You really do s**t your pants when ...

[Ben Lessani]

... you hear something rattle off the floorpan at 50 mph which sounds decidedly 'bolt like'.

If you've never been there, then thank yourself lucky, if you have - then you know how I feel!

This is the second time I've had the unfortunate luck of a bolt firing loose from the engine bay and bouncing between the floorpan and ground on its way out.

I pulled over immediately, had a scoot about, nothing looked out of the ordinary, went to pull away and you could feel the engine kick HARD. So I the 100 metres left to the house (as I couldn't bare calling AA to be flat-bedded 100 metres!) and had a better look ...

... spot what's missing

[JC]

8 valves 

[jezza16v]

That'll be bolt off the top of the front engine mount then?

[Diamond Hell]

A proper injection system?

[cняis]

front engine mount went kapput!

had something bounce underneath the car hitting the floorpan t'other day - broken exhaust mount!

[Ben Lessani]

Stupid front engine mount.

I managed to find the bolt - it was intact, which means the threads on the aluminium front mount have gone.

So looks like I'll be drilling up to a larger size and adding a helicoil of some description.

[fishnchipsx2]

Niiiice

My alternator hinge-bolt worked it's way loose at 90mph once, that made a good BANG bouncing off the floorpan.

I was in a similar situation to you - was less than a mile from home, so carried on with a squealing belt 

[cняis]

time for a new solid front mount methinks!!

[Neo Badness]

Aye, better than the engine trying to backflips in the bay.

You really do find out that adrenalin is brown when stuff like that happens.

Good it was nice weather and you were only 100m from home though.

[Alec]

I had a headlamp do that