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Clutch Bracket SNAPPED!

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Old 07-24-2008, 09:13 PM
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Originally Posted by tajabaho1
they WONT RECALL IT!!! its Mazda

mine has been moving Right for sometime now, ever since 10k miles? but then I press the clutch alot.........so it's probably gonna be dismissed as wear-and-tear item
It must be the California traffic that's killing the clutch pedal

Seriously though... see if you can get that resolved under warranty... as more repair for the cluth bracket under warranty and more reports to the NHTSA would help the situation, maybe then Mazda will look into this issue.

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

We should add this as advantage of owning Auto RX-8, no need to deal with broken cluth bracket.
Old 07-24-2008, 09:19 PM
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yea, and no need to change to the clutch ever so often either

well I won't need one now cus my car's obviously not going anywhere
Old 07-24-2008, 09:42 PM
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Originally Posted by 04RX8man
I just do not see buying a bracket when it's not my fault the part if faulty it's mazdas
of course, I totally understand what you mean.

For those who "had" this problem, rather Mazda replaced them under warranty or not. SHOULD file a complain at NHTSA.

if u got it under warranty, you still might want to get this the weld bracket from CRH and reinforcements from Mazsport; Because its your life

Imagine if u're going 60 mph on highway and the lane u're on coming to an end in 1/4 miles. u try to speed up and go to another lane but u found out that ur clutch bracket broke and u cant go into any gear. and there is no shoulders on this part of the highway for you to stop ur car, and there are cars all over you going at least 60 mph, and u're in a panic and stomp on ur brakes too fast ...

Last edited by nycgps; 07-24-2008 at 09:55 PM.
Old 07-24-2008, 09:54 PM
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my clutch has a 1/2" of play to either side. but it doesnt squeak. i think im ok. but still, when i have the money i'll be ordering the mazsport clutch bracket.
Old 07-24-2008, 09:57 PM
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yeah first thing i will do is try to get mazda to do something but if i do have to buy something i would but they should see that there is aproblem and put it under recall...
Old 07-24-2008, 11:02 PM
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damn, that reminds me, i better check mine too. my clutch bracket doesn't even look the same as anyone else's bracket.
Old 07-25-2008, 07:04 AM
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how involved is the clutch pedal install?... not something I've ever done before
Old 07-25-2008, 07:21 AM
  #33  
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Originally Posted by r0tor
how involved is the clutch pedal install?... not something I've ever done before
It's not very involved. I got one from BHR and it can be installed in less than 15 minutes.
Old 07-25-2008, 09:49 AM
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Originally Posted by Charles R. Hill
Guys, whoever said I wasn't making the pedals anymore? I have 7 units in-stock ready to ship. You get the new one, swap it in, and send me back the old assembly. No 24 hour wait and I even trust my customers enough to NOT charge a core fee.

Let's recap what we know about these pedal assemblies;

The factory clutch pedal assembly is prone to failure, on average, around 47,000-50,000 miles even with a stock clutch. What happens is that the spot welds which secure the rear plate to the bracket mainframe crack/break and cause incomplete clutch disengagement. (The metal used on the bracket assembly, especially the rear plate, isn't of the highest quality either.) When this happens, initially, the synchros do their job and bear the brunt of the abuse generated by a clutch that won't fully disengage. Over time, the synchros cannot cannot continue to spin up/down as they are supposed to and grinding of the synchros starts to occur. At the same time, your pedal will first squeak once in a while. Then, it will squeak all the time. Next, it will click from time to time. Then it will "click" most of the time. Then comes one last "POP" and you are no longer able to disengage your clutch AT ALL.

One way I tell people how to spot the early symptoms of pedal failure is when you have been shifting your transmission just fine for 40,000 miles and then you start to feel like you are "losing your touch", are having problems with your foot/hand coordination, or just have no clue why you start to grind gears no matter how careful you are. This is a classic sign of pedal bracket flex.

The guys who weld for BHR are professionals who deal with exotic metals all the time and welding these things is a piece of cake for them. They know exactly how much current is necessary for proper penetration without distorting the host metal. Despite what gossip may be out there, BHR has NEVER had a dissatisfied customer who decided to install one of our modded pedal assemblies and our mods are better than even a brand-new pedal. I have a couple customers who can attest to that fact.

I should also point out that BHR has NEVER left a customer in the lurch, out in the cold, nor holding a poor product. There have been situations where, for whatever reason, a particular part is not doing what was expected of it and I ALWAYS make my customers whole. Sometimes far beyond their expectations and what the industry norm might be.
Save one for meeeEEEEEEE

lemme check my bank account ... I should be able to get 1 this week or early next month hohoho

Originally Posted by expo1
It's not very involved. I got one from BHR and it can be installed in less than 15 minutes.
Do you have to re-adjust the free play after install ? if yes what tools u used to measure the distance ? (so I can go buy them)
Old 07-25-2008, 10:30 AM
  #35  
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Originally Posted by NgoRX8
damn, that reminds me, i better check mine too. my clutch bracket doesn't even look the same as anyone else's bracket.
What does yours look like?
Old 07-25-2008, 10:34 AM
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Originally Posted by Charles R. Hill
The free-play needs to be adjusted to the factory spec of 1/4"-1/2" total system free-play after the new pedal is installed and you can guesstimate that during the adjustment. Use 10MM and 12MM wrenches to loosen the locknut and adjustthe pushrod. The cool thing is that the clutch's friction zone will no longer "drift" around on you and the engagement point will be consistent every time.
cool cool.

I already got Scott's bracket. + urs I think I will have the strongest bracket ever

Gimme a day or 2 then I'll know when I will be able to get urs.
Old 07-25-2008, 10:35 AM
  #37  
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*crosses fingers for a recall before mine shows signs of breaking*
Old 07-25-2008, 10:59 AM
  #38  
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Not trying to pit BHR's and Mazsport's clutch assembly braces against one another, but I was curious how the two differ and what is the price on the BHR unit? I tried finding it on the website, but I don't think it is updated with that product.
Old 07-25-2008, 11:06 AM
  #39  
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BHR's unit - reinforce the bracket itself. by adding "a lot more welding spot" to existing bracket.. so it will not move left & right when you step on it. prevent it from breaking immaturely.

Mazsport unit - its a metal bracket that u install to your existing bracket, it helps it by "holding" the bracket with extra support. so it will not move left & right when you step on it. prevent it from breaking immaturely.


both has different approach but the same goal - so ur bracket wont break.

Last edited by nycgps; 07-25-2008 at 11:09 AM.
Old 07-25-2008, 11:16 AM
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Originally Posted by nycgps
BHR's unit - reinforce the bracket itself. by adding "a lot more welding spot" to existing bracket.. so it will not move left & right when you step on it. prevent it from breaking immaturely.

Mazsport unit - its a metal bracket that u install to your existing bracket, it helps it by "holding" the bracket with extra support. so it will not move left & right when you step on it. prevent it from breaking immaturely.


both has different approach but the same goal - so ur bracket wont break.
I see, thanks. From what I can gather, the BHR unit requires me to take off my clutch pedal assembly off and mail it to Charles and he in turn, sends me another clutch pedal assembly with the reinforced welds to install in my car?
Old 07-25-2008, 11:25 AM
  #41  
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Originally Posted by moRotorMotor
I see, thanks. From what I can gather, the BHR unit requires me to take off my clutch pedal assembly off and mail it to Charles and he in turn, sends me another clutch pedal assembly with the reinforced welds to install in my car?

read post 32 in this thread..

beers
Old 07-25-2008, 11:35 AM
  #42  
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Yeah but waiting

I understand and feel the same way but waiting for someone else to fix it for you when it really is a safety issue and could leave you stranded in the middle of nowhere, in heavy traffic in a bad place or god forbid in an accident (Imagine having your clutch pedal break off mid shift while driving in the rain) doesn't make any sense either. if you are getting extra play, noise or can feel something "not right" in your clutch better safe than sorry and get it checked out.
Old 07-25-2008, 11:37 AM
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Originally Posted by moRotorMotor
I see, thanks. From what I can gather, the BHR unit requires me to take off my clutch pedal assembly off and mail it to Charles and he in turn, sends me another clutch pedal assembly with the reinforced welds to install in my car?
Ray will send you the Reinforced Pedal, you install it, THEN send him back your pedal. No down time what so ever.
Old 07-25-2008, 12:19 PM
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My stock pedal (with stock clutch) lasted only about 42,000 miles before it started showing signs of failure.

Ray was in town for a DynoDay and was graceous enough to install it for me. I can honestly say that my clutch feels 100% better then it did before. The clutch feels SOLID, the 'play' on it is gone and shifts are back to being super smooth!
Thanks Ray, another BITCHIN' product from BHR
Old 07-25-2008, 12:44 PM
  #45  
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And as a reminder for those that the pedal is squeaking... just because it squeaks doesn't mean that the assembly is broken or near breaking.

It can also squeak from the Clutch switch and there is a TSB out on that.

So it can be either issue if there is a squeak.
Old 07-25-2008, 12:53 PM
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wow wtf, who told me Ray stopped making pedals/!?!!? omfgwtfbbq.1t1itinemhshsohgwi4whawr
Old 07-25-2008, 01:04 PM
  #47  
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Originally Posted by 04RX8man
what kind of squeaking are you hearing because i do hear a faint noise almost sounds like the spring beinge pulled apart and pushed together....is that it?
Yes, I had something close to that. I thought it was the clutch switch but NOPE its the damn Clutch Bracket.

Mazda is being sneaky too, they are checking these forums to void warranty on purpose. Little do they know this is bigger than just a warranty. What happens to everybody when they need to replace their clutches due to high mileage? All types of these incidents will start to happen. Mazda better fix this NOW! Regardless, this is a piece on the car that should not break EVER!
Old 07-25-2008, 01:06 PM
  #48  
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Originally Posted by RatedX8
This is great for cars no longer under factory warranty or for those wanting to upgrade, but the main issue here is that this is safety related. We need to get Mazda's attention so they can issue a TSB. Who's our mod here who has some contacts at Mazda?
EXACTLY!!! I've never heard of this before, on any car, until now!
Old 07-25-2008, 01:08 PM
  #49  
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Originally Posted by RatedX8
If enough people complain, or God forbid, someone gets into an accident, then it becomes a safety recall, the clutch itself is a wear and tear item, but the pedal going out of whack or breaking off is a design flaw.
You are absolutely correct, this is why the matter should be taken care of ASAP.
Old 07-25-2008, 01:09 PM
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^^ on that note.. my pedal does squeak from time to time and i should get that checked out as i still need to go in for the new flash...

I dont know if my clutch is moving so much as maybe I am just so used to it? Would the recommendation be just to get one in case anyways? How much for the BHR... maybe we can get a thread started in the for sale section if not there already?


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