Hi - about 3 weeks ago I had a new clutch put into my 2001 Ford Focus ZX3. Last week, I experienced what could be described as a catastrophic failure: a sheared-off rear transmission extension, a broken engine mount, and two broken front axles. The engine rotated and shifted back against the firewall. Needless to say, this rendered the care un-drivable.
My first question is what the heck is a rear transmission extension. The shop said that it’s a pyramid-shaped thing that attaches to the transmission mount.
Next, what could have caused this disaster? That is, what broke first? Could this be attributable only to human error, or could it have been caused by extra strain on engine due to new clutch? I’ve talked to several different folks and they seem to belong to two camps: “the shop messed up bad when they put in your clutch,” or “this was a freak failure unrelated to the shop’s workmanship.”
Any ideas?
Since this failure occured just 3 weeks after the trans. removal and reinstallation for the clutch to be replaced, I am guessing that the trans/trans mount was somehow reinstalled incorrectly.
The broken axeles were just collateral damage to the trans mount failure.
Since I don’t believe in coincidence, I am in the “camp” with ----> “the shop messed up bad when they put in your clutch,”
Had a similar experience with a 2000 Ford Focus,the transaxle fell out and it spit an axle out.The best I could tell was and the mechanic who fixed it was the mounting bolts sheared off(I believe the bolts were overtorqued-probaly a case of lazy wrist “impactwrenchitis” the guy that worked on it before replaced the timing belt and probaly had that mount loose-Kevin
There are thousands of cars like yours that don’t have this problem. There was no “extra strain” put on anything by the new clutch.
In order to replace the clutch the transmission had to be separated from the engine and I’m sure at least one, and perhaps more than one, motor/transmission mount was removed.
Whoever replaced the clutch failed to put everything back together correctly (especially the motor mounts), and the motor mount failure led to the subsequent transmission and axle damage.
You took the car to AAMCO, is that correct?
It wasn’t a catastrophic failure, it was a catastrophic goof up, and they should make it right.
I wish you the best of luck with this. I suggest you contact a lawyer.
I believe that mcparadise summed it up very well, and I agree completely with his analysis of the situation.
Get a lawyer.
It was “work related”. There are many botch jobs that end like that.
luna
Was this an AAMCO job?
Or was the work done by Lee Myles, Cottman, Mr. Transmission, or another transmission chain?
Unfortunately, the quality of workmanship at most chain repair places is…I will try to be diplomatic…not the best.