So we just bought a 2011 Aveo (T250) with 190k km om the clock.

When you accelerate suddenly or change gears quickly it feels almost like the engine and transmission are moving violently (you can hear a loud clunk and can feel the gear shifter moving quite a bit.

I've checked the engine mounts and they seem to be in ok condition. I took a pipe and attempted to move the engine in the engine bay but it moves very little.

I noticed two of the bolts that fasten the bell housing are missing. The axles have about 3mm play in and out and can turn a bit without engaging.

Does any know what would cause this issue?

 

well confirm your feelings visually. Open the hood and have someone shift between park and drive while you watch.

There might be mounts on the transmission too.

 

Sorry I should have mentioned its a manual.

So I had my wife drop the clutch in first whilst holding the brakes and being stationary. The whole engine racked back and forth so its probably engine mounts right? Has anyone done poly engine mounts?

 

yeah that's the mounts. Replace with OEM only.

 

Previous owner was a moron. He put bolts in the upper mount that were too long and stripped two of the 3 holes ( the two blind holes were stripped. The through hole had a loose bolt). The one bolt was 15mm (~19/32") too long.