Is my upper engine mount bushing broken?

quote:

Originally posted by 97R855:
The arm on my upper engine mount can swing back and forth in the bushing. Is this normal? I'm not sure what a good one looks like. I've seen the one's IPD sells and they look pretty stiff and looks like they may cause some engine vibrations to enter the cabin since they are made out of polyurethane. Is this true? Am I causing any damage to the car if I just leave it for now? Does anyone else make a "heavy duty" rubber, non polyurethane bushing?

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If the arm bolt at the engine moves freely within the bushing (ie, if you can lift the arm while it is still attached), your upper mount bushing is probably broken-you should have this verified by a mechanic ASAP. The stock upper mount bushing that attaches the motor to the back of the engine bay is a rubber "web" which has some open space. This apparently allows some "give" but is a well documented weak link in the engine design (verified by my local Volvo service department). I was on my second one when I decided to replace it with an IPD bushing. A broken upper mount bushing can allow your engine to torque back and forth (relative to the front of the car), with lots of very bad effects and potentially expensive repairs required. I recently replaced my upper mount, which fixed the problem with no noticeable bad side effects or increased motor noise in the cabin. The IPD is a soft polyurethane that has some give in it, and I belieev that most of the other aftermarket bushings are similar.