My Advance Adapter cross member is leaking....

[hatfieldcb]

AA crossmember....
If you use studs instead of bolts it will seal and not leak...new or old style, does not matter.

Well, mine's leaking. Welded cone. Studs. What's the fix?

Do I really need a cross member? Is anyone running without one? I've got a 2F with an SM420 behind it.

 

[Mendocino]

I had the same issue. I tightened the nuts and no leak (ZZ4, 700r4). I'll put some blue lock tite on them and see what happens.

 

[peesalot]

look at the back of t-case where cone bolted on. see there is a little hole at 5:00 o'clock on the outer edge of the cone and the factory cone has a little passage stamped into it. This lets oil drain back into t-case. My guess is that when you did the crossmember and welded the cone you made no provision for the oil return and now the cone is getting filled with 90w that has no where to go. Grind/drill a passage for this return and it will not leak.

 

[fj40_73]

Do I really need a cross member?

Most likely, yes you need it. Is there anything else to support your drive train besides the engine mounts?

 

[hatfieldcb]

look at the back of t-case where cone bolted on. see there is a little hole at 5:00 o'clock on the outer edge of the cone and the factory cone has a little passage stamped into it. This lets oil drain back into t-case. My guess is that when you did the crossmember and welded the cone you made no provision for the oil return and now the cone is getting filled with 90w that has no where to go. Grind/drill a passage for this return and it will not leak.

It's actually the one piece cross member from AA with the cone in it. I'll check it out, though.

Most likely, yes you need it. Is there anything else to support your drive train besides the engine mounts?

A skid plate.

 

[FJ40Jim]

What about the stock rear mounts on the sides of the bellhousing? W/ a 2F and and a 4-speed, there is no need for an additional rear X-member.

Unless the truck is 81-later.

 

[hatfieldcb]

What about the stock rear mounts on the sides of the bellhousing? W/ a 2F and and a 4-speed, there is no need for an additional rear X-member.

Mine has those. I guess the thinking is that the Orion is much heavier than a stock transfer case.

The reason I ask is I just had a friend, whose mechanical abilities I trust, suggest that I didn't need a cross member.

 

[FJ40Jim]

An orion is heavier than a stock t-case, fer sure.

What about modifying the rear AA mount so it is engineered correctly?
i.e. solid bolt the ends to the frame, and set the center on a single rubber isolated tranny mount.

 

[dgangle]

...What about modifying the rear AA mount so it is engineered correctly?
i.e. solid bolt the ends to the frame, and set the center on a single rubber isolated tranny mount.

Do you have a picture of that to share?

 

[Sputnik40]

Mine has those. I guess the thinking is that the Orion is much heavier than a stock transfer case.

The reason I ask is I just had a friend, whose mechanical abilities I trust, suggest that I didn't need a cross member.

Chris - is that the underside of your 40? Looks a lot cleaner than I remember it in years past at GSMTR - but maybe I'm thinking of someone else?

I too have a 2F with an SM420 - engine mounts, bellhousing mounts and I tossed the AA crossmember last year (hate it). I'm using an AA adapter (something like 4.5" and just recently made a pad on my skid plate to let allow for a tranny mount to bolt to the adapter and "rest" on the skid plate crossmember - not bolted. Survived a broken Poly rear axle and one pinion break, with some hard wheeling inbetween .

Have an Orion HD (#31) that I'm installing this month - and you're just skared the tar out of me - never thought about the extra weight??? I might need to bolt that tranny mount to the skid plate?

Looking forward to hearing what your final decision is on just letting it hang!

 

[FJ40Jim]

Do you have a picture of that to share?

No, I don't.

But I am not smart enough to come up w/ the idea. I saw it somewhere on the interweb. Can't find it googling now.

A 6-hole ring of metal w/ a 90* bent 'foot' on the bottom, that was drilled w/ 2 holes for a standard GM tranny mount. sits on a simple x-member.

This allows front motor mounts to resume doing their job (torque arrestors) and rear x-member just holds the driveline at the correct angle.

 

[Degnol]

I think that was Treeroot's thread. I'll look....

 

[bustanutley]

here is what I was running for a while, decided I didn't need it later.

 

[FJ40Jim]

Nutley's piece is properly engineered. Holds up the T-case, doesn't transfer torque into the 6 studs.

 

[peesalot]

I'm tellin ya, just drill the weep hole and it will not leak. 10 min. fix.