ANOTHER Broken motor mount........ Its my turn

[shark77]

Make your complaint here:

http://www-odi.nhtsa.dot.gov/ivoq/index.cfm

There are currently 15 complaints listed for the motor mount issue.

http://www-odi.nhtsa.dot.gov/cars/problems/complain/results.cfm


The more VIN's of occurance that are added the more credibly this will be taken. We should have a sticky for procedures in reporting this to the NHTSA. That way when they compile data, the trend will be easily seen.

 

[mattleegee]

So you checked it?.... tourqued it? and then it snapped?

its good you went to the dealer about the problem and the next day it broke

 

[speedi3]

Couldn't sleep. Called roadside assistance this am to get it towed. I'm not dreaming of $9500 bills for damages.

 

[Alejo_NIN]

good luck on that, really

 

[M3_Zoom]

Couldn't sleep. Called roadside assistance this am to get it towed. I'm not dreaming of $9500 bills for damages.

Smart move! When I check mine out today, if the bolt is even backed out the slightest bit, I'm calling the dealer to come get it. I know allot of you are fixing it on your own which is great, but after talking to my dealer they said what ever I find, leave it. They will take the necessary course of action with Mazda so the TSB/Recall can be sooner than later...

 

[whitey4311]

Couldn't sleep. Called roadside assistance this am to get it towed. I'm not dreaming of $9500 bills for damages.

Man I cant imagine that they arent going to in some way blame you since you have all those mods and worst of all a after market motor mount on there.

Sometimes doing mods you take the gamble on your warranty but I can see why my decission to leave it alone seems to be the best for me.

Good luck man.

 

[civic si hb]

Man I cant imagine that they arent going to in some way blame you since you have all those mods and worst of all a after market motor mount on there.

Sometimes doing mods you take the gamble on your warranty but I can see why my decission to leave it alone seems to be the best for me.

Good luck man.

I here ya, i've got my MS intake comming in on thursday.Then once the MS exhaust comes out i'll get that because these 2 mods the dealership won't give me crap for warranty repair, but that's the only mods i'll be doing untill they fix this mount issue.

 

[M3_Zoom]

Man I cant imagine that they arent going to in some way blame you since you have all those mods and worst of all a after market motor mount on there.

Sometimes doing mods you take the gamble on your warranty but I can see why my decission to leave it alone seems to be the best for me.

Good luck man.

whitey4311, although your logic is spot on, regardless of mods, these bolts are breaking on cars with no mods. There are over a dozen so far from this forum and others, and maybe a handful of them have mods. If those same folks officially report it to the NHTSA, that would be a great start. Also once a dealer makes repairs of this nature, I'm sure there's a report involved as well. I'm on my way into the garage to check mine out...

 

[civic si hb]

whitey4311, although your logic is spot on, regardless of mods, these bolts are breaking on cars with no mods. There are over a dozen so far from this forum and others, and maybe a handful of them have mods. If those same folks officially report it to the NHTSA, that would be a great start. Also once a dealer makes repairs of this nature, I'm sure there's a report involved as well. I'm on my way into the garage to check mine out...

keep us in touch on how things go

 

[whitey4311]

whitey4311, although your logic is spot on, regardless of mods, these bolts are breaking on cars with no mods. There are over a dozen so far from this forum and others, and maybe a handful of them have mods. If those same folks officially report it to the NHTSA, that would be a great start. Also once a dealer makes repairs of this nature, I'm sure there's a report involved as well. I'm on my way into the garage to check mine out...

You and I know this but do you think the person shelling out 9k is going to not for a second try and throw it back on the owner when they see after market engine mounts?

By the way I took 15min this AM before work and checked my bolt and its fine. I just looked at it and didnt wrench on it at all but the head of th ebolt is flush and tight to the spacer/washer so its all good. My build date is 02-07 so that may be partly why since it should have been addressed by that time.

My friend has a build date of 08-06 so he may be at risk and when he gets back this weekend we will check it out and report back here.

PS all you need to do is yank the battery and the 3 screws under it that hold the tray in place. I couldnt figure out how to unhook all the elctrical stuff on the passenger side of the tray but I was able to tip the tray back and up and see under it just fine. It went really fast and all you need are the tools from the CAI install like the 10mm box wrench and socket with that long extension.

PSS DAMN IT now my ECU has to relearn again and that will take about a week. At first my CAI didnt seem to add much power but after about 5 days it went ape s*** with blow off valve noises and had much more punch and response to throttle.

 

[justa4banger]

First off SpeedI3 can you drive your car? if so the bolt isn't broken yet. when the motor fals it destroys a bunch of stuff.

Second the bolt used is only stamped with an 8. now if its was a american bolt i would assume grade 8, but since its metric and metric bolts use something like 10.8 and 12.8 for strength, i have no idea what this bolt is rated at.

Last thing I'm leaving now to catch the tech reps at the dealer. my little birdy said they just got there.

 

[ptperformance]

Well for the most part it's only the bolt that breaks/comes loose to cause this craziness however, In my opinion the entire mount should be redesigned. I personally feel with the current design and the bolt being completely vertical, that causes excess stress on the bolt, hence the backing out or breaking of it. If the bolt/mount were running horizontal with the bolt running from front to rear etc. it would allow more flexion and use of the motor-mount. Just my thoughts...

Yes that is correct. We have a fix for this for the stock HP guys but it puts a ton of vibrations in the cabin. We are working on the fix as well for the drivers side mount but the dam base is going to have to be pressed due to the 4 mounting bolts being set a different heights. I just ran our fix at the track and got a 14.21 with "zero" wheel hop. Working on a fix for this due to the fact that Mazda will more likely then not ignor the problem.

 

[M3_Zoom]

keep us in touch on how things go

Ok, it literally took 30 minutes and I stopped for a phone call. It's very easy and straight forward. A 10mm socket completes the entire job. Once I obtained access to the mount, I checked the torque (66 - 86 ft/lbs) and for mine, I immediately received a click of the torque wrench; wheeew, nice to know. I marked the bolt as you can see illustrated in the photo I provided. Lastly, my build date is 12/06.

1. Remove your battery cover
2. Remove a. positive and b. negative battery wires (In that order)
3. Remove the metal battery holding strap (2 nuts)
4. Remove the battery
5. Remove the the 3 bolts holding the battery box down
6. Remove the ECU top plastic cover only and unplug the ECU
7. Remove the clips holding down the positive and negative wires to the battery box
8. Remove the battery box and you have your mount. *Note your ECU will be attached to the side of the battery box so be super nice to it.
9. Install in reverse order
* Remember to plug the ECU in and reconnect the negative terminal prior to connecting the positive terminal. The positive terminal should be the last thing you install just prior to putting the battery cover back on.
10. Start you car and let it idle for at least 10 minutes.

If your bolt is backed out the slightest bit, I would immediately stop, call your dealer and have it towed. Stand firm and don't let them tell you to drive it in, that drive could be the difference between a good or very bad day.

I hope this helps...

 

[ptperformance]

Ok, it literally took 30 minutes and I stopped for a phone call. It's very easy and straight forward. A 10mm socket completes the entire job. Once I obtained access to the mount, I checked the torque (66 - 86 ft/lbs) and for mine, I immediately received a click of the torque wrench; wheeew, nice to know. I marked the bolt as you can see illustrated in the photo I provided. Lastly, my build date is 12/06.

1. Remove your battery cover
2. Remove a. positive and b. negative battery wires (In that order)
3. Remove the metal battery holding strap (2 nuts)
4. Remove the battery
5. Remove the the 3 bolts holding the battery box down
6. Remove the ECU top plastic cover only and unplug the ECU
7. Remove the clips holding down the positive and negative wires to the battery box
8. Remove the battery box and you have your mount. *Note your ECU will be attached to the side of the battery box so be super nice to it.
9. Install in reverse order
* Remember to plug the ECU in and reconnect the negative terminal prior to connecting the positive terminal. The positive terminal should be the last thing you install just prior to putting the battery cover back on.
10. Start you car and let it idle for at least 10 minutes.

If your bolt is backed out the slightest bit, I would immediately stop, call your dealer and have it towed. Stand firm and don't let them tell you to drive it in, that drive could be the difference between a good or very bad day.

I hope this helps...

If you guys are going to check it would it be worth it if I could find a high grade stud and nut for this? ARP could get something put together I am sure for this. Let me know if this would appeal to you guys.

 

[M3_Zoom]

If you guys are going to check it would it be worth it if I could find a high grade stud and nut for this? ARP could get something put together I am sure for this. Let me know if this would appeal to you guys.

Well here's the problem with that. If you modify the OEM bolt from it's original state with any "improved" bolt and that bolt happens to break, I'm willing to bet Mazda may say, "hey you installed an aftermarket bolt and the bill is on you." Sure there are a few options like a bolt & nut combination or even a bolt & nut with safety wire/cotter pin but...

After getting up close today, I personally believe the mount needs to be reengineered. The bolt should be horizontal from front to back, not vertical and absorbing the significant amount of pull that it has on it.

 

[TorqSpeed5252]

First off SpeedI3 can you drive your car? if so the bolt isn't broken yet. when the motor fals it destroys a bunch of stuff.

Second the bolt used is only stamped with an 8. now if its was a american bolt i would assume grade 8, but since its metric and metric bolts use something like 10.8 and 12.8 for strength, i have no idea what this bolt is rated at.

Last thing I'm leaving now to catch the tech reps at the dealer. my little birdy said they just got there.

Yeah, I checked my Machinery's Handbbok and the SAE standard for bolt strengths and markings. if its an american bolt it should be stamped with dashes to represent the grade (5 dashes in a star for a grade 8, 3 dashes for a grade 5, etc)

A metric is supposed to be stamped in a numerical decimal fashion so if it were marked 12.9 the 12 represents 1/10 the min ult tensile in hundreds of megapascals. The .9 represents the ratio of minimum yield to min ultimate strength. so a metric bolt that is stamped 12.9 has a min ultimate strength of 1200 megapascals and a min yield strength of .9(1200) megapascals. One megapascal is about 145psi.

I have no idea what a single 8 stamped means

 

[Rotus8]

Ok, it literally took 30 minutes and I stopped for a phone call. It's very easy and straight forward. A 10mm socket completes the entire job. Once I obtained access to the mount, I checked the torque (66 - 86 ft/lbs) and for mine, I immediately received a click of the torque wrench; wheeew, nice to know. I marked the bolt as you can see illustrated in the photo I provided. Lastly, my build date is 12/06.

1. Remove your battery cover
2. Remove a. positive and b. negative battery wires (In that order)
3. Remove the metal battery holding strap (2 nuts)
4. Remove the battery
5. Remove the the 3 bolts holding the battery box down
6. Remove the ECU top plastic cover only and unplug the ECU
7. Remove the clips holding down the positive and negative wires to the battery box
8. Remove the battery box and you have your mount. *Note your ECU will be attached to the side of the battery box so be super nice to it.
9. Install in reverse order
* Remember to plug the ECU in and reconnect the negative terminal prior to connecting the positive terminal. The positive terminal should be the last thing you install just prior to putting the battery cover back on.
10. Start you car and let it idle for at least 10 minutes.

If your bolt is backed out the slightest bit, I would immediately stop, call your dealer and have it towed. Stand firm and don't let them tell you to drive it in, that drive could be the difference between a good or very bad day.

I hope this helps...

Good instructions, thanks! But when disconnecting the battery, ALWAYS disconect the negative first and then the positive. This may save you a nasty surprise. If you accidently touch something when disconnecting the negative, nothing happens. Once the negative is disconnected, disconnecting the positive is then also safe.

 

[M3_Zoom]

Good instructions, thanks! But when disconnecting the battery, ALWAYS disconect the negative first and then the positive. This may save you a nasty surprise. If you accidently touch something when disconnecting the negative, nothing happens. Once the negative is disconnected, disconnecting the positive is then also safe.

True, some habits are hard to break. I've just always used the golden rule of making sure things are grounded before applying electricity to them. However, what you said is correct and if your not paying attention, you can easily be (ZAPPO) reminded. (drinks)

 

[M3_Zoom]

First off SpeedI3 can you drive your car? if so the bolt isn't broken yet. when the motor fals it destroys a bunch of stuff.

Second the bolt used is only stamped with an 8. now if its was a american bolt i would assume grade 8, but since its metric and metric bolts use something like 10.8 and 12.8 for strength, i have no idea what this bolt is rated at.

Last thing I'm leaving now to catch the tech reps at the dealer. my little birdy said they just got there.

I anxiously await the verdict...

 

[desperado-c]

I think I'm the next victim. Word to the wise don't do to many mods at once. You wont remember what goes wrong.

This weekend i got my Racepipe, SU Mount, Springs and H BOV installed. On the way home I hit a bump in the road and heard something drop like a bolt or something weird. got home checked under the car everything seem'd to be in order.... After reading this thread I'm almost convinced that the bolt has broken off as I have major movement in the engine bay and all kinds of strange noises from the engine bay. I have an appointment at the dealer in the morning with the SU mount... I know that could be trouble but I have no choices when you hear that grinding sound. I only hear the sound when I'm pulling up my hill to get in the garage. I imagine its stress on the transmission since the engine is not in place and leaning back..

I'm an end user on most mechanicals things so someone knowledgeable chime in....

Also, is it just the aftermarket units that are breaking?

Whoa. You're in a thread about the transmission engine mount bolt breaking. You'd definitetly know it if it was that, 'cause the driver's side of the engine would've broken a bunch of things on the way down. If you're talking about your aftermarket SU mount, you should have been able to see that from under the car.

Anyhow, let us know what the dealer says.