I think my Cross Member got longer!

[cliffyp]

No funny business here.

I pulled my transmission, transfer case, and cross member. I got all the grime off and started putting it all back together.

Transmission is on the jack and bolted to the engine. I put the adapter on the back of the trans and went to put the cross member on so I could drop the jack. IT'S TOO LONG!

How is this possible? I have no others lying around to get mixed up with. It's about 1/4" to long. Just long enough to not be able to get bolts to line up. I put one bolt on one side with just enough thread to hold a nut on, giving max play, there is no way to line up the other side no matter how much I wiggle or fanagle.

There are a couple holes in the frame and I'm trying to use the wides ones. I bolted the crossmember to the adapter at the back of the tranny and that causes the cross member to line up, or not, with the holes I felt should work. It puts the drivers side perfectly in line but the passenger side goes past the frame holes.

I'm baffled. When I took it off, it just slid right down, there was no binding like the bolts where tweaked to get it to fit. Is it possible my frame pinched in? My trans jack doesn't lay low enough to get the trans under the frame rail once down, so I jack up the drives side of the truck to get the trans out and back under. I'm really confused, any ideas? I'll put up a pic tomorrow.

 

[EMD567]

Crossmember turned upside down?

 

[cliffyp]

Not upside down. The hump is facing up to the adapter

That crossmember shown in the TM looks U shaped from end to end, mine is straight. It was straight when it came off the truck too.

 

[diesel583]

Try a nice big pry bar, frames move and twist. Worked for a GM dealer and that was a tool that got used alot.

 

[cliffyp]

I was thinking about putting a high lift jack in there and pushing my frame that little bit

 

[KsM715]

Try a nice big pry bar, frames move and twist. Worked for a GM dealer and that was a tool that got used alot.

Thats what I was thinking. If you moved your truck around with the crossmember out or the frame just simply "relaxed" alittle while it was out.

 

[scottladdy]

Pretty much normal. 1/4" is typical based on my own experience. Consider that the crossmember is providing some dimensional stability to the frame at it's mid section while bolted in. When removed, the weight the frame is carrying will cause it (the frame) to warp in where it is no longer supported in a relatively long stretch of frame.

Here is what I do; Loosely bolt one side in. On the opposite side gently pry the frame back out to the side of the truck enough to allow one of the bolts to slip in. The holes to use should be obvious if the entire drive train is properly bolted together. Be careful what you pry against. Then work the second bolt in. Carefully tighten to the recommended torque value in a staggered fashion.

After you are done, double check for any alignment issues. The crossmember should be square to the frame. There should be no interference issues with the engine. The fan should be well centered in the shroud.

And while you are there, you might as well replace the TC mounts if you haven't already done so. They are pretty cheap, even at NAPA.

 

[4x4 Forever]

Just finished changing the flywheel on mine and ran across the same problem. Came apart OK and would not go back in, even with a BAC! I had to take it down to the shop and scarf about an 1/8" off the outer edges on both sides. Slid right on in.

 

[cliffyp]

Glad to know its normal!

 

[Ridgerunner]

I had to use a Port-A -Power, placed between the frame rails, and spread them apart to get the transmission cross members back in place. Pretty common on older 4x4 chassis.

 

[Castle Bravo]

This happened to me too when I changed my flex plate. I used a bar to line everything back up.