have to remove the radiator fans and coolant reservoir to get access. The lower radiator hose can get in the way, but you can try with the hose in the way. If you can't do it with the radiator hose in the way, you'll have to drain the radiator and use pliers to slide the clip so you can remove the lower radiator hose at the radiator side. It is very important to do a proper bleeding of the air bubbles in the radiator when you refill the radiator. If you don't, your radiator will bust a seam and leak...don't ask how I know, haha. Lastly there is a thin vacuum line under the front engine mount, make sure to disconnect and reconnect it on the new mount. The vacuum line helps with dampering engine movement.

[@jonathanrivera1736]

How did you take the stripped nuts out??

[@ChavezDIY]

When it happened I wanted to get it out that same day so I went to a nearby Pep Boys to purchase a set of special sockets to remove stripped nuts. It helped to remove the stripped nut but I have not had to use the socket set again. Here's a similar kit on amazon amzn.to/3lbk6Ws

[@DanielTurnbow]

where did u purchase your mounts

[@ChavezDIY]

www.acuraoemparts.com/ I buy my OEM parts from Del Ray Acura.

[@shawnmadeiros2085]

The car jerks really hard and fills like it's jerking the transmission when going in reverse.

[@ChavezDIY]

There are three transmission mounts. Replace them only if they're broken. Use your jack to lift the transmission from bottom and see if they're broken. Also check your engine mounts the same way. Spray water on the rubber part of the mount and you will be able to see any cracks that way...if the mounts separate at the cracks when you lift the engine with the jack, you need to replace them.

[@joseosminoficialjesusiskin6304]

What brand motor mounts you use

[@ChavezDIY]

I use OEM mounts from the Acura dealer. Eventually I'm going to have to use aftermarket because it's not going to be worth it on such an old car. The front engine mount is hydraulic, so that's the one I would keep buying OEM

[@joseosminoficialjesusiskin6304]

@ChavezDIY why the front mount that the one the prevents vibration in the car ? I got alot of vibration in my car previous owner replaced mounts with hasport

[@ChavezDIY]

@@joseosminoficialjesusiskin6304 All mounts work together to absorb vibrations, but the front engine mount is the most important one. The OEM front engine mount is filled with hydraulic fluid and has a vacuum line underneath. Hasport mounts are for performance and by nature will transfer all the engine vibrations throughout the chassis of the car. High performance in mounts and suspension usually means stiffer, but ride comfort suffers as you will feel more vibrations.

[@joseosminoficialjesusiskin6304]

@ChavezDIY i did change the motor mounts and i use anchor ⚓️ motor mounts and what a diference no more vibration

[@ChavezDIY]

@@joseosminoficialjesusiskin6304 that's awesome! 😎👍🏼

[@mediaguy4037]

is that a v6

[@ChavezDIY]

No. They didn't offer the V6 option for the TSX until the second generation starting in 2009.

[@krimes213]

@@ChavezDIY yo miguel how much did all 6/7 motor mounts cost you. Also if I purchase the parts, how much would a mechanic charge me for labor? Also how long does it take to fix?

[@ChavezDIY]

@@krimes213 I bought the three engine mounts and three transmission mounts OEM from Del Ray Acura online, I have a link in the description of the video. The engine mounts were about $140 each one and the transmission mounts were $50 each one. I did all the work myself so I don't know how much a mechanic would charge for labor. I also replaced them at different times because they're expensive. You can cheaper versions of the parts online at like www.partsgeek.com and amazon.com