Transmission service (skid plate and cross bar question)

[RubiconRaider]

Hello everyone, New member here New to me 2003 Jeep TJ Rubicon Tomb Raider edition. I wanted to service the transmission and discovered the Cross bar under the front of the transmission (not sure the correct terminology it doesn't support the tranny just crosses the frame under it and has the skid plate welded to it. ) Well the one bolt on each side is apparently stripped as it spins won't loosen and hence, someone had put a small weld on each side to hold it in place. There is a steel skid plate that is permanently attached to this that goes under the transmission, and I only have 1.5" of clearance between this and the bottom of the tranny pan.
My questions are,
1. I'm sort of sure I don't have room to lower the pan enough to leave this alone in order to service it. so, I can either grind the small welds off and do the service and probably get two slightly small bolts into the frame to come down thru the holes to use nuts to bolt the cross bar back up?
2. OR leave as is don't change the filter and just suck out the fluid and refill, (Partial fluid exchange)
Tranny fluid seems so so it is not burnt but not bright red either tranny shifts fine, but it has 120k on her. Definitely has had the filter replaced and serviced before but who knows when. Open to ideas and suggestions,

 

[macleanflood]

Don't have enough pictures to tell what's going on.

On an unmodified TJ the skid pan is the transmission cross member. To remove you need to support the transmission. It's held on by six nutserts... early is safe and later are metric.

Black Magic Brakes sells replacement nutserts and an installation tool.

Anchor makes great transmission mounts and for a little more you can get the motor mounts.

-Mac

 

[Ashim]

The 42RLE has a small skid plate that sits forward of the belly pan. You will need to grind the welds off and remove that skid. Replace the nutserts so that you can install the skid again, unless you don't go offroad, then not really needed. Do this first, then you can properly service the transmission.

 

[DirtDawg]

I'm in the process of servicing my 42RLE right now, including replacing the transfer case fluid and an old loud muffler. Mine has a Rubicon Express Long Arm kit, thus their proprietary belly skid vs the much smaller OEM skid plate mentioned above. Your profile indicates "automatic", thus with same 42RLE being first model year for that transmission. Mine hadn't been serviced in a very long time (if ever), now at 91k miles - likely in part due to the additional labor time to drop the RE skid plate for full access to trans pan bolts.

For me, well worth the effort (even while not yet completed) due to the dark oil and sludge on the pan bottom and iron residue (small particulate - not chunks) on the magnet. At this point, a new Mopar trans filter, new Dorman pan with drain plug and LubeLocker gasket are installed. Checking the service manual on bolt torque revealed bolt #5 needs fresh thread sealant applied, so I ordered the specified Mopar stuff on eBay for not much $$ which will ship tomorrow. A full flush of the internal torque converter will follow the initial 4 qts into the pan, as @Chris outlined here in his topic 8 yrs ago, which will wait a few days more for "buddy visual assistance" before completion.

In advance of starting this project, I noticed the transmission isolation mount (sandwiches between bottom of trans and top of skid plate) had one of four studs broken off and with no nut on that. So, I ordered the Anchor 2882 part suggested here vs OEM no longer available. When I dropped the RE belly skid, this is what I saw. Happy to have ordered that mount in advance! Not an expensive item, so plan accordingly depending on your own project time allocation...

 

[RubiconRaider]

The 42RLE has a small skid plate that sits forward of the belly pan. You will need to grind the welds off and remove that skid. Replace the nutserts so that you can install the skid again, unless you don't go offroad, then not really needed. Do this first, then you can properly service the transmission.

Thank you!

 

[RubiconRaider]

I'm in the process of servicing my 42RLE right now, including replacing the transfer case fluid and an old loud muffler. Mine has a Rubicon Express Long Arm kit, thus their proprietary belly skid vs the much smaller OEM skid plate mentioned above. Your profile indicates "automatic", thus with same 42RLE being first model year for that transmission. Mine hadn't been serviced in a very long time (if ever), now at 91k miles - likely in part due to the additional labor time to drop the RE skid plate for full access to trans pan bolts.

For me, well worth the effort (even while not yet completed) due to the dark oil and sludge on the pan bottom and iron residue (small particulate - not chunks) on the magnet. At this point, a new Mopar trans filter, new Dorman pan with drain plug and LubeLocker gasket are installed. Checking the service manual on bolt torque revealed bolt #5 needs fresh thread sealant applied, so I ordered the specified Mopar stuff on eBay for not much $$ which will ship tomorrow. A full flush of the internal torque converter will follow the initial 4 qts into the pan, as @Chris outlined here in his topic 8 yrs ago, which will wait a few days more for "buddy visual assistance" before completion.

In advance of starting this project, I noticed the transmission isolation mount (sandwiches between bottom of trans and top of skid plate) had one of four studs broken off and with no nut on that. So, I ordered the Anchor 2882 part suggested here vs OEM no longer available. When I dropped the RE belly skid, this is what I saw. Happy to have ordered that mount in advance! Not an expensive item, so plan accordingly depending on your own project time allocation...


View attachment 641930

Very helpful, thank you!