Subframe Bolt woes

[Bizzy]

Well, Monday's really suck just for the record. Today on my way home I took a left hand turn onto a road and felt a tremendous pop and when I went to straighten up the wheels they didn't want to work right. So I stop immediately on the side of the road and get under there to look. No broken tie rods, no broken sway bar, nothing appeared out of the ordinary at all. I shook and tugged on everything and nothing budged. So I drove very slowly about 1/2 mile to my sitter's house. Her husband is my mechanic so I felt at ease. He took a look under there and found my problem.

Now, forgive me if I don't say this right, but I'm really upset at this right now. My subframe bushing assembly & bolt pulled completely out of the unibody. My cradle is hanging down on the driver's rear corner. Good old Michigan "rust factor" as my mechanic puts it. And yes, I had the subframe bolt recall work done.

So I left my baby with him. (You all know I trust him at this point, right?) He's going to drive her in tomorrow to fix her.

This is what he plans on doing. He's going to pull the carpet out from under the clutch/brake pedals, drill a hole large enough to expose the hole where the subframe bolt goes through (there's a hollow space in there) and install a very large metal washer and bolt to hold the cradle up where it's supposed to be. Then he's going to put a piece of sheet metal back where the hole is and primer it up so it doesn't rust. He's also going to check the other side to see what condition that one is in.

Now, for all of you out there with steering problems. These are the symptoms I experienced beforehand which I mistook for something else.

When I would make a left hand turn, it felt like the wheel was catching on the inner part of the wheel well or my rack was sticking in one spot. It would "hang up" for a split second and then it would be fine. From what I understand, everthing was really out of kilter there because the bolt and nut was giving way little by little.

Oh well, tomorrow will be a brighter day....right?

<small>[ April 29, 2002, 06:39 PM: Message edited by: Bizzy ]</small>

 

[SHOMEUP]

Thank you beth this is exactly what is happening to mine- i just got my aluminum subframe bushings in today... I dont know exactly id the recall has been done but what do i need if it hasnt been done and how hard is this procedure if neone else done it...thanx

 

[Bizzy]

SHOMEUP:
Thank you beth this is exactly what is happening to mine- i just got my aluminum subframe bushings in today... I dont know exactly id the recall has been done but what do i need if it hasnt been done and how hard is this procedure if neone else done it...thanx

Catch it now before what happened to me happens to you. The subframe bolt was a recall. I'd contact Ford first. They can look up your vin number to see if the work has been completed.

If it has, still check to see if there's rust in the unibody. It's not a hard repair, but I just lack the proper tools to drill holes of that size. And I lack the guts to do it also.

Mine broke on the rear assembly. You can undo that bolt and take out the subframe bushing. Just look where the bolt goes thru the unibody and inspect it for rust are a hole that appears to be wearing. I'm not sure what to tell you to do if you find that condition...other than do what I'm having done before it actually breaks.

But don't let it go, whatever you do. If I had been going any faster than what I was (and I wasn't going fast at all) I could have lost it by not being able to straighten up the wheels. I had to really man handle the wheel to get her to go back straight.

 

[SHOMEUP]

I also havent put the aluminum bushings in yet- i just got them so what do i have to do in order to put these in....

 

[Bizzy]

SHOMEUP:
I also havent put the aluminum bushings in yet- i just got them so what do i have to do in order to put these in....

Well, if I could take a pic I would, but being as I'm SHOless I'll describe it as best I can.

First thing, chalk the rear wheels in front and behind, safety first. Then jack the car up in the front. It will be handy to have another jack available to jack the cradle back up to put the bolts back in place. I'd start with the rear ones first and of course, only do one at a time. Just loosen the bolt, you'll see the cradle lower as you do this. Take the bolt all the way out and the lower part of the rubber bushing will probably be attached to it. There's another part of the assembly over top which you'll have to remove. Just replace the new parts in reverse order of taking the old rubber assembly off. Then gently raise the cradle up with another jack and re-tighten the bolt. I'm not sure how easy the front ones will be to do, and I don't know what to torque the bolts to. Check that out before you start as it's very important not to under or over torque bolts.

Most of all, just be careful. You also may want to wear some goggles under there because there will be dirt and possibly rust that could flake off into your eyes.

 

[SHOMEUP]

Thanx so much beth i will be attempting it this next week on my vacation... while doing some other stuff like upper strut mounts and bearings.. gee sounds like a fun vacation..getting to know the SHO better

 

[pjtoledo]

Bizzy:
Well, Monday's really suck just for the record. Today on my way home I took a left hand turn onto a road and felt a tremendous pop and when I went to straighten up the wheels they didn't want to work right. So I stop immediately on the side of the road and get under there to look. No broken tie rods, no broken sway bar, nothing appeared out of the ordinary at all. I shook and tugged on everything and nothing budged. So I drove very slowly about 1/2 mile to my sitter's house. Her husband is my mechanic so I felt at ease. He took a look under there and found my problem.

Now, forgive me if I don't say this right, but I'm really upset at this right now. My subframe bushing assembly & bolt pulled completely out of the unibody. My cradle is hanging down on the driver's rear corner. Good old Michigan "rust factor" as my mechanic puts it. And yes, I had the subframe bolt recall work done.

So I left my baby with him. (You all know I trust him at this point, right?) He's going to drive her in tomorrow to fix her.

This is what he plans on doing. He's going to pull the carpet out from under the clutch/brake pedals, drill a hole large enough to expose the hole where the subframe bolt goes through (there's a hollow space in there) and install a very large metal washer and bolt to hold the cradle up where it's supposed to be. Then he's going to put a piece of sheet metal back where the hole is and primer it up so it doesn't rust. He's also going to check the other side to see what condition that one is in.

Now, for all of you out there with steering problems. These are the symptoms I experienced beforehand which I mistook for something else.

When I would make a left hand turn, it felt like the wheel was catching on the inner part of the wheel well or my rack was sticking in one spot. It would "hang up" for a split second and then it would be fine. From what I understand, everthing was really out of kilter there because the bolt and nut was giving way little by little.

Oh well, tomorrow will be a brighter day....right?

Bizzy, just exactly what do you do to your SHO??? Sounds scarry!!! The proper fix is to cut the rusted stuff out and have some new steel welded in. The washer trick will not work, the subframe is what stops,starts, and turns the rest of the car. Lots of lateral forces there. I know exactly what you have under there, I bought an 89 from a guy in Wyandot a couple of years ago. Both of the rear subframe bolts were pulling through. At $400 I knew it was going to be a parts car. I stripped it completely and them attacked the rusted and crunched body with a ZAWZ-ALL,,,Damn that was fun!! Anyway, it's sad to see what the salt does to a car. Maybe plastics aren't bad after all. Good luck on the repair.

Perry Toledo,Ohio

 

[Bizzy]

pjtoledo:

bizzy, just exactly what do you do to your SHO??? Sounds scarry!!!

Well, it was scary. I thought I was gonna lose it. I'm not sure what I'm guilty of doing to her though, other than driving her. I don't think I'm any harder on my car than most people are. The thing I'm most relieved about is that it didn't happen at any higher rate of speed. That could have spelled disaster in a heartbeat.

 

[RStalveyARFF]

I'd definitely call the dealer Beth and find out if the recall has been done or not. The recall kit comes with the bolts, nuts, huge plate washer, and plugs to seal the holes cut.

 

[Bizzy]

SHO91MTX:
I'd definitely call the dealer Beth and find out if the recall has been done or not. The recall kit comes with the bolts, nuts, huge plate washer, and plugs to seal the holes cut.

It was done when I had the car. Or supposedly done. My mechanic said it has the new bolt & washer...although I didn't see any place where any new holes had been cut or sealed.

 

[jthomas68]

You`ll find out easy enough,if it was done,there WILL be a hold cut out already.Perry is right 100%,definately cut out the old rotted metal and weld in new.If it`s bad enough that the bolts pulled thru,it will get worse quickly!

 

[Gez89SHO]

Definitely, even if it indicates that the recall was done, check to see if there was an acess hole drilled in the floor. My dealer had the recall marked as completed on my car, but there were no holes.
Another thing, after they do the recall, its a good idea to seal the plugs with caulk/etc. The plugs provided are pretty flimsy and with the floor being uneven in that area, they will not seal well by themselves.

 

[Bizzy]

Well, it's all fixed and I'll get her back tonight. I have a legit bi### with Ford Motor Company.

My recall work was completed about a year or so ago which was a nightmare from the git-go. After today I will be getting these repairs reimbursed by them. They did the bolt replacement along with the bushing washer, but they didn't replace the bushing and they left part of the old rusted washer in there. There are a number of other things that weren't replaced with new and my mechanic said that this could be the cause of the problem. He put a new recall kit on there today and welded in a new section of metal as was suggested by Perry and Jeremy. I guess I misunderstood him in my frenzy last night. That would have been a temporary fix...I thought it would be a week before I could get it back to him. As it turned out he drove it in this morning.

 

[RStalveyARFF]

dealers= the most sneaky bastards in the world. Took Karen's 99 back to the dealer since the alignment was off, tires had inside edge wear, PS pump is on the way out, and I think that was it. Dealer says they found nothing on the PS pump (c'mon, they couldn't hear it screaching, and cutting out?), they said the FR endlink was broken so they replaced both(actually, they said the rears were broken, till I came back and asked why they were still old), they said the tires were fine, even though they were worn past the treadwear indicator on the inside edges, and last, but not least, they did not do the alignment. How do I know? Last time I checked, to cure a -1.5 degree camber problem on the drivers side, you'd need to cut the welds on the plates.....

 

[SHOMEUP]

Does neone know what the recall number is so i can get this done before it breaks on me..thanx

 

[Bizzy]

SHOMEUP:
Does neone know what the recall number is so i can get this done before it breaks on me..thanx

Hang tight, I'll find it and post it here.

Edit:
Recall 98V323000: Rear Lower Subframe Mount Plate Nut
Number: NHTSA98V323000
Date: 12/15/98

<small>[ April 30, 2002, 03:55 PM: Message edited by: Bizzy ]</small>

 

[SHObill]

hey bizzy,by the time u read this u'll have her back home!! i saw her on at 5:15 on M59 headin east! got excited,caught up to her just as things backed up,u changed lanes quickley & i lost u except it wasn't you!! figured he was comin from pontiac fixed up & headin back to u. OR sumbody picked up a nice plus with BIZZY across the back!!! --sorry to hear she's acting up since u just did all that top end work!! but better now than on the road to SZ later!! call me on cell so we can talk about SZ OK!! later

 

[Bizzy]

SHObill:
hey bizzy,by the time u read this u'll have her back home!! i saw her on at 5:15 on M59 headin east! got excited,caught up to her just as things backed up,u changed lanes quickley & i lost u except it wasn't you!! figured he was comin from pontiac fixed up & headin back to u. OR sumbody picked up a nice plus with BIZZY across the back!!! --sorry to hear she's acting up since u just did all that top end work!! but better now than on the road to SZ later!! call me on cell so we can talk about SZ OK!! later

That was my baby! My mechanic was driving her home for me. He dropped her off about 1/2 hour ago...all fixed. He said he saw a white SHO on his way home...wonder if that was you! Wish I'd have been there!

 

[SHObill]

yea,crusin home and i look up ahead and see that sweet car(i'm partial to white SHO's)just 10 cars up,WOT to just behind & it dives right into a hole & every comes to a halt & yer gone!!honked but toooo late,& i had to exit on roch. rd. call me at 656-0767(248) TTYL

 

[Bizzy]

SHObill:
yea,crusin home and i look up ahead and see that sweet car(i'm partial to white SHO's)just 10 cars up,WOT to just behind & it dives right into a hole & every comes to a halt & yer gone!!honked but toooo late,& i had to exit on roch. rd. call me at 656-0767(248) TTYL

Yeah, I've always got my eyes open for other SHO's. If it had been me I'd have slowed down and waited on ya to catch up. I'll call ya in a little bit.