Clutch Bracket SNAPPED!
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.
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; Jul 24, 2008 at 09:55 PM.
He's as bad as Can
Joined: Feb 2004
Posts: 4,309
Likes: 3
From: Manchester, NJ
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.
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.
lemme check my bank account ... I should be able to get 1 this week or early next month hohoho
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)
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.
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.
Rotary eXperimental-8
Joined: Nov 2003
Posts: 1,830
Likes: 0
From: Gander, Newfoundland, Canada
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.
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.
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; Jul 25, 2008 at 11:09 AM.
Rotary eXperimental-8
Joined: Nov 2003
Posts: 1,830
Likes: 0
From: Gander, Newfoundland, Canada
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.
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.
read post 32 in this thread..
beers
New Recruit
Joined: Jun 2007
Posts: 152
Likes: 0
From: The Nooga
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. 
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
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
Registered User
Joined: Sep 2004
Posts: 755
Likes: 0
From: Rohnert Park CA
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.
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.
Thread Starter
PoloRican Rotary
Joined: Feb 2004
Posts: 1,501
Likes: 0
From: Maryland
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!
Thread Starter
PoloRican Rotary
Joined: Feb 2004
Posts: 1,501
Likes: 0
From: Maryland
EXACTLY!!! I've never heard of this before, on any car, until now!
Thread Starter
PoloRican Rotary
Joined: Feb 2004
Posts: 1,501
Likes: 0
From: Maryland
You are absolutely correct, this is why the matter should be taken care of ASAP.
^^ 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?
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?
