Novak Conversions Jeep Wrangler TJ engine mounts

Transmission Skidplate Crossmember Bolt Loose

TJMexico

TJ Enthusiast
Original poster
Supporting Member
Joined
May 26, 2025
Messages
281
Location
NW Mexico
The driver's side bolt on the transmission skidplate crossmember is lose. It's strange, because it is hanging there and spinning lose like it has a nut on the inside of the chassis member, but there is no way to get to it. To be clear, the bolt is not missing, just just hanging there and spinning loose but there is no access to the inside of the frame to remove whatever is holding the bolt on.

I have no idea what is going on here. Can anybody clue me in on what is happening and how to fix it (if I even need to)?

For now, to avoid rattling, I just wrapped some wire around the bolt above the washer to form kind of a shim.
 
Last edited:
I don't think the use of "Tranny" is acceptable anymore, it's now "Mentally Ill Individual"

But really, Mr. Blaine's got a replacement rivnut kit on BMB.

I make a habit of being "politically incorrect." It's kinda my thing. ;) Everybody has a right to be offended and I don't want to deny anyone of their rights.

Thanks for the advice. However, I (being fairly new to this whole ecosystem) have no idea who Mr. Blaine is or what BMB is or how to find it. Can you point the way, maybe give me a link?
 
I make a habit of being politically incorrect. It's kinda my thing. ;)

Thanks for the advice. However, I (being fairly new to this whole ecosystem) have no idea who Mr. Blaine is or what BMB is or how to find it. Can you point the way, maybe give me a link?

I edited and added the link right after you saw it.

Mr. Blaine is a forum member.

BMB is Black Magic Brakes, his site where he sells fixes and upgrades he's figured out for TJs.

You can get the replacements somewhere else, but you can trust his stuff's right.
 
See this post for more details about Region Offroad...


-Mac

Just know, if you want top quality parts. Buy from BMB and Blaine.

Region offroad may be ok, but I can't say because haven't met anyone that has bought from them.
 
The driver's side bolt on the transmission skidplate crossmember is lose. It's strange, because it is hanging there and spinning lose like it has a nut on the inside of the chassis member, but there is no way to get to it. To be clear, the bolt is not missing, just just hanging there and spinning loose but there is no access to the inside of the frame to remove whatever is holding the bolt on.

I have no idea what is going on here. Can anybody clue me in on what is happening and how to fix it (if I even need to)?

For now, to avoid rattling, I just wrapped some wire around the bolt above the washer to form kind of a shim.

You might have to spot weld the nutsert temporarily or try to hold the nutsert to get the bolt out,or just cut it off knock it through and use bmb kit,be sure and buy the install tool from him.
 
Ok, I'll be a dickhead here. Im amazed how many own jeeps, beat on them, and have no idea what the holds them together or how to fix them.
 
Found this, as well...

Region Offroad is a legitimate business, and they seem like good people, but the nutserts they sell are off-the-shelf nutserts. Jeep used a custom nutsert that is much more robust than those. Region uses the off-the-shelf ones because the OEM-style are not easily acquired since Jeep stopped supplying them. @mrblaine (Blaine Johnson) is the owner of Black Magic Brakes. He's an active forum member on here, and perhaps the most knowledgeable person on TJs out there. If he sells a product, you can bet that it will be top-quality.

Years ago, he sought out, and found, the original manufacturer of those nutserts for Jeep and was able to order them, but they had a high minimum order. He had to buy thousands of them, investing tens of thousands to do so. We are all lucky that he made that investment to provide an OEM-quality solution to the nutserts loosening. The OEM nutserts are definitely worth the higher cost. His next step in the process was to develop a relatively inexpensive tool to install them. His tool prevents damage to the threads of the nutsert during installation.

I've used his tool and nutserts more than I should have had to. It's a long story, but due to a machining error by the shop that I had countersink the custom skidplate that Mr. Blaine helped me acquire and make for my LJ, I ended up installing his nutserts with his tool 22 times in my LJ frame. It's a great system and well worth the cost to know that my skidplate is attached to the frame as securely as Jeep intended!

Note that Jeep used SAE 1/2-13 bolts and nutserts up through 2002, and then in 2003, they switched to metric M12-1.75 bolts and nutserts. If your 2005 has the stock parts on it, make sure you get the M12-1.75 parts. Mr. Blaine sells the nutserts, the tool, and replacement conical-head bolts. If you're on a tight budget and only need to replace the one nutsert, you can get a single nutsert from him, but my recommendation would be to replace all of them because if one came loose, the rest are probably close to doing the same. You also don't have to buy the tool. It makes the job easier, and prevents damage to the nutsert threads during installation, but if you are careful, you can install a single nutsert without the tool without too much trouble. The tool comes in really handy if you're going to replace more than one, though, and for that sized job, you'd want it.

All that said, I don't know if Black Magic Brakes is currently shipping orders outside the USA, so that may be your biggest hurdle to overcome. I know that he's had issues with international shipping and given up on it. If you're close to the border, perhaps you could ship to a US address and drive over. I tagged him in this post, so he's likely to respond and let you know the current situation and how you might acquire his stuff in Mexico.
 
The driver's side bolt on the transmission skidplate crossmember is lose. It's strange, because it is hanging there and spinning lose like it has a nut on the inside of the chassis member, but there is no way to get to it. To be clear, the bolt is not missing, just just hanging there and spinning loose but there is no access to the inside of the frame to remove whatever is holding the bolt on.

I have no idea what is going on here. Can anybody clue me in on what is happening and how to fix it (if I even need to)?

For now, to avoid rattling, I just wrapped some wire around the bolt above the washer to form kind of a shim.
It isn't so strange when you understand how they work. The nutsert gets set in the hole very similar to how a pop rivet works. The nutsert barrel is straight and gets pushed into the frame hole.
DSC_3295.JPG


Then via a few methods, the barrel is pulled towards the outside of the frame or towards the flange by turning a bolt inside the threads, or turning a nut on the bolt threads to draw the barrel towards the flange. That upsets (expands) the barrel like a pop rivet which pinches the frame and stops the nutsert from turning or pulling out.
DSC_3296.JPG


What has most likely happened to your problem child is the bolt worked loose and then got smacked upward by something. That unsets the nutsert mostly and might let the bolt work out some.

You might try prying down on the skid and impacting the bolt to see if you can remove it without cutting. The most effective way is to remove the other two bolts and put a jack under the skid so it can't drop very far if you are successful.
 
Asking questions is how they learn 😀

Your right and I should apologize. Just reminds me of the desert race days. Dude would throw a chain miles from a check point and cry and have the pit crew recover his bike cause he couldn't get a chain back on the sprockets. Buy a jeep or something your gonna hopefully get lost in somewhere far from humanity. To me that means crawl under,over,inside and know it from one end to the other. Sure maybe you cant fix it on the spot for lack of tools or worst, but at least you had the knowledge to maybe call a friend, make a parts run or, without having to google "what is this thing, and what do it do" or worst yet.
 
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Found this, as well...

Be cautious there. That is the light duty nutsert that is in the two forward spots for the optional transmission skid. This is a version of something similar on McMaster.
1762006788784.png

The OEM nutsert has a thicker barrel, a heavy duty flange and fits a .625" hole, not the .688 hole that is the size of the two forward nutserts for the transmission skid. I only watched enough of the video to see 6 light duty nutserts, so if I missed something about enlarging the holes in the frame, my apologies.
 
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Region Offroad is a legitimate business, and they seem like good people, but the nutserts they sell are off-the-shelf nutserts. Jeep used a custom nutsert that is much more robust than those. Region uses the off-the-shelf ones because the OEM-style are not easily acquired since Jeep stopped supplying them. @mrblaine (Blaine Johnson) is the owner of Black Magic Brakes. He's an active forum member on here, and perhaps the most knowledgeable person on TJs out there. If he sells a product, you can bet that it will be top-quality.

Years ago, he sought out, and found, the original manufacturer of those nutserts for Jeep and was able to order them, but they had a high minimum order. He had to buy thousands of them, investing tens of thousands to do so. We are all lucky that he made that investment to provide an OEM-quality solution to the nutserts loosening. The OEM nutserts are definitely worth the higher cost. His next step in the process was to develop a relatively inexpensive tool to install them. His tool prevents damage to the threads of the nutsert during installation.

I've used his tool and nutserts more than I should have had to. It's a long story, but due to a machining error by the shop that I had countersink the custom skidplate that Mr. Blaine helped me acquire and make for my LJ, I ended up installing his nutserts with his tool 22 times in my LJ frame. It's a great system and well worth the cost to know that my skidplate is attached to the frame as securely as Jeep intended!

Note that Jeep used SAE 1/2-13 bolts and nutserts up through 2002, and then in 2003, they switched to metric M12-1.75 bolts and nutserts. If your 2005 has the stock parts on it, make sure you get the M12-1.75 parts. Mr. Blaine sells the nutserts, the tool, and replacement conical-head bolts. If you're on a tight budget and only need to replace the one nutsert, you can get a single nutsert from him, but my recommendation would be to replace all of them because if one came loose, the rest are probably close to doing the same. You also don't have to buy the tool. It makes the job easier, and prevents damage to the nutsert threads during installation, but if you are careful, you can install a single nutsert without the tool without too much trouble. The tool comes in really handy if you're going to replace more than one, though, and for that sized job, you'd want it.

All that said, I don't know if Black Magic Brakes is currently shipping orders outside the USA, so that may be your biggest hurdle to overcome. I know that he's had issues with international shipping and given up on it. If you're close to the border, perhaps you could ship to a US address and drive over. I tagged him in this post, so he's likely to respond and let you know the current situation and how you might acquire his stuff in Mexico.
I'm impressed, that is the most accurate summary of our nutsert issues and acquisition I've ever read. The only tiny little correction was it took me over 5 years to convince them to sell to me and then only through a distributor and then at the eye watering minimums.
 
Just know, if you want top quality parts. Buy from BMB and Blaine.

Region offroad may be ok, but I can't say because haven't met anyone that has bought from them.

hello, nice to meet you. i am a region offroad customer
 
Novak Conversions Jeep Wrangler TJ engine mounts