View Full Version : Atx tranny mounting braket , or housing?
shadowfox28
07-15-2006, 12:42 PM
i have a 99 atx and i dropped my car off at da mechanic to get a powersteering line replaced... while there he noticed that the front mount on the tranny that bolts on the the frame (i think) had craked all the way thro!!!
Is there any way to fix this even tho it is cast iron? And if i need to buy a new housing Will any tranny werk from a 99 and older cougar without modification, or do i need that serial number on the tranny?How much will a used one cost?or a new one for that mater
Thanks in advance
shadowfox28
07-17-2006, 01:22 PM
ok here is a nice pic from on top of the secondaries
http://i99.photobucket.com/albums/l2...r/DSC00083.jpg
As u can see that is part of the tranny housing that cracked off and i believe it was connected to the engine mount.
http://i99.photobucket.com/albums/l2...r/DSC00083.jpg
:confused: I see an "image deleted or moved" pic.
If you've cracked the transaxle casing, it can be TIG/MIG welded, but it's usually expensive unless you have your own equipment. The crack must be "V"ed out and filled with new metal. The entire casing should be preheated to avoid warping during welding- This would require disassembling the transaxle case. I'm sure fly-by-night welders would do it without preheating... But then you run the risk of wearing out your main/countershaft bearings or worse.
shadowfox28
07-18-2006, 07:52 AM
http://i99.photobucket.com/albums/l293/MidnightShadowfox28/cougar/DSC00082.jpg there we go
That picture shows you looking down into the engine from the front of the car, at the back of the engine where it meets the trans, and you can see the water pump pulley and belt. I can only assume you're talking about the top of the transasxle.
The trouble is, there's no cast iron anywhere near there. So I don't know what I'm looking at- Unless I'm seeing a big chunk of the transaxle housing missing, and that rust colored thing is the torque converter!
The transaxle casing is aluminum. The only cast iron is the front engine mount where it hangs from the passenger side fenderwell.
Cast iron CAN be welded- But it takes preheating, a special chromium stick welding rod over ($300 a box), and peening after the weld to stress relieve the metal. I'm almost 100% sure that's not what we're dealing with here.
shadowfox28
07-18-2006, 01:54 PM
http://i99.photobucket.com/albums/l293/MidnightShadowfox28/cougar/DSC00083.jpg Does that help? Its a picture takin from the front of the car pointing in to where the plastice cover would be. Yes at the rear of the engine. How the hell did that thing crack? The mechanics only explaination was that wen i bought the car the previous owner smak the underbody of the car and hit the trany witch cause a stress crak then... after time passed heating and cooling cause it to shatter?
Possible. But that's aluminum that's cracked. You can TIG it after "V"ing it out, but preheating and other necessary precautions would require you to basically tear the trans apart. You can probably MIG it, but either way, you're risking alignment and warpage of the casing.
My opinion would be to leave it alone, based solely on what I can see (and that ain't much) in the pics. Unless you're heavily modded, that one bolt housing being gone won't amount to a hill of beans.
shadowfox28
07-19-2006, 09:41 PM
my only concern is that with the engine being able to move so much.. is it possible for things like the exhaust and hses to start ripping out if i drive it hard?(qwik accelerations)
Your powertrain is a single unit- It moves as a unit. Your exhaust has a built in donut joint (2-bolt) or flex-pipe (3-bolt) that allows the engine to move without excessively changing the exhaust angle. I have gotten on my soapbox previously about the dangers of bypassing this, whatever. Point is, you would be in danger if the transaxle started moving independently of the engine. That's bad. :ugh:
shadowfox28
07-20-2006, 07:45 AM
Well could this be the reason why my car is extra slow off the line? The engine is not as restained, so it is able to torque more,causeing a slow doggish start.... or its probally just a combo of the 2.5 and slushbox.
Ummm... No.
The slushbox is ALWAYS slow off the line- The CD4E is 20 year-old Mazda technology... It's a dog, it's always a dog, and even beefed up, it's a dog.
I don't know how the hell it cracked- The "bottoming out" theory holds water, but still... :confused:
Remember there are two motor mounts that basically hang the engine in the engine bay- One on the front of the engine that connects to the passenger side frame/fender well, and one on the transaxle that connects to the driver's side frame/fender well. Then there are two roll restrictors, which I think is what you were trying to get at- One on each side of the transaxle that face front and rear, attaching to the subframe.
shadowfox28
07-20-2006, 10:01 AM
o boy now im just confused so which one of those is broken on mine? the one on the transaxle that connects to the driver's side frame/fender well, or a roll resistor facing the front.
None of the above- The pic you showed is nowhere near any motor mount. The picture you showed was of what I believe to be a cracked transaxle case! No real telling what other damage occurred, but if it's driving fine, just watch for leaks.
shadowfox28
07-20-2006, 12:17 PM
okey dokey im gonna try and get more pics of that area from underneath the car today