Clutch Bracket SNAPPED!
Thread Starter
PoloRican Rotary
Joined: Feb 2004
Posts: 1,501
Likes: 0
From: Maryland
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.
FYI.....I only have 51K on my car!
Thread Starter
PoloRican Rotary
Joined: Feb 2004
Posts: 1,501
Likes: 0
From: Maryland
if ur clutch bracket already Broke. u either have to get a new one first, or see if u can weld the broken one back.
I see that u have a 2007, so u should still have warranty, probably just asking right ?
I assume that ur bracket is working, what u can do is, get a new Bracket from CRH, install it, then send your "used" one back to him. or you can buy Mazsport's bracket and just install it to the one u have right now.
I got the Mazsport bracket already, I will get the BHR/CRH's one soon. Just to be sure that it will never break
I see that u have a 2007, so u should still have warranty, probably just asking right ?
I assume that ur bracket is working, what u can do is, get a new Bracket from CRH, install it, then send your "used" one back to him. or you can buy Mazsport's bracket and just install it to the one u have right now.
I got the Mazsport bracket already, I will get the BHR/CRH's one soon. Just to be sure that it will never break
Ground Assault
Joined: Sep 2007
Posts: 501
Likes: 0
From: SoCal Bound
Ya Same thing happened to me. I think I was somewhere near 48 -49000 miles. I was stopped at a light just after getting off interstate. Went to put it in gear and couldn't. Called a tow truck, but then my friend told how I could get it to his shop down the street. Just simply turned the car off, put it in gear, and then started it. Of course the car is going to go as soon as you start it, and you're going to have to turn the car off at any stops, but luckily I live in a smaller city that isn't too busy and the shop was only about 1 mile away. It was fun turning the car off at a couple red lights and people looking at me like......WTF?
Maybe this will help some of you guys on here, at least by getting your 8 off the road and to a safer location. When it happened to me, I didn't know what happened and never even thought of doing this.
Maybe this will help some of you guys on here, at least by getting your 8 off the road and to a safer location. When it happened to me, I didn't know what happened and never even thought of doing this.
you will get a drop down menu. select send private message.
type in you message, hit send.
good luck, btw, lost of children of the 60s here.
beers
https://www.fluidmotorsports.com/p-1...cessories.aspx
If you want to do a local pickup let me know, I will give you a better price too for some OG Office Depot crew..lol
Maybe we can have a tech session, there are a few locals that I know of that are going to be doing some work to their cars.
We should make this a recall. cuz this is a safety issue.
"Autobots Roll-Out..!"
Joined: Oct 2007
Posts: 845
Likes: 0
I agree, it should bee a recall.. Luckily, I didn't lose all driving ability, but it did happen to me on one of the busiest roads in Orlando, FL...late evening (not during rush hour thankfully)..but still..! It scared the crap out of me... I looked down thinking the pedal came completely off..
Registered
Joined: Aug 2008
Posts: 935
Likes: 3
I don't worry about the engine, or the transmission, or water in the tail lights. This is the one issue with the 8 that really scares me.
With such a seemingly simple and inexpensive fix possible, I don't understand why Mazda hasn't done a recall on this.
With such a seemingly simple and inexpensive fix possible, I don't understand why Mazda hasn't done a recall on this.
Those who has/had this problem. Report them to NHTSA.gov
Try to keep the bracket with you as evidence. if not at least take some good pictures of it, especially the broken part.
Try to keep the bracket with you as evidence. if not at least take some good pictures of it, especially the broken part.
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