Hi all,

I have a rover mini 1987. Earlier this week I had a bolt fall out of my car and I don't know where it came from. I suspect that it wasn't too crucial as I have driven carefully for the past few days without any noticeable significant problems.

The bolt is about 2 and a half inches long, about 1cm in diamater, has a washer, and a rubber about 2 cms long. There is also a metal spacer that slides over the bolt about 3 cm long and this sits snuggly inside the rubber. I have a picture of it but not sure how to upload it.

I do not have a car jack so have looked as best I could without one and still cannot find its location. My guess is that its either an engine mount, or a part of the exhaust.

3 days prior to the bolt falling out my exhaust fell down and I have it held to the car with wire. (my exhaust is not standard but customised and i have extractors).

Any help is greatly appreciated

Have a read here
http://www.ausmini.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=10405
For how to post pics up
I'm sure some will recognise it when they can see it.
Good luck
Hugh

sounds like the engine steady bolt that attaches above the clutch. but since your exhaust fell down i'd be driving the car up on some ramps (or just blocks of wood ) and be checking out around where the exhaust fell off. Your probably missing one of your exhaust mounts

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1962 850,Frog

Looks like some bits off the engine steady, there should be another one of the rubbers on the other side of the sleeve as well.

Yep, looks like an engine steady bolt to me too....

is the engine steady bolt easy to access from underneath? what will be the longer term affect of not having it there?

Is most likely this bolt [or one of the others that hold the rods that brace the engine to the firewall]


Best accessed from the engine bay [bit hard from under the car]

Running without an effective engine steady allows the engine to rock excessively back and forward when power is applied and released. This can put high forces on the rubber engine mounts [under the engine], causing them to fail prematurely.

In your pic - there are some bits missing

There should be an identical rubber "half" mounted the opposite way round and butted up against the one that is still there. Then the washer and bolt to mount it up. The missing rubber half may still be jammed in the mounting location indicated in my pic, but I suspect you'll need to find a replacement washer and nut

Hope it helps
Hugh

You say you have an 87 model mini,,, well that would seem to me then that the bolt in question would most likely be from a "Lower Engine" steady bar,,, they often come loose & or the bracke breaks

jack the car up , put an axle stand or car ramp under it for safetly sake (or have it up on a hoist:-) ) & i expect you will see a bracket under there "minus" it`s bolt/bush assy



easy-peasy

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No offence intended here but--> anyone writing a book about minis 30 years ago may not have experienced such worn or stuffed-with components as we are finding these days.

You should put your heart & soul into everything you do.

try the top subframe bolt. too big for a engine steady
the gog

That`s just the photo making it look big.

It`s an engine steady ,,, & my bet is it`s from the stupid Pommy "Lower" engine steady bar things

I wish people would come back & tell us what they found out tho,,, the suspense drives me nuts sometimes

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No offence intended here but--> anyone writing a book about minis 30 years ago may not have experienced such worn or stuffed-with components as we are finding these days.

You should put your heart & soul into everything you do.

I'm with you Matt, I find it hard enough to get the upper engine mount bolts out when I'm trying.. I can't imagine them falling out on their own accord.

Interesting about the lowers falling apart so readily though.. been thinking about fitting one to my rod-change 1152 for a bit more stabillity.

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Simon

The adventures of an owner builder in the Tallarook Ranges

yeah,,, thay`re a good idea if you`re rallying or offroading a lot,,, but mainly because if you do break an engine mount then at least the donk will stay (sort of) in place & you might get home

but the big issues i`ve seen with the pommy bars underneath is usually the bracket breaking off the subframe (forward facing type) as they`re just got a tiny stitch weld & just are not penetrated well enough,,,, or the bolts comming loose.

If you did set a mini up with bars under both sides,,, & in the process made them of decent calibre bracketry (& made them fit with double shear & not single like they normally do) ,,, then cool as & strong as an ox & go jumping with the thing,,, but the other side of the coin is that it takes longer to get the donk out, just another few things to undo when you have a hole in your sump from that big jump you just did

It`s all the "ins & outs",,, "ups & downs",,, "toos & fros" ,,,& all just natural Yin/Yang

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No offence intended here but--> anyone writing a book about minis 30 years ago may not have experienced such worn or stuffed-with components as we are finding these days.

You should put your heart & soul into everything you do.

doubt its a top engine steady,..... thats one hard mother to get out.

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PrOuDlY aSkInG qUeStIoNs FoR uR aMuEsMeNt