so i hit a pothole and.....

[lilanqel94]

saw a rubber washer or o ring bouncing in my rearview mirror, and immediately after the steering wheel got misaligned and im hearing a knocking noise when i hit bumps. i dont know what the piece is called but i looked under the car and on the driver side near the wheel it looks like a bolt for the frame came off. Again i dont know what the piece is called and dont know how to upload a pic from phone so ill do my best to explain. Its near the wheel, i know its not a tierod and it kinda looks like a stabilizer bar but i dont think it is, theres 2 of them and the 1 on passenger side is fine. It looks like it supports the weight of the engine but i dont know, im not much of a mechanic and i know that its something i cant fix myself. Im gonna see if i can upload a pic, i already took a few, but hopefully someone reading this knows what im talking about and can help me out.

[00Beast]

It's a subframe mount... Not a good sign....

[lilanqel94]

yea it's the subframe mount. can you tell me the estimated cost to fix it, and the damage it can do if not repaired??

[00Beast]

Can you get a picture of what it looks like now? The problem is that the body rusts out around where it bolts on, and there isn't much you can do to fix it short of dropping the subframe and replacing all the rust with clean metal, and a proper nut insert in the body to attach it to. Which usually isn't worth it on an 18 year old car...

[lilanqel94]

Can you get a picture of what it looks like now? The problem is that the body rusts out around where it bolts on, and there isn't much you can do to fix it short of dropping the subframe and replacing all the rust with clean metal, and a proper nut insert in the body to attach it to. Which usually isn't worth it on an 18 year old car...

i took a couple of clear pictures but i don't know how to upload them. it basically looks like the bottom piece is free, directly under where it's suppose to bolt on, as if all it needs is to be bolted back on but i know it can't be that easy.

[harofreak00]

How to post pics: http://www.pontiacbonnevilleclub.com/fo ... 46080.html

[lilanqel94]

^^ thanks for that.

[00Beast]

Hmmm. The bolt must have rusted. If you can get the old one out (WILL be difficult), it should be as simple as replacing the bushings and the bolt, making sure the bolt tightens up...

[lilanqel94]

Hmmm. The bolt must have rusted. If you can get the old one out (WILL be difficult), it should be as simple as replacing the bushings and the bolt, making sure the bolt tightens up...

ok thanks. i can't fix it myself but i know a few reliable people who can. of course i know it's not a good idea to keep driving with it like that, but what's the worse that can happen? i'm only asking because i can't fix it immediately, and this is my only transportation.

[00Beast]

Your alignment will be off, car could track weird, could get in an accident. That's the worst thing that could happen...

[harofreak00]

No. The subframe is rusted out and caused the bolt/washer to pull through. You need a new subframe. Pretty extensive job.

To confirm, get a pic of this part of the subframe from the top looking down.

[lilanqel94]

[lilanqel94]

man, i just bought this car 3 months ago, finally got the check engine light to turn off, just bought the plates and title for it today, and now it seems like i have to get a whole new car. i'm doing a lot of research on bad subframes and none of the stories are good. i don't have the money to get it repaired, or even to get another car.


MAN THIS SUCKS!

[lilanqel94]

can anyone tell me if i need to replace the whole subframe, or can i just replace the bushings with brand new ones because i can't afford to get a whole new subframe.

[harofreak00]

You should be able to find a subframe at a salvage yard for $50-100... the installation is going to be the expensive part. The engine/trans need to be supported from the top while the subframe is removed and replaced.

If you are in a pinch, you might be able to find some large chunk of metal to use a washer to support the area, but I would only do that temporarily.

If you continue to drive it like this, it will put more stress on the other corners, and they are probably just as rusted. If 2 of them let go, it could cause your car to swerve out of control.

[98SSE]

Hate to say it man but I just went through the same thing on my 99'. I removed the old bolt and put a new one with a couple washers in as a temp fixed, only lasted 2 days. Ultimately the car got scrapped, I pulled the engine/trans and a few good parts for resale.

[lilanqel94]

hey wasup guys i haven't been able to give an update so here it is: i drove it like that for a couple of weeks just extremely short distances and avoiding any bump, driving fast and hard braking. i bought a subframe mount from autozone and had someone experienced remove the old bolt and put the new one in (in under 10 minutes, i was impressed), and sure enough it's holding strong. that was about 2 weeks ago. i just need to replace the one that was next to that one ( which i now realise that it had broke MONTHS AGO and caused this one to fail) and one on the other side (that one broke because of the others failing).

i know why this mount failed, of course it was the rust but back in march i was beginning to hear a weird knocking noise whenever i turned the wheels and it always felt like it was directly under the gas pedal. i always assumed it was the power steering pressure hose knocking against something since it was replaced a week prior to hearing this noise. then when i hit that pothole about a month ago and learned about subframes and bushings i know that it was the middle bushing that had failed and was making that noise, with the bolt loose and upper bushing just bouncing on the frame. now the middle bushing under the passenger side failed a week after the last incident but i know for a fact the subframe isn't going any where. i will be replacing the 2 middle bushings asap and just keeping it easy until they're fixed.