Engine Drop... Not Happy >> Dangerous And It Should Be Recall>> Almost Crash

[shane02pro5]

All you need to do is put a jack under it and jack it up!

 

[whitey4311]

And what happens if you dont jack it up right and when you back the bolt out you are screwed?

I would be freaked out doing this in my garage with a regular jack because if y ou dont align the bolt right you could cross thread it or really have an issue if you mess up.

I will have to contact the fleet guy I bought the car from and he knows a Mazda tech that does work on the side so he can help me out for a small price I hope.

I really would just rather leave it alone and dont think we should have to worry about this with a new car. Hell I just dont know what to do.

 

[shane02pro5]

One bolt at a time there are several! The mount will not move if you only back one out locktite it and tighten it back down. Then move to the next one.

 

[whitey4311]

Then how come when the driver side top mount bolt fails the engine falls?

 

[shane02pro5]

So then maybe it's the bolt that runs through the motor mount bushing?? My point is that I would not wait around for Mazda to deal with something this simple to fix and take the chance of destroying the car and possibly worse!!!!

 

[major error]

I really would just rather leave it alone and dont think we should have to worry about this with a new car. Hell I just dont know what to do.

I would usually agree, but this is the first model year for the MS3.
Yes it uses much of the standard 3 as a base, but there are enough significant changes as to be a different car...

It could be worse, really. There could've been some other engineering failure that was time-consuming and costly to remedy, but this is just an excess of rubber according to justa4banger's reported experience. Yes, repairing damage from a fallen motor is costly, but the cost to remedy the initial fault? miniscule.

As for the danger involved, it's being blown way out of proportion. How is it any more dangerous than a tire blowout? Unless it's being operated in an unsafe/illegal manner, there's no reason a good driver can't respond appropriately.
I contend that a blowout is actually more dangerous--the tire is exposed directly to other vehicles, and with the potential for flying bits? Then there's the loss of traction and very degraded handling characteristics...
With the failed mount, the engine is only exposed to the ground. Drive shaft snaps? The suspension and the rest of the engine compartment will absorb any inertia until it hits the pavement. All the remaining damage mentioned in other reports was mainly strain on wiring/hoses and the fan pushed into the radiator. Yes there's a lot of noise, but really all you're looking at is a sudden loss of drive--you can coast safely to a stop...

 

[clos561]

My, aren't we trusting...
It may be a different mount that might fail, but it is part of a drivetrain suspension system. (I can just see them using that as an excuse (nervous) )
I hate to burst your bubble by playing devil's advocate here, but say you do the mod and the mount fails. What recourse do you have when a beancounter at this for-profit organization denies your warranty claim due to said mod? ...Your word against the mechanic's, and who are they going to listen to when large dollar signs are at the bottom of the invoice?

Everyone is welcome to do what they want to their cars within legal limits, so long as they're prepared to accept any/all consequences by doing so... If I can get something that will shield me from negative outcomes, you can be certain I will, whether it's absolutely necessary or not.
As far as car mods are concerned, I think I'll wait for a while before doing any on mine...

my dealer is cool ...like i said...my service guy would be mroe than happy to put the car in for repair because he gets paid like that...and if its something because a stiffer motor mount that actually helps the motor stabilize..i wouldnt get a hard time about it...plus they are going to install it and they only worry about boost and anything where YOU do the work and do it INCORRECTLY

 

[flyrevs]

You are honestly tellming me right now if I call up any dealership and say by changing some of the motor mounts on the car it wont result in warranty issues?

Especially a dropped engine not being a result to someone having been under the car changing s*** out?

No thanks I think the car shifts just fine and if I was into making it a racer then I would have got an Evo or something or if you are going to change things do it right and spend alot of money.

The car shifts amazingly better when the super springy rear mount is stiffened up. Look at the videos of the engine on a dyno with a stock rear mount - looks like it's about ready to get launched into the radiator. There are a few ways to stiffen up the rear mount (epoxy, replacement mount, inserts) , all are good. You don't need to spend a lot of $$$ to fix this. Once you feel the difference, you will understand. It's not a racer, it just shifts WAY better now.