Cottontail
Three-De Off-Road
- Location
- Nashville, TN
2001 XJ...I have had some steering issues for the last 6 months or so. I was told when I had my last alignment that I had some slop in my gear box.
I finally bit the bullet and ordered a new gear box for the '99 Durango. It is set to be here tomorrow. So, tonight I pulled the old one out.
When I got it out, I saw this on the spacer that sits between the box and the frame rail.
That is not a new break as evidenced by the fact that the broken piece won't even line up anymore due to wear and build up.
When I pulled the box, all 3 bolts through the frame rail were very tight and took some effort to break loose so I don't think it compromised the rigidity of the gear box. So here are my questions, assuming the new gear box will not come with a replacement spacer:
1. Do you reckon that this is safe to put back on? I will be using 2-1/8" washers as spacers for the Durango box. My gut feeling is that it will be ok, since the bolts not only thread through the spacer, but also into the gear box.
2. Could this crack mimic the symptoms of having a sloppy gear box? I'm thinking no.
3. What are the chances that the box really is bad?
4. Should it need replacing, short of pulling another one of these from a junk yard, where can I source one? I'm relatively certain that no local parts store carries them.
5. Any other thoughts on this would be appreciated.
I finally bit the bullet and ordered a new gear box for the '99 Durango. It is set to be here tomorrow. So, tonight I pulled the old one out.
When I got it out, I saw this on the spacer that sits between the box and the frame rail.
That is not a new break as evidenced by the fact that the broken piece won't even line up anymore due to wear and build up.
When I pulled the box, all 3 bolts through the frame rail were very tight and took some effort to break loose so I don't think it compromised the rigidity of the gear box. So here are my questions, assuming the new gear box will not come with a replacement spacer:
1. Do you reckon that this is safe to put back on? I will be using 2-1/8" washers as spacers for the Durango box. My gut feeling is that it will be ok, since the bolts not only thread through the spacer, but also into the gear box.
2. Could this crack mimic the symptoms of having a sloppy gear box? I'm thinking no.
3. What are the chances that the box really is bad?
4. Should it need replacing, short of pulling another one of these from a junk yard, where can I source one? I'm relatively certain that no local parts store carries them.
5. Any other thoughts on this would be appreciated.
