[AlfaRomasochist]

In changing my transmission mount the old mount came out just fine. When pressing in the new mount the aluminum cracked!!!!!

It was definitely the right part so I wasn't trying to square peg a round hole. Never seen anything like this happen before.

I found a rear housing on ebay and have it on the way. Is it possible to change this out without pulling the transmission completely off the vehicle? I.e. working from the top in the cabin to remove shifter bits then going below to get at the housing?

I have some second gear wear but not enough to warrant a complete rebuild as the car is completely drivable with a strong clutch.

If I can't leave the transmission in. What oil seals, other service etc should I go ahead and do given I don't need a clutch?

 

[alfaparticle]

I have run for several years with a cracked housing that is filled with JB Weld. It is not greatly stressed. Yours broke because the aftermarket bushing was slightly too big.

 

[AlfaRomasochist]

I have run for several years with a cracked housing that is filled with JB Weld. It is not greatly stressed. Yours broke because the aftermarket bushing was slightly too big.

Knowing I'm not the only one makes me feel a bit better but I don't think your fix would work in my situation. It's cracked clean through and I wouldn't trust that out on the road.

The sleeve on the new mount definitely looked different that the stock mount but it didn't seem to be different in circumference. That being said I was so mad that I didn't think to take the calipers to it.

 

[SkiBum]

Barring the bushing actually being oversize, A bit of heat to the housing and bushing in the freezer overnight really helps.... dont forget plenty of grease!

 

[alfaparticle]

Think about it, there is rubber between the housing and the chassis. There is no way that it can be shocked or heavily loaded. It's purpose is to align the engine/transmission with the rest of the driveline.
When mine first cracked I had it welded but it cracked again. It handles the power from a 190 HP motor.

 

[spiderserie4]

my first question would be where did you get the mount from?
you should absolutely inform the supplier (that is putting it politely!), so some poor guy doesn't have the same sh*t thing happen to his tranny.

It is a PITA that the companies do not vet their aftermarket stuff more, especially when this is a very well known problem among aftermarket alfa parts (at least 4 or 5 years now!)
(no help to you now, but iirc the bushes should be 64mm)

as for replacing rear end in situ, there is some info here:
REALLY bad day! What do I do now???

 

[JoeCab]

It is a PITA that the companies do not vet their aftermarket stuff more, especially when this is a very well known problem among aftermarket alfa parts (at least 4 or 5 years now!) (no help to you now, but iirc the bushes should be 64mm)

I have no idea where the OP got their mount from, but FYI we do inspect every single transmission mount, and have any that are found to be out of spec turned down by a local machine shop who can do this very accurately via a "centerless grinding" operation. We've been doing this since ~2015 when we started to see this issue.

These mounts are supposed to be a very slight interference fit, however some recent production is in fact too large, and also not completely round. It is possible to crack the housing even with a correctly sized mount, but getting the size right is a good first step. One possible issue is that you really do have to clean up the inside of the housing before pressing in a new bushing, as a small knick or burr can bind up even a correctly sized mount.

 

[alfaromeoblack]

I have run for several years with a cracked housing that is filled with JB Weld. It is not greatly stressed. Yours broke because the aftermarket bushing was slightly too big.

I have used JB weld on a transmission in a Morris Minor and it worked great. Again the engine might of put out 50 hp.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[spiderserie4]

we do inspect every single transmission mount, and have any that are found to be out of spec turned down by a local machine shop who can do this very accurately via a "centerless grinding" operation. We've been doing this since ~2015 when we started to see this issue.

It is great to hear that and thank you for the extra effort

 

[AlfaRomasochist]

my first question would be where did you get the mount from?
you should absolutely inform the supplier (that is putting it politely!), so some poor guy doesn't have the same sh*t thing happen to his tranny.

It is a PITA that the companies do not vet their aftermarket stuff more, especially when this is a very well known problem among aftermarket alfa parts (at least 4 or 5 years now!)
(no help to you now, but iirc the bushes should be 64mm)

as for replacing rear end in situ, there is some info here:
REALLY bad day! What do I do now???

Thanks for the link. It tells me what I want to know is possible but not fun or wise. I will contact the supplier for sure.