I have an 85K mile, 11-year old, 1996 Eagle Vision TSI (LH Body) that is still running pretty well. When underneath to change the oil, I noticed that the nuts on the two front bolts holding the engine cradle to the body/frame are severely rusted. (The two back bolts and nuts seem fine so are not a concern.)
It appears that replacement is done by removing the front wheel and the inner fender cover. There is a slot that would normally make it possible to get a box end wrench on the nut and a socket with breaker bar on the bolt head from below. I am a bit worried that the nut is so badly rusted that I will not be able to get the wrench on it. I know the entire this is very rusted since I live in the US "rust belt" and the car has seen 10 winters with road salt, etc.
I have two questions:
- Has anyone ever heard of a complete failure of the cradle bolt and nut assembly. Given that there are just 4 of these bolts (open on each side front and rear) and they support the full weight of the engine and transmission, I worry about this as a possible safety issue. I wish these had been made of stainless steel.
- Has anyone replaced these and do they have any suggestions on removing them? They are fairly large diameter bolts and access to the top nut area is cramped, so I do not believe it would be possible to chisel off the nut from the bolt. Also, the mounts are rubber, so heat too appears to be a bad idea. Anyone with experience that can offer any thoughts?
Thanks in advance for your help.
Bob