Transmission cover

Renegade · **Posted:** Wed Sep 10, 2008 10:35 am

The transmission cover (pan) on my 2003 corroded through and dumped fluid all over my garage floor. The interior of the cover was as good as new, as would be expected from a piece of steel that is constantly bathed in oil. The exterior was corroded over approximately 30 percent of the surface; presumably where the paint coating was fractured or nicked. Surprisingly, this part of the drive-train is not protected with a skid plate of any kind!

The vehicle has 105,000+ miles but is only five years old. This seems unreasonable to me. I don't want this to happen again. Have any of you done anything to prevent this from happening? My thoughts are to install a skid plate under this cover, or to coat the exterior of the cover with something (wax, oil, grease, zinc-rich paint, epoxy paint, spray applied bed liner) that will protect the coating from damage from flying rocks and scrapes.

ATXKJ · **Posted:** Wed Sep 10, 2008 10:55 am

1) Move to someplace that doesn't put salt on the roads.

2) Tranny slid plate - $40
http://www.partsformyjeep.com/MC-BFEI-CIC.aspx

I like Rustoleum on skids/bumpers because it's easy to touchup (Rock Lizard idea)

Actually any of your coatings would prevent corrosion as long as the coating is complete - any damage and the area opened up will preferentialy corrode.
So I think the key is a maintenance routine that checks everything on a regular basis.

jeepkj02 · **Posted:** Wed Sep 10, 2008 11:30 am

You can get a PML cover, but it is deeper than the original pan and the skid plate won't fit.

Renegade · **Posted:** Wed Sep 10, 2008 11:37 am

Please forgive my ingnorance; can you deciefer your message. What is a PML cover?

jeepkj02 · **Posted:** Wed Sep 10, 2008 12:40 pm

http://www.yourcovers.com/newindex2.htm

You'll have to find out whether you have the 45rfe or the 42rle. DC made a change to the 42rle in 2003.

If you have the 42rle tranny not sure if you can get a PML cover for it. Doesn't list a cover for it. Count how many bolts on the cover and report back.

Edit: should be 15 bolts for a 45rfe and 13 bolts for a 42rle.

sleeve84028 · **Posted:** Wed Sep 10, 2008 3:51 pm

Head to the junk yards.

M&P40 · **Posted:** Wed Sep 10, 2008 4:57 pm

whatever coating you apply, if you dont have an external tranny oil cooler, the pan is how your oil cools so you dont want to insulate it too much

Guest · **Posted:** Wed Sep 10, 2008 7:22 pm

all auto-trans KJs have transmission coolers built into the radiator.

tjkj2002 · **Posted:** Wed Sep 10, 2008 7:32 pm

ThunderbirdJunkie wrote:

all auto-trans KJs have transmission coolers built into the radiator.

Only if you have the 45RFE tranny only,'02 and some '03 KJ's only.

Guest · **Posted:** Wed Sep 10, 2008 7:37 pm

oh.

lame.

tjkj2002 · **Posted:** Wed Sep 10, 2008 7:46 pm

ThunderbirdJunkie wrote:

oh.

lame.

And that is the sole reason many KJ's with the 42RLE have overheating issues since the stand alone tranny cooler can not keep temp spikes in check like a in-radiator cooler can since the radiator's sole job is to control temp spikes anyway.

jsc7002 · **Posted:** Wed Sep 10, 2008 10:15 pm

would it still be a good idea to add a tranny cooler, even if you have the 45RFE?

Renegade · **Posted:** Thu Sep 11, 2008 5:44 am

Thanks. All of this is good information. I had already thought about the possibility of a coating reducing cooling. It is doubtful that a thin coating like a zinc-rich paint would do so, but an epoxy paint or spray on bed liner might. The coating must also be heat resistant and flexible to provide any benefit.

My Renegade does have an automatic but I do not know off-hand which trans it has. It is equipped with the 3.7 V-6 and Selec-Trac automatic transmission.

sleeve84028 · **Posted:** Thu Sep 11, 2008 6:51 am

I think it is a great idea to add the extra transmission cooler on the 45RFE. I haven't done so but any added cooling is always going to help extend the life of some components.

jsc7002 · **Posted:** Thu Sep 11, 2008 10:47 am

Renegade wrote:

My Renegade does have an automatic but I do not know off-hand which trans it has. It is equipped with the 3.7 V-6 and Selec-Trac automatic transmission.

the select-trac is your transfer case not the transmision :wink:

Maximum Carnage · **Posted:** Thu Sep 11, 2008 10:58 am

Renegade wrote:

The transmission cover (pan) on my 2003 corroded through and dumped fluid all over my garage floor.

I’ve never heard of this but maybe I should take a closer look at mine. About a year ago or so I got a large about 1/8 gouge (no penetration) on mine. I have a Tranny skid but haven’t gotten around to installing it. Minnesota used tons of salt during the winter. I wouldn’t want to see a large spill coming from my tranny pan. On my next tranny fluid change I’ll make sure to give it a nice coat with the rattle can.

Renegade · **Posted:** Thu Sep 11, 2008 11:24 am

Yes thank you. However, it was the transmission cover that corroded, not the transfer case.

tjkj2002 · **Posted:** Thu Sep 11, 2008 11:32 am

Just a hint here on controling corosion.

Once every 2 weeks,at least,was your undercarraige very good at one of those highpower carwashes,spend some money and really get underneath washed very,very good.This helps keep stuff from rusting through,do it rain,shine,sleet,or in a blizzard.I wash my KJ very good once a week,no matter if it is raining or snowing,and have never had a problem with corosion or rusty/stuck bolts.It also saves your bushings,u-joints,sealsshocks,,and CV boots also.

Renegade · **Posted:** Thu Sep 11, 2008 11:39 am

tjkj2002, that is what has me concerned. I do exactly what you are recommending. When I take it to the wash, I spray the underside. My vehicle is very clean on the underside considering it has over 105,000 miles. The service department at my dealer, (who I like) basically stated that it has 105,000 miles and what do I expect. I expect for drive-train parts to last more than five years! My 1993 Grand Cherokee went 178,000 miles in ten years without replacing a single transmission part. The guy I sold it to is still driving it without having had to do any repairs to the drive-train. I have a 23 year old Pontiac with over 105,000 miles on it. I have never replaced any drive-train parts outside of hoses, belts, sensors, filters, plugs and wires. I don't expect my drive-train to rust out from under the vehicle in five years.

Please don't get me wrong. I am not bashing my Liberty. I really like it, but this seems unreasonable.

Transmission cover

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