Sheared off air intake housing mount

Hi All,

Back to the business of the forum.

So I removed the whole air filter housing again to try and replace the sheared off rubber mount, but removing the mounts from the housing proved problematic. I will describe the new mount that I just ordered from the dealer. It is a rubber disk that is about 2.5 cm in diameter and about 1.5cm thick. A treaded screw protrudes from each flat, round side of the disk. If you were a mouse, it might function as a rolling pin for baking a miniature pie. Overall, it is about 5cm long including the screws.

By examining the damaged mounting, I determined that the screw is a bit unusual. The screws' heads are a large flat plate (maybe 2.3cm diameter) embedded just under the rubber disk's surface. My damaged mount has twisted off just behind the screw’s large flat head. Basically, it presents itself as a flat round plate with a very minimal protrusion from the air housing. I tried grabbing the whole round flat plate with the channel-lock pliers to little avail. The pliers just popped off. So I have a stuck screw with no way to untwist it. (The screw’s nut inside the housing has 2 bars cast into the plastic that prevent the nut from turning.)

I could try just gluing the rubber disk (still attached to car) back onto the screw’s plate – where it was originally attached. Then the mount could just “stay in place,” or after the glue sets then I might be able simply unscrew and remove the bad mount. I will glue carefully - not allowing excess glue to squish out around the screw plate – and permanently glue the screw to the housing.

Here’s the bad news, my other mounting is starting to show signs of shearing off like the first one. So I think I should fix this in the near future – or else the whole air housing will be flopping around.

Please let me know your thoughts. If necessary, I can post the pictures from the “AaaaHhhh, Overheated” thread that began this whole episode.

Thanks, Kelly

i think i know what you are talking about, but pictures would help.

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daniel
i think i know what you are talking about, but pictures would help.

See the notes in the pics below for the broken mountings. Upper pic shows side of air housing with round disk where shear off occurred. Lower pic shows broken rubber mount is still attached to car. Pics are reused from old "Ahhh Overheaded" thread.





Question was: DO I try to glue the broken mounting back together?

Thanks, Kelly



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 12/13/2008 12:23PM by Kelly.

ok, those are the rubber mounts i was imagining in my head. unfortunately i havent had an M20 car with a proper airbox for about 4 years now, so I can't remember everything about the mounts and what not. I am useless in this thread. I think if one mount still holds the box nicely you don't need to worry about the other mount. you could also use zip-ties to hold stuff in the right place until you fix it. with that said, those mounts are probably pretty cheap. i am assuming you can access the other end of the mount from inside the airbox?

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daniel
ok, those are the rubber mounts i was imagining in my head. unfortunately i havent had an M20 car with a proper airbox for about 4 years now, so I can't remember everything about the mounts and what not. I am useless in this thread. I think if one mount still holds the box nicely you don't need to worry about the other mount. you could also use zip-ties to hold stuff in the right place until you fix it. with that said, those mounts are probably pretty cheap. i am assuming you can access the other end of the mount from inside the airbox?

Well, yes and no. Yes, there are nuts inside the air box that attach to the rubber mount's screw. However, the nut cannot be turned because there are 2 plastic "bars" cast into the box along side the nut that prevent the nut from turning. So I can see the nut quite well, but I cannot twist it due to the bars. Not helpful, I know.

Kelly

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Kelly

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daniel
ok, those are the rubber mounts i was imagining in my head. unfortunately i havent had an M20 car with a proper airbox for about 4 years now, so I can't remember everything about the mounts and what not. I am useless in this thread. I think if one mount still holds the box nicely you don't need to worry about the other mount. you could also use zip-ties to hold stuff in the right place until you fix it. with that said, those mounts are probably pretty cheap. i am assuming you can access the other end of the mount from inside the airbox?

Well, yes and no. Yes, there are nuts inside the air box that attach to the rubber mount's screw. However, the nut cannot be turned because there are 2 plastic "bars" cast into the box along side the nut that prevent the nut from turning. So I can see the nut quite well, but I cannot twist it due to the bars. Not helpful, I know.

Kelly

Looks like the piece that's still in the box will have to be unscrewed from the box.
Since the pliers don't give you enough grip to twist it out; you're going to have to get creative.

I would probably drill two holes in the rubber, then take a stick of wood about 8 to 10inches long and put a couple of nails in the end spaced the same distance apart as the holes in the rubber. This should give you enough 'purchase' on the mount to start unscrewing it

__|__|____________
Side view of an E30 plug remover tool

How come you can't grab the remaining washer with a sharp pair of visegrips?, if that can't happen you could start it with a chisel, just to get it loose, that might work. Go straight at it to form a nick and then get off on the right angle and give it a sharp hit, works for all kinds of stuck stuff; drain plugs etc.

Good luck Kelly

Peter and RKJ both have good ideas. If neither of those works for you, you could always drill the center and stick an ez-out in there.

Hey Andy,

Glad you found your way to the new BENN

Yeah, I had been lurking now and then, then all of a sudden one day it was gone! Fortunately Google found a few threads discussing BEN's disappearance and eventually I found a link to here.

I'll actually be on a bit again, I have a ton of e30 stuff in my basement that I need to sell! (Sorry for the hijack Kelly)

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Andy 90 325i
Yeah, I had been lurking now and then, then all of a sudden one day it was gone! Fortunately Google found a few threads discussing BEN's disappearance and eventually I found a link to here.

I'll actually be on a bit again, I have a ton of e30 stuff in my basement that I need to sell! (Sorry for the hijack Kelly)

You'll have noticed we have an actual sales forum again, should get more attention than the lost posts on the old forum

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Archeo-peteriX

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Andy 90 325i
Yeah, I had been lurking now and then, then all of a sudden one day it was gone! Fortunately Google found a few threads discussing BEN's disappearance and eventually I found a link to here.

I'll actually be on a bit again, I have a ton of e30 stuff in my basement that I need to sell! (Sorry for the hijack Kelly)

You'll have noticed we have an actual sales forum again, should get more attention than the lost posts on the old forum

I saw that, and was pleased! BTW, I don't know what you mean by "Switch to the threaded view" but I used the quote this time just for you Archie!

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Andy 90 325i

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Archeo-peteriX

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Andy 90 325i
Yeah, I had been lurking now and then, then all of a sudden one day it was gone! Fortunately Google found a few threads discussing BEN's disappearance and eventually I found a link to here.

I'll actually be on a bit again, I have a ton of e30 stuff in my basement that I need to sell! (Sorry for the hijack Kelly)

You'll have noticed we have an actual sales forum again, should get more attention than the lost posts on the old forum

I saw that, and was pleased! BTW, I don't know what you mean by "Switch to the threaded view" but I used the quote this time just for you Archie!

Using the 'quote' automatically aligns your reply with the correct post so I guess it doesn't matter if you use the 'flat' view or the 'threaded view
Go to the 'control center' and play with the 'forum settings' and you can customize things to suit the way you like to browse this forum

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Archeo-peteriX

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Andy 90 325i
Yeah, I had been lurking now and then, then all of a sudden one day it was gone! Fortunately Google found a few threads discussing BEN's disappearance and eventually I found a link to here.

I'll actually be on a bit again, I have a ton of e30 stuff in my basement that I need to sell! (Sorry for the hijack Kelly)

You'll have noticed we have an actual sales forum again, should get more attention than the lost posts on the old forum

You might try posting the "for sale" stuff on the CCA BMW Northwest website. I had a few nibbles on my car I had listed there.
Bob in Everett