I have a 97 Saturn SC2. I turned a corner and the transmission (driver) side engine cradle (subframe) collapsed and broke in two. I have had this car for 6 mos. and paid $2,000 for it. The car has 103,000 miles on it. It doesn’t use oil, has a rebuilt manual transmission, runs great, twice has not started but responds to a jump and having the battery charged overnight. Installing a new engine cradle, replacing the axle and the transmission mount costs $1,600. Can an engine cradle be repaired? Is there a less costly approach to get me back on the road? Or should I just lick my wounds and look for another ride. I can’t imagine finding as nice a car for $1,600.
That’s a difficult problem to make a recommendation on because I’d want to know WHY that cradle broke. This should not have happened.
If it broke due to rust then I’d say it’s time to bail on the car. If it broke due to collision damage then keeping it is debateable at least.
Making a wild guess, I might think that whoever did this transmission job may have had a hand in this failure; as in leaving something loose.
I’d go with used parts if possible and you might consider checking with a few local salvage yards on this. Some yards will install what they sell and guarantee it and generally for far less than what a shop charges.
I don’t have a lot information about why the cradle broke. The car had 2 owners before me, wasn’t in an accident. The 2nd owner had the transmission rebuilt, but suspected that the rebuild maybe wasn’t necessary. He originally had it in to have the clutch replaced. Looking at the cradle and the front of the car, there is some evidence that something was driven over that might have struck the cradle. the sides of the cradle on the transmission side looks all rusted and flaky. The bottom of the cradle at the break which runs from the drivers side toward the motor curls away from the break toward the front and rear of the vehicle. The passenger side looks completely healthy and solid. I don’t know if this helps but feedback would be really helpful as I wrestle with this. Thanks!
I don’t know if the cradle is repairable or not without seeing it. Offhand, I’d say the odds of repairing the cradle are very slim and simply not worth it; both economically and safety wise.
There is certainly no way I would go with this much in repairs on a 97 Saturn. A new mount maybe, a remanufactured axle yes, but the cradle would be a used one.
I would think with a bit of footwork you could find some good used parts (including the mount and axle) on eBay, Craigslist, or a local trade paper of sorts.
If the car were mine that’s what I would do in a heartbeat.
And normally cradles aren’t that difficult to change out.