Exhaust/Mounts Issue

My wife and I have a P5, bought new back in 2002, which has some sort of powertrain mount problem. When engaging the clutch, the engine/trans will go into a violent resonance occationally. I took it to a trans shop thinking it was a slip/grab issue with the clutch, but they told me the clutch was fine and the issue was with the mounts. O.K., didn't fix it at that time.

Flash forward a year or so. The mount issue happened on a launch, and "bam", and the exhaust broke. I don't know the name of what broke, so I'll describe it. It's a small pipe, maybe a hair over a foot in effective length. It transitions between the light-off catalyst and the cold end exhaust, houses the oxygen sensor, and turns the corner from down to back. The two tabs which hold the spring clip which connect this pipe to the main exhaust broke, and it is now FUBAR.

Four questions for anyone that may know. 1. Is the mount issue a common one? 2. What's the actual name for the pipe described above? 3. Anyone know how much this will cost to repair with direct replacement parts (exhaust only, not mounts)? 4. If I went with a non-lightoff cat header system (like the OBX), what is the MIL eliminator fix I've seen reference to?

I appreciate any help. Thanks.

Does the pipe look like a "J"?

I do not know Mazda's technical name for this part but around here we all call this piece the "j-pipe". It appears you engine mounts are so trashed that the engine moved so much and broke the studs off the pipe. Definitely look into getthing those fixed or it'll be just a matter of time before the next weakest link breaks.

That is your J-pipe...I had the exact same problem...my mounts were shot as well. As far as doing a repair, you can replace the J-pipe or replace the whole header with an OBX or Tsudo. I would recommend the whole header, as the tabs on the stock J-pipe are really thin. Also, removing the stock header and precat will save some weight and give you a small performance bump. I agree with MagnumP5 as well...do motor mounts when you do this repair. I did inserts and the vibrations are minimal, and I see a big difference.

My wife and I have a P5, bought new back in 2002, which has some sort of powertrain mount problem. When engaging the clutch, the engine/trans will go into a violent resonance occationally. I took it to a trans shop thinking it was a slip/grab issue with the clutch, but they told me the clutch was fine and the issue was with the mounts. O.K., didn't fix it at that time.

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That sounds like the clutch chatter issue. If you search on this forum you'll find out a lot about it. Basically if you want to fix it you'll want to get a new (revised) clutch and new flywheel, or at least get your old flywheel machined.

I have good mounts and awr 90 front and i still broke my tabs off as well.

Not sure why mazda used tinfoil to make the tabs on the jpipe but they are not where near strong enuf.

You have 3 options, replace j pipe (will break again), replace manifold with aftermarket and removes jpipe or get midpipe with jpipe built in.

As for clutch chatter, mine does it too you learn how to drive around it when it happens.

O.K. I've been quoted a rediculous amount for a J pipe from the stealership. I'm aware of the OBX header, but am more interested in the replacement mid-pipe with would have the j pipe built in. Can someone point me to a brand or manufacturer to search for in order to find info?

Thanks.