Results 1 to 5 of 5

Thread: I broke the bell housing and I didn't even have to drive the car

  1. #1
    One fix at a time verified
    Join Date
    Sep 2010
    Owner Since
    2004

    Location
    Kansas
    Posts
    2,158
    Blog Entries
    1
    Thanks
    60
    Thanked 57 Times in 49 Posts

    Unhappy I broke the bell housing and I didn't even have to drive the car

    I got the stock transfercase bolts in yesterday to replace the longer EK2 ones I had since I replaced the brace with a SS front and mid housing on my 5-speed. Last night I tightened up the bolts finger tight and started to torque them all down. One of the bolts didn't even make it to 63 ft-lbs before the ear broke off on the bell housing. Now the transfercase is held on by 4 of the 5 bolts. I'll have to get some pics of it this weekend. I don't know why it broke off. It could be from 17 y.o. fatigue of the aluminum, overtorque sometime in the life of the transmission, some other stress that caused a crack to propogate which only spread at the border of the grain, or something else. I did not see it coming and it almost makes me question the integrity of the rest of the transmission case.

    I know the metal gets fatigued and is one reason why a lot of the 6-speed housings are cracking besides the large amount of power being put through them. My buddies' father-in-law has a big spool gun and can weld thick aluminum so I'll try that out. I may see if some brazing will work before that. I'd rather not heat up the material too much so it becomes brittle and just breaks at the edge of the weld. Anyone else that has busted an ear off their bell housing what did you do to fix it?
    95 RT/TT Billet TD04s E70, DW1000cc injectors, ARC-2 with 92mm maf, 3SX fuel rail loop, hotwired Walbro 416/485, 3" FMIC, single small Krank vent, DR 3.5" downpipe and cat-back, DNP 02 housings, Hallman Pro MBC, BlackStealth LCDBC, AEM wideband, AEM oil pressure, Apexi S1 coilovers with SCE EVO 8/9 adapters, 3SX adjustable control arms, Spec 3+ clutch, Maximal solids/3SX poly motor mounts, Setrab custom SMOC, stock motor 127k miles, stock drivetrain.

  2. #2
    One day....it will be on 4 wheels. supporter
    Join Date
    Sep 2010
    Owner Since
    2004

    Posts
    1,804
    Thanks
    153
    Thanked 37 Times in 30 Posts
    Need pictures
    Building a House, Car Mods on hold!
    1996 GTO, Owner since 2003.

  3. #3
    Forum User Not Verified

    Join Date
    Sep 2010
    Owner Since
    2004

    Location
    Cape Girardeau
    Posts
    4,791
    Thanks
    365
    Thanked 296 Times in 214 Posts
    I'm sure you know what you are doing, but it didn't get caught on the doll pin, did it?

    Parting 6 speed
    Pampena 3.5 Stroker, GTX 2867 Gen IIs, AEM Series2, oohnoo SMIC, DN Hardpipes, FIC 1650s, Walbro 525, aermotive fpr, Dejon intake pipes, Tial Q, Koyo Rad, Samco Hoses, Stoptech 332mm fronts, HKS GT4 Coilovers, Spec 4+ LW, JDM 6 Speed, Billet shift forks, Pampena brace

  4. #4
    Forum User
    Join Date
    Sep 2010
    Owner Since

    Posts
    1,187
    Thanks
    4
    Thanked 73 Times in 56 Posts
    ^this. For it to break chances are it wasnt on all the way yet, and was being pulled in crooked. If it was tight on there there wouldnt be room for it to bend the ear and break it off, it would usually strip the thread before breaking.

    Also are you sure it was the right bolt, if the shoulder on the bolt was to long then once the shoulder hits the threads as you keep tightening it will push outwards and break the casing around the threads.

    -Ricer Evo 8: 8.75 @ 166 Best MPH of 167. Quickest 4G63 Powered Evo in The US!!!
    -Chris Cessna's Stock short block Evo 8: 9.76@150 Worlds Fastest Stock Motor Evo 8 and First Stock Block In The 9's!
    -Shawna's DD Evo 8: 9.97@143.88 Best MPH of 145 Full leather interior, A/C, navigation, stock brakes, cruisin 9's in style
    -Cory's Stock 7 bolt talon: 10.3@136 No crank walk here...
    -STM Stock turbo/motor Stealth RT: 10.95@127 Worlds Quyickest/Fastest and most powerful Stock turbo/ motor 3S
    -James STM built Pump gas Evo8 stock motor: 10.2@137 Stock long block, and only on pump gas!
    -Mike Faggiano Evo3 16g stock motor 1g 11.0@124 just a 16g knockin on 10's door.
    And the list goes on...

  5. #5
    One fix at a time verified
    Join Date
    Sep 2010
    Owner Since
    2004

    Location
    Kansas
    Posts
    2,158
    Blog Entries
    1
    Thanks
    60
    Thanked 57 Times in 49 Posts
    Quote Originally Posted by Austin@STM View Post
    ^this. For it to break chances are it wasnt on all the way yet, and was being pulled in crooked. If it was tight on there there wouldnt be room for it to bend the ear and break it off, it would usually strip the thread before breaking.

    Also are you sure it was the right bolt, if the shoulder on the bolt was to long then once the shoulder hits the threads as you keep tightening it will push outwards and break the casing around the threads.
    No because it was already on the car tight up against the bell housing. There was no misthreading because I hand tightened them all. They were all OEM bolts because I ordered them and doubled checked the threads. I had 3 of the 5 bolts since the EK2 brace uses longer ones. I ordered the other longer bolts I needed. It's possible that it got stuck on the pin but I didn't think it did. The car wouldn't have been moveable pushing by hand since it would have binded before. I checked the torque on the bolts and none of them were loose after the ear broke off. I watched it as I tightened and the housing was flush against the transfercase in the spot it broke. It still is against it flush. I've had the transfercase off and on quite a few times so I knew what it felt like when not everything lined up right, it wasn't on all the way, or it was hitting against the dowel pins. I had it happen a few times. I didn't put any bolts in though. I kept adjusting the driveshaft in and out of the transfercase to where everything lined up just right and it fit fine on the pins.

    Don't you think if it was on there crooked and binding that it would have taken more than the service manual torque specs to break off the ear? It's not necessarily true but I think like you said it would have stripped or something else before it broke. My torque wrench didn't click when it happened but I think it was getting close to it.

    I have some dark cell phone pics of it but I'll get some better pics this weekend when I go to work on the car some more. It's one of the shorter bolts and it's the bottom right one I believe.

Bookmarks

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •  
The 3000GT/Stealth/GTO Web History Project
3000gt.com
3000GT / Stealth International WWWboard Archive
Jim's (RED3KGT) Reststop
3000GT/Stealth/GTO Information and Resources
Team 3S
3000GT / Stealth / GTO Information
daveblack.net
3000GT/Stealth/GTO Clubs and Groups
Michigan 3S
MInnesota 3S
Wisconsin 3S
Iowa, Nebraska, Kansas 3S
North California 3000GT/Stealth
United Society of 3S Owners
3000GT/Stealth/GTO Forums
3000GT/Stealth International
3000GT/Stealth/GTO Event Pages
3S National Gathering
East Coast Gathering
Upper Mid-West Gathering
Blue Ridge Gathering