1982 CJ-7

Thanks for the update. That just happened to our Cherokee too. It started making really bad noises when making a right turn. The t-case was/is sliding enough to let the exhaust header down pipe hit the driveshaft u-joint.

Mike

Our Cherokee's tranny is moving more than that right now Bill!

Mike

"L.W.(ßill) Hughes III" wrote:

--------------- You are welcome Mike. I'll post again once I get the new mounts in.

Norman

---------------------------

OK Bill, and thanks for the link.

Norman

Did you check the transmission mount? there's a rubber pad that holds the tail of the transmission off the skid plate. 23 years of leaking motor oil and exhaust heat turns it into bubblegum. If the mount is bad it will let the front yoke hit the tranny tunnel -- when you step on the gas. Testing is simple: Put your legs under the jeep, put a foot on the rear yoke and shove. Harder. Now try the other side. If it moves, it failed.

--------------------------------- Hello Lee,

You were correct. It is the mount. Using a bar, I can move the transfer case enough to make the yoke hit the tunnel.

Thanks, Norman

New here,

Norman

You're probably going to be scratching your head once you get under there to pull it apart. It is easy enough to reach the mount with a wrench but you can't really see it without pulling the skid plate, and you probably don't want to be doing /that/ because the plate is held to the frame with 6 heavily rusted bolts that go into threaded pieces that _were_ captured inside the frame when it left the factory, but aren't anymore. Put a wrench on those bolts now and you'll be spinning them until the cows come home. The frame is boxed, so you won't be able to reach the back side. You'll end up fixing 6 things trying to fix one.

Oh, and your catalytic converter -- if still in place -- is precisely where it will hamper you the most. Enjoy!

I'm working from hazy memory here, so if I lead Norman astray someone please speak up. The last time I did this the body was off and the tranny was going in with the engine, so it was _much_ easier to see what I was doing.

If you ask Bill I'm sure he's got a link to an exploded diagram but I couldn't find one easily for you.

The tranny mount consists of a torque plate, a rubber block-shaped mount and a torque snubber assembly, plus assorted bolts, nuts and washers. The torque plate is a shallow "U" channel about 6" long. It bolts from below to the bottom of the tranny and extends left (driver's left) about

After you pull the remains of the old mount out (it will come out in two pieces because it failed) but before you install the new one, you'll need to start on the torque snubber. It consists of a threaded rod installed from above and nutted to a dimple in the skid plate, with a cone-shaped rubber disk above the skid plate pointing upward (driver's upward). The rod passes through what looks like a too-large hole in the torque plate. This keeps the torque plate from traveling too far downward. Above the torque plate will be another cone-shaped rubber disk, capped with a large fender washer and a nut or two (or, perhaps, a Nylock nut) and prevents the plate from traveling too far upward. _Don't_ try to snug this assembly down, leave it some slack. It is designed as a travel limiter, not to prevent travel. A couple of sturdy flat washers where the rod passes through the skid plate will be a good idea, since the hole is probably worn and oval. If your mount fell apart you shouldn't be surprised if there's nothing left to your torque snubber but the plate and the rod.

The mount itself will be a rectangular rubber block with threaded inserts. After you loosely assemble the torque snubber bolt the mount to the torque plate at the tranny, then bolt it to the skid plate from below. If you try to do it the other way you'll spend all day trying to line up holes that you can't see, this way you can see what you are doing. If you bolt down the mount before doing the snubber you won't be able to get all the parts in place. If you snug down the snubber before doing the mount you won't be able to get the parts in place.

Izzint working on Jeeps fun?

A thought: Consider resisting the urge to get hard Urethane mounts. Some well-respected posters here have said over the years that they get a lot more driveline vibration with Urethane in place of standard rubber mounts. It makes sense to me, but I had already bought mine when I found this out and to tell the truth I can't tell more vibration in an old Jeep from slightly less anyway.

As always, work safely. Know that as much as it likes you, your Jeep _will_ bite you if you turn your back on it or put your fingers under heavy parts. Wheel chocks, et cetera, and eyeball the motor mounts before you release anything on the tranny.

Enjoy!

--------------------------------------- Thank you very much Lee. A guy from work who has replaced his is going to help me. I lucked out on 2 items that you mentioned.

2 I changed to a smaller catalytic converter when I installed a header last year, so it is not in the way.

I will print this post for reference.

Thanks again, Sincerely Norman

--------------------------------------

You can see the pictures at the link below. The main problem was the 2 missing bolts (center) that secure the mount plate to the transmission. When I removed the skid plate, the entire assembly that you see in the picture came down with it. The mount on the left that bolts to the skid plate was the only part keeping the bar in place.

Sincerely, Norman

Glad it went well for you, and thank _you_ for getting back to the group with the outcome. So often people come to us for help and forget to let us know if we did good -- or not.

Lee.

----------------------------------------- You are quite welcome Lee.

I forgot to add the BIG difference. Starting out in first gear, my shifter was wobbling so bad that it would almost hit my knee. There is no noticeable movement at all now.

I also found that one of me rear shock mounts broke off at the frame. The other 3 have done the same thing over the last 8 years. I had those 3 welded back on. I wondered when the last one would break.

Thanks again, Norman

--------------------------

Norman wrote:

My mistake, the 2 bolts that connect the skid plate to the mount were also holding the bar in place. The bolts were so banged up that I had to replace them.

Norman