Just replaced both 20 year-old engine mounts and my transmission mount with OEM units right from the dealer. I notice NO appreciable difference in the amount my engine shakes around.

To paraphrase IPD: Excessive movement or vibration in the shifter and knocking or banging of the exhaust against the body when accelerating from a stop or when idling is a key indicator.... The most common failures are where the top metal plate comes loose from the rubber mount. If the mount has softened (bulging at the center) it should be replaced.

The metal plate on mine had come loose and the old rubber was bulging but I don't agree with them that it had "softened." It seemed hard as a rock. I noticed that the new rubber seemed a lot softer than the rubber on the original mounts.

My questions are: Wouldn't rubber exposed to high temperatures generally harden, shrink and get more brittle over time - not soften? Would this contribute to the new mounts being softer than the old? Or is their a rubber conspiracy going on?
And, is there anything else I can check as far as reducing the engine shake or should I just not worry about it now that all the mounts are new?

Jason
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89 245 'loaded' with a Great Pyrenees; 91 245 project