Transfer case skid plate

Kdabbagh · **Posted:** Thu May 06, 2010 8:34 pm

so i decided to put some fresh fluids in my axles and transfer case since im over 100k and havent done it yet since i got it. anyways when i got to the transfer case i couldnt get the skid plate to come off. I have had it off before when i put a new clutch in, but this time the bolts seemed to come out a littlebit. then all the sudden the got easier to turn... after that the wouldnt come out any further and wouldnt go back in all the way either.

i think i broke loose whatever the bolts are connected to on the other side?

anyways i was still able to change the transfer case fluid, but for the future, am i going to have to cut the bolts out/or drill them out and find another way to mount my transfer case skid?

any ideas/suggestion/help is appreciated

VoodooMann · **Posted:** Thu May 06, 2010 10:30 pm

yep, you knocked out one of your nutzerts.

gonna have to find a way to get a wrench around the backside somehow or cut them off and install new ones.

in the future, don't torque them so hard. they can't take much abuse.

Boiler · **Posted:** Fri May 07, 2010 2:32 am

VoodooMann wrote:

in the future, don't torque them so hard. they can't take much abuse.

Personally, I would recommend 3 things to achieve happy skidplate nutsert management:

1) Gob on the antiseize. It will make them turn very easily and fight corrosion. Reapply every time you take them down.
2) Use a lockwasher instead of relying on high-torque to keep them on
3) get a screwdriver type handle for your socket set and use it to tighten the bolts. It will keep you from overtightening them.

Remember that you will still need proper torque for your gas tank skid if you have a hitch. I'd recommend using antiseize and then only torquing them to about 60% of the recommended value, to account for the fact the the threads are lubricated and it takes less torque to tension the bolts when lubricated.

Kdabbagh · **Posted:** Tue May 11, 2010 5:47 pm

ok thanks for the help, thats what i suspected hopefully i can replace the nutzerts easily... i think they all may have been broken loose :banghead:

oh well hopefully it will be a long time before i need to actually take it off again since the clutch in it only has like 20k miles on it.

dgeist · **Posted:** Tue May 11, 2010 7:45 pm

Kdabbagh wrote:

ok thanks for the help, thats what i suspected hopefully i can replace the nutzerts easily... i think they all may have been broken loose :banghead:

oh well hopefully it will be a long time before i need to actually take it off again since the clutch in it only has like 20k miles on it.

If the nut is spinning inside the frame, there's a couple things you can do. One is put some really narrow pliers (the kind sometimes used on bicycles are really thin and may work). Hold the nut while you back out the bolt. Also, simply applying some downward pressure (with a flat-blade screwdriver or similar) is sometimes enough to hold the nut and keep it from spinning.

Once you get the bolt out, it's not hard to remove a riv-nut since they're usually a soft material. I used a pair of channel-locks to crease the rim at the bottom edge, then vice-grips, a hammer, and some twisting to break it apart into a few pieces and pull them out.

Once out, I reccomend drilling it and saying goodbye to the rivnuts. As boiler states, you have to be REALLY careful with torque, anti-sieze, and so forth, and you can just as easily get a bolt from the hardware store that will last as long as you own the jeep and is easier to use.

Dan

Transfer case skid plate

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