Technical Stilo Abarth Gearbox bad design?? bracket / mounting

[Abarth L]

So luckily I were just leaving the yard still slow in 1st gear when the gearbox mounting broke "again"


So covering 3 subjects:


1. Is this a problem on the Stilo Abarth's?
2. Bad design, rediciouless amount of play.
3. Never try to do a modification.


1. At about 252000km mark going around a traffic circle the bolt from the gearbox bracket to the mounting broke.
I was not driving and out of country so the car was taken via low bed to exhaust and shock repair service centre, they put in a new bolt and that was it I thought.
During the engine rebuild when dismantling I noticed the thread is damaged "seized" so I opted to drill a mm bigger, tap the threat and put in a bigger bold. (Since a new one from FIAT has a 4 week delivery from Europe)
Well it lasted till now about 2200km's I were lucky, CV pulled out and except for engine top cover damage and MAF plug pulling out no other damage. (I did change the engine side mounting during the rebuild)


So is this common for the Stilo Abarth bolt to brake or pull out?


2. Both my Stilo Abarth's had a "loose" feeling somewhere in the suspension front "I thought" during quick acceleration and immediate throttle pull back.


From the images below you will see the amount of play between the bolt and the body mounting bracket. I thought initially the guys forgot to put back a bush but after looking at google and visiting scrap yards yesterday found it is standard from the factory like that

So when putting the motor in 2200km's ago I made a small bush to try to eliminate some of the excessive play.


So this time I made a "bush" with very little play and like in "WoW"

What a difference it made in overall vibration etc, much stiffer and feel like a new modern car.


What are your experience and is this standard everywhere that there is so much play?
Also why does the gearbox mounting only use 3 bolts to tie down, looks like an after thought from FIAT.
Spoken to CV place this morning since I had to re-strap the boot rubbers and do wheel alignment again. The owner told me especially the Fiat 500 Abarth comes in a lot due to gearbox mounting failures, but they brake bad...


3. Well since this combination of mounting carry a lot of weight and the bottom (gearbox bracket) is made from puter it can't be modified.
I tried first drill a bit bigger and re tap FAILED.
Then I wonder what if I bypass the threat issue and drill a hole through so the bolt head carry the weight.. FAILED


So after sourcing a second hand bottom unit from a scrapyard I just removed the thick washer, so I can use "new" threat and be able to add another nut for more grip.

 

[astacheva]

I have the exact same feeling the loose feeling and releasing the throttle pedal during right after quick acceleration. I've tried replacing the engine mount and still the same.
Gonna give it at try with the bushing idea.

By the way, what you used to make the bushing, which material???

 

[Abarth L]

I have the exact same feeling the loose feeling and releasing the throttle pedal during right after quick acceleration. I've tried replacing the engine mount and still the same.
Gonna give it at try with the bushing idea.

By the way, what you used to make the bushing, which material???

Hi astacheva


I just cut of a piece of garden hose and a piece of aluminium tube that would both give a tight fit as possible from old material laying around.
I then placed the garden hose around the aluminium and press fitted into mounting.


After driving for the first 5 km I turned of the engine and felt a shaking that was not there previously.
So the next morning at the CV repair centre where I had the boot rubber strapped again I inspected and found in the second picture below the bolt on the bottom engine mount were loose.

The car really feel very sturdy and secure now, I started to think it were the gearbox which were either worn out or to much play, luckily it was just a bad design.


Good luck with your "modification", you should be able to just support the gearbox from the bottom, remove battery, battery holder and the nut holding the bolt and pressing the bush in from the top.

 

[Ralf S.]

I doubt that what you have is standard. If Fiat wanted it to be loose, they could have just not fitted a bolt.

I can't relate to the Abarth (I never had one unfortunately) but it appears as if the bolts have been removed at some time as part of another job (clutch change?) and then re-assembled incorrectly.

E.g. The mounts on my JTD for instance were tricky to get tight if I tried to attach the mount to the gearbox with the gearbox on the engine. They went on by hand when I fitted the mount to the gearbox when the gearbox was out of the car.

^^This way, I couldn't fit the gearbox into the car (no ramp, so not enough room) so I had to lift the engine and gearbox slightly while I attached the mount. I guess no weight or impediment on the mount made it line up with the bolt holes more accurately.

Yours could have suffered some similar mis-assembly.

Ralf S.

 

[Abarth L]

I doubt that what you have is standard. If Fiat wanted it to be loose, they could have just not fitted a bolt.

I can't relate to the Abarth (I never had one unfortunately) but it appears as if the bolts have been removed at some time as part of another job (clutch change?) and then re-assembled incorrectly.

E.g. The mounts on my JTD for instance were tricky to get tight if I tried to attach the mount to the gearbox with the gearbox on the engine. They went on by hand when I fitted the mount to the gearbox when the gearbox was out of the car.

^^This way, I couldn't fit the gearbox into the car (no ramp, so not enough room) so I had to lift the engine and gearbox slightly while I attached the mount. I guess no weight or impediment on the mount made it line up with the bolt holes more accurately.

Yours could have suffered some similar mis-assembly.

Ralf S.

Hi Ralf S

That is why I decided to post it, hoping someone can show different but none so far.
I have personally inspected 4 Stilo Abarth 's, all the same as mine.

I am attaching the image from the order sheet "no bushing"??
But look at the shape of part 1!!
The body mounting "1" is different from the ones on our cars val vs round top plate.

Although Fiat sell the round one which is for 1.9 and 2.4.

Maybe this is the culprate, and the oval one might have correct clearance for the bolt.

 

[flyingdutch]

Very interesting had a few clients with stilo abarths and nether of them had any problems with gearbox mount although it cones original as in your photo wtih so much space around the bolt , the thing is you have to not forget that tis is a wear and tear item, especially for abarth when your kicking that nm scale every time you step on gas