I have a feeling my engine mounts are worn. Is there a way to determine that they are in fact at the point of requiring replacement?

 

Have a buddy with you and do this:

Start the car and put it in drive. Depress the brake firmly and give the engine some throttle. It should only move slightly. Repeat the same thing in reverse. If your engine looks like it lifts up a bit, your mounts are shot. You should only see small movements of the engine, anything drastic indicates broken mounts.

 

Yep, and if you have a 5 speed, you can do the same by using first and reverse with the brake set. Excessive vibration, lurching as you
shift (assuming you have an otherwise good shifting technique), noise
and so on, are also indications of worn mounts. They are fairly
easy to replace, though the two on the sides (actually front and
rear of the engine) are a bit more difficult to get at.

 

How much movement is too much? Is there a specified length in the FSM? Does anyone with an FSM have diagrams of the locations of the engine mounts (all of them)?

I figure I'll just remove them all (not all at the same time), remove all the rubber in them, buy some 80-90 shore polyurethane, and pack em.

 

there are instructions by ericdwong on how to replace your mounts; very good writeup.

 

i can't have downtime in my max to wait for poly to cure...so what's a good alternative to home made and OEM (they're expensive!!!)
Jae

 

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Go to a junkyard, get some used mounts on the cheap (can't be more than $140 or so for all 4) and fill the old ones with poly or the 3M Window Weld. McMaster-Carr.com part number 8644K11 is what you can use if you can't get the 3M Window Weld from a local auto part store. Anyhow, I bought 4 brand new mounts and filled them but you should get the same result from a junker's mounts. Just make sure you get them from a model of the same vintage with the same transmission. There were three different mounts for the 97 model and it depends on your vin number; why? -
but that's how it is.

If you can't get a decent price from a junkyard, then go through Courtesy Nissan.