I`ve searched and read all I can find about doing this repair on Mazdatrix website as well as the FAQ here. I`m having trouble getting the front e-shaft bolt broken loose, even using my 1/2" impact while my girl holds the clutch down. In would like to use my longest breaker bar (and cheater pipe if needed) while the clutch is NOT HELD DOWN, trans in 4th gear and e-brake set, to get the bolt broken loose just a hair.
My question is this, what is my risk of dropping the front torrington bearing as long as I only break the bolt loose THEN have the clutch held down for the rest of the procedure? TIA

 

i had these suckers on so tight, with a floor jack handle on my breaker bar it sliped a stock clutch. i dont know what king of impact gun you have but my IR dule titanium 1000 footpound 1/2 inch gun would not remove this bolt.

if this is where you are at then i would sujest you have someone go under the car and remove the transmission inspection plate and use an AUTOMOTIVE pry bar tho lock the flywheel and get a 6 foot breaker bar
good luck

 

The first thing to do is heat the front hub with a torch. Plenty of Loctite is used to hold that bolt in place and the heat will soften it.

Another trick is to attach a breaker bar and lay it against the frame rail in the engine bay. Protect the car with cloths or towels, then blip the starter.

If you try to use the e-brake to hold the car, it will just slip.

 

If I heat the hub with my torch which I can do is there any possibility of damage to the seal.
Also my concern is that with the clutch not engaged while breaking the bolt loose a hair can the bearing slip?

(edited for punctuation)

 

Replace the seal. It's only about $6.

If you don't take the bolt totally out, then the bearings will be fine. They need about 1/16" to slip down, and that clearance won't be there if you only break the bolt loose.

 

Thanks Aaron, thats what I needed to know. I`ll post back when I`m done so we all get "closure"

 

HEAT HEAT HEAT and 30 minutes of hitting it with a high torque impact wrench got mine off.

Also, if you want an almost guaranteed oil leak, don't replace the seal.

 

Craftsman breakover bar resting against the frame. Put the key to START momentarily. The bolt WILL break loose. It might take two tries. In other words DITTOS to what was said earlier. And be sure to use locktite when reinstalling the bolt.

 

yes i agree with the heat but i will say that i let a torch sit breathing fire on that bolt for well over 30 min and it didnt realy help
and if your worried about the barrings falling off just have somone hold the clutch in whyle you remove the bolt

 

I don't recommend heating anything in there, especially if you don't have a torch of any other type of heating tool.

THE EASIEST WAY I'VE DONT IT...

1. UNPLUG THE CAS (its just one plug and it gaurantees the car WONT turn on)

2. Apply the socket with breaker bar, with a cheater pipe resting against the fender well or fender. (Towels are good for no damaging the fender)

3. Make sure the bar is on the DRIVERS SIDE.

4. Pop the ignition, maybe twice.

This should take 5 mins, and will cost much less than renting a torch, or ordering a new seal because you burned the old one.

Edit: Oh remember to put some loctite on the bolt when you re-apply it.

 

Well guys after all this and waiting overnight so I could get advise from ya, I went out this afternoon and hit it with my impact one more time just to be sure.......
and it came loose. Makes my day a lot simpler. I`m not replacing the seal since it ain`t leaking a drop and I did not pull the hub.
The old thermal pellet plunger is stuck. At lease I think it is since the one I took out of a dead engine I have will pull out easily. This one from my running car I can`t get it to move a bit. Anyway I put in the Atkins replacement pellet, cleaned the copper washer and its seating surface and reinstalled the bolt with loctite. (all I had was red) My OMP is wet with oil and appears to be where my oil leak is coming from.
I don`t think its the lines as they are all tight, is there a seal in the linkage that could be leaking maybe?

BTW bigdv519,
I grew up in houston (73- 88) originally from northeast Texas (Tyler/Kilgore) moved to Detroit area in 96.
I still have family in Houston. Glad you guys were spared the worst of Rita.
My sister sent me a photo of "Hurricane Rita Damage in Houston" was a pic of someones deck with several cheap plastic chairs and a plastic table and ONE of the chairs was blown over. Thought that was funny as hell. I stayed in Houston in 83 when Alicia came through. Storms like that make you realize how tiny we as human beings are in the face of mother nature.
Gig`em Aggies

 

Just a final note. I finished with the thermal pellet replacement, I do have better oil pressure now. I don`t have a mechanical gauge so I won`t quote numbers but there is a substantial improvement over what i had before on the factory gauge.
Thanks for all the help.