Suffered my first trail breakage

JL Rockies · **Posted:** Sat Apr 04, 2009 12:03 am

I am here in MOAB to wheel with Pixledn and friends. We were on "Top of the World" trail today and halfway down the return loop, I was looking down the trail rather than where my tires were and "WHAMM!!!" My right tire went off a small ledge and into a hole putting the tranny skid square on a sharp edge just below the oil filter (which is on the bottom of the CRD engine).

There was a whole lotta weight that came down on that one point and the skid buckled. The force wasted the oil filter and all the juice leaked out. Of course it started to rain and then started to snow on and off. One of my phones had signal so we were able to call NAPA in MOAB and order up some oil and a new filter. One guy who was still in town went to pick it up and two guys in our group left to meet them at the trail head.

While we were waiting, I removed the skid and straightened it out the best I could with a BFH. We were up there for a few hours before we got the oil and filter. When I went to put the skid back on, I notice that the tranny pan was also crushed, I am amazed it didn't rupture.

Lessons learned:

Keep extra motor oil and filter
Watch where you're going
The MOPAR skids are not that good after all

I was going to hit up some trails with the EJS this weekend but now I don't think its a good idea with a weakened skid and a crushed tranny pan. I'll just check out the scene in town I guess. :cry:

JeepinJarhead03 · **Posted:** Sat Apr 04, 2009 12:06 am

was this the mopar tranny skid with no welded reinforcements?

JL Rockies · **Posted:** Sat Apr 04, 2009 12:10 am

it had the reinforcements which ironically is what crushed the tranny pan. I've had the MOPAR skids for a lot of off-road trips and this is the first time it failed

JeepinJarhead03 · **Posted:** Sat Apr 04, 2009 12:11 am

yikes, glad it didn't turn out any worse!

Inc · **Posted:** Sat Apr 04, 2009 12:11 am

Would this have helped do you think?

JL Rockies · **Posted:** Sat Apr 04, 2009 12:29 am

Inc, I don't get what your showing me there. I know what it is, but I don't get what's different.

JL Rockies · **Posted:** Sat Apr 04, 2009 12:32 am

Is the skid cut?

Inc · **Posted:** Sat Apr 04, 2009 12:54 am

One of the OZ guy's welded on some extra metal to protect his oil filter. That part that stick up around the filter is new, added material.

JL Rockies · **Posted:** Sat Apr 04, 2009 12:57 am

In this case, it would have made no difference. The filter only hit the skid not the rock.

Inc · **Posted:** Sat Apr 04, 2009 1:00 am

Just curious if it could have added any rigidity to the skid but probably not I guess. Where was the bend in the skid?

dieselenthusiast · **Posted:** Sat Apr 04, 2009 1:02 am

Well, at least the OE skid saved you from severe damage. A new trany pan shouldn’t cost much.

JL Rockies · **Posted:** Sat Apr 04, 2009 1:04 am

Wasn't there some nut job trying to get people to buy into a new tranny pan?

KW AV8R · **Posted:** Sat Apr 04, 2009 1:07 am

yeah, I think there was someone wanting to know if there was enough interest in a strong, beefy tranny skid. Unfortunately there wasn't enough interest to make it cost effective for him.

jeepetorp · **Posted:** Sat Apr 04, 2009 3:51 am

Ooops. I´ve been close, but not really there.

Where your oilfilter the only thing that broke, or did the oil filter connection got some damage? That is what I´m conserned abaout. Xtra oil filter and 6 litres oil is a good advise to bring along on the trail...

ATXKJ · **Posted:** Sat Apr 04, 2009 5:54 am

I bent my Mopar tranny skid and none of the reinforcing that folks have posted pictures of would have made any difference.
The bend was at the very rear - where the mopar skids flattens out for the rear mount (no pix) - and it bent enough to dent the tranny pan
(oil filter was safe)

I have a Super skid now.

JJsTJ · **Posted:** Sat Apr 04, 2009 9:17 am

Please tell us how you cleaned up all the oil and left nothing behind on the trail. :wink:

Maybe the "fix" for this is to make up a Super Beefy oil filter skid for the CRD's made out of 3/8" or thicker and weld/gusset it straight to the stock crossmember just below the filter so it can't bend up into the filter?
How far behind the crossmember does the filter stick out? Hard to tell in the pic posted, anyone got a side shot?

KJ 119 · **Posted:** Sat Apr 04, 2009 10:22 am

Bummer,This is why I plan on replacing the tranny skid one day and adding some metal for Fumoto skid.

JL Rockies wrote:

Lessons learned:

Keep extra motor oil and filter
Watch where you're going
The MOPAR skids are not that good after all.

Watch where you're going-----Yes
Rolling with an oil filter---Makes sense now"wont need to lug that much oil"

dieselenthusiast · **Posted:** Sat Apr 04, 2009 10:50 am

JL Rockies wrote:

Wasn't there some nut job trying to get people to buy into a new tranny pan?

Yes, PML makes one for the CRD. Several guys in the CRD section already have them. :wink:

Tokyojoe · **Posted:** Sat Apr 04, 2009 11:09 am

Hmmmm....Reminds me of a certain person not watching what they were doing on that trail a few years ago. Ask Pixldzn.

Inc · **Posted:** Sat Apr 04, 2009 2:25 pm

I welded angle iron on mine and I bash and crunch it all the time, no bends so far.

Suffered my first trail breakage

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