Broken Skid Plate Bolts

GreasyCRD · **Posted:** Mon May 25, 2009 1:51 pm

During a tranny fluid change I removed the tranny skid plate and the nuts that are inside the crossmember broke loose. There is no way to get ahold of said nuts so I had to cut the bolts. I'm trying to find a way to fix this the way Jeep should have. Any ideas?

kskj · **Posted:** Mon May 25, 2009 1:57 pm

Can you drill out the old nutzerts and through bolt them?

GreasyCRD · **Posted:** Mon May 25, 2009 2:09 pm

That's what I was thinking but I wanted to see it anyone else had this issue and maybe a solution that didn't involve a nut. What I mean is you wouldn't need 2 wenches. You could just unbolt the bolt. I think there was another reason I didn't do that but I can't remember for the life of me what it was. Thanks

kskj · **Posted:** Mon May 25, 2009 2:18 pm

If you can get the old nutzerts out without screwing up the hole they are in you might be able to put in new nutzerts.

GreasyCRD · **Posted:** Mon May 25, 2009 2:21 pm

Where can you find these Nutzerts? How do they work? Thanks for your help.

kskj · **Posted:** Mon May 25, 2009 2:30 pm

They come with the skid plates when you buy them, and have a small tool with them to install them with. I might have a couple of them out in the garage I know I have the tool I will go look for them and get back with you.

GreasyCRD · **Posted:** Mon May 25, 2009 2:52 pm

Carriage bolt.... good idea. Thanks again for your help. A warning to anyothers out there that may be removing skid plates... be careful not to break that nutzert free.

Cobalt-60 · **Posted:** Mon May 25, 2009 2:54 pm

If you can get to the back of it, drill it out and put in a carriage bolt instead.

The only one I have that is still a Nutzert is the driver's side one for the Transfer Case Skid (the Skid Row Engine-Transmission Skid has an ingenious method of attaching theirs!!!)

kskj · **Posted:** Mon May 25, 2009 2:59 pm

I think this is the part numbers from mopar

#6503571 bolt
#6505294aa nutzert

I could ony find one of them out in the garage but I do have the tool.

You might want to ask mopar if the tool comes with them.

corwyyn · **Posted:** Mon May 25, 2009 3:27 pm

GreasyCRD wrote:

During a tranny fluid change I removed the tranny skid plate and the nuts that are inside the crossmember broke loose. There is no way to get ahold of said nuts so I had to cut the bolts. I'm trying to find a way to fix this the way Jeep should have. Any ideas?

Front or rear of the trans skid? If it was the front those are a regular-type nut spot-welded into the crossmember (looks like a nut with a large star-washer attached), if the rear then they are the nut-serts. On the front crossmember it is possible to get a long 18mm wrench inside (go in from the open ends) and get it on the nut, then you might be able to take a pair of vise-grips and remove the bolt sections. Failing that I would push the remnants up into the crossmember, grab them with a magnetic pick-up tool, then drill thru and use the carriage bolts.

Slightly off topic but I have had one of those spot-weld nuts break loose when I was putting a front seat bolt back in, so now my drivers seat is a rocker

One of these days I need to drill out the cross member and get it fixed...

arengant · **Posted:** Sun Jan 16, 2011 11:32 pm

To bring this topic back up... I ground off the head to the bolt in the front crossmember for the transmission/engine skid. I thought it was a nutzert until I read this post and read that the nut was spot welded on. Even with the head ground off I CANNOT push the bolt into the cross member because the threaded end hits the top of the inside of the cross member.

I am thinkingking my best option is to reach a 18" wrench inside the cross member and try to hold on the nut and use vise grips to loosen it.

Any other ideas? The bolt spinns freely so I doubt I can drill it out successfully.

xtc · **Joined:** Mon Jun 22, 2009 3:26 pm **Posts:** 27

drill through the cross members and use longer bolts with some nuts. It alot stronger and easier to take on and off

Cobalt-60 · **Posted:** Tue Jan 18, 2011 12:06 pm

xtc wrote:

drill through the cross members and use longer bolts with some nuts. It alot stronger and easier to take on and off

That is what I did. Used Grade 8 carriage bolts, washers and nuts. These are actually stronger than the rolled steel cross members... :wink:

tommudd · **Posted:** Tue Jan 18, 2011 12:32 pm

carriage bolts in mine from when I first mounted them , I never even used the nut zerts in the first place.... useless crap

arengant · **Posted:** Tue Jan 18, 2011 6:35 pm

So I have been planning on using grade 8 bolts (I have some sitting arond waiting for this) but to get the old bolt free is where I am stuck. It is sandwhiched in the frame, but spins freely.

I have to take it to a shop with a lift to be able to fit the drill under it in an attempt to just drill out the old bolt. Before I commit myself to that as a last resort I was wondering if anyone has an idea. The stock hole is NOT a hexagon, so not NUTSERT anyways. The nut was spot welded inside the frame (during the bulding/boxing process I assume) so it is different than the other mounting hols in the transmission cross member.

drinkNfight · **Posted:** Thu Apr 07, 2011 5:58 pm

just wondering how this went for you. I broke my bolts to for the front part of the tranny skid. The drivers side spot welded nut broke loose so i have the bold & nut just hanging there for now. Probably going to cut the bolt head off and fish it out with a magnet. The pass side the spot welded nut held(so far) and the head of the bolt broke off. going to try a wrench stuffed in the cross member opening and vice grips. if that doesnt work Im going to hammer the little basterd up and again fish it out.
MY real question is if i get the bolts/nuts out ever what did you guys use to replace them? just new bolts/nuts and a lot of fidgeting? I heard of some people saying they drilled into the crossmember to make it easier. Does this make it too weak and if not where did you drill? The bottom or on the sides facing towards the rear end?
All this to change my transmission fluid. sheesh. just glad im TAD to the auto hobby shop for the moment.

XJMA · **Posted:** Thu Apr 07, 2011 6:35 pm

try the blue tipped wrench, it works every time!

arengant · **Posted:** Thu Apr 07, 2011 8:44 pm

DO NOT CUT IT OFF

I was able to get a metric wrench inside quite easily, but I did not remove the bolt yet because I ground off the head... I tried vise grips with no luck, so my next attempt will be to weld something to the end.

fishingliberty · **Joined:** Thu Oct 08, 2009 2:12 pm **Posts:** 1

had a bolt snap on me putting on the front skid, tried welding on a nut with no luck, but what was left of the bolt heated up enough that with vise grips it came out nice and easy. as long as your nutsert isnt spinning in there try heating up the bolt to get it out. goes a long way in removal of a snapped bolt.

drinkNfight · **Posted:** Fri Apr 08, 2011 2:41 pm

got the drivers side nut that broke loose and the bolt out. I clamped my wrench in place on the cross member. having a friend hold it didn't work because there was to much ttorque I guess. with the clamp & breaker bar it came right out. fluid change went perfect after that. not just have to put heat on the pass side to try and get th stud from the bolt out. and decide if I can drill out the front skid bolt that broke of
flush. the plan there wAs to replace all the bolts. yeah that's working. probably have some shop that can weld put nutserts or something in place to preent this in the future.

Broken Skid Plate Bolts

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