bigtrucknwheels

Well, to my favorite go to technical guys, i have a question or a few...

But first, some backround. I was messing around with 2 other friends of mine last Friday night, and i decided to go Urban 4x4ing, only in 2 high. I saw a nice curb, and thought, yeah, i can make it if i keep it moving. Well, when ground clearance is an issue, you shouldnt think that way. Needless to say, i hopped the curb (this is a small median, about 2.5 feet wide), keeping it moving. My tires went down the other side of the median and i kept on the gas a bit to make the back wheels up over.. Then, completely unplanned... BAMM! i SLAMMED the tranny cross member off the curb right as my front wheels came off the curb on the other side. I quickley locked in the hubs, and drove the rest of the way over, but it was too late, the damage was done...

Now, the damage. when impacting ones cross member into a concrete curb, things can and will bend. My cross member is bent with a tilt in it. At first i didnt see it, but later i saw that the rubber things on there were tore, and the member itself tilted badly towards the rear. Now, everytime i step on it, giving it a lot of throttle, i get a horrible vibration throughout the truck, which gets really bad at high RPM's.

How to fix it? I dont think a BFH will bend that cross member back. What else might have i jacked up? Risks of not fixing it? I want to do a manual swap, but i wont be ready for a couple months at least. Nonetheless, i dont want to dump a ton of money into fixing this blasted auto. someone told me that my U Joints could fail prematurely though, which would be bad... is that true?

ANY suggestions/answers would be greatly appreciated...

PoleVaulter95

bud built crossmember stronger and it wont stick down as low. if your going to fix something might as well just do it once (nice story by the way ive been there too just not as bad lol)

AxleIke

This happened to me when i bent my Budbuilt xmember into my transfer case.

I would also guess that if you bent it badly enough you could have driveline angle issues, but it would have to be REALLY bent.

First check is: is any part of the crossmember in DIRECT contact with the transfer case, or really close. If so, then everytime you load the drivetrain, your transfer is torquing and contacting, making the horrid sound you described.

If thats not it, make sure you didn't damage the transfer case itself, and check for binding on the drivelines.

mt_goat

I have a spare one from my 93 ext-cab/auto, not positive if its the same as the 90 ext-cab/auto or not. Here's some pics of it:




I'll sell it for $25 plus shipping. My old rubber mount had a split on one side but I'll include that if you want. I never had any vib problem from it, I didn't even know it was split until I removed it. BTW I'm running a Budbuilt x-member now.

tc

Ummm - how fast were you going? Cuz I've slammed my crossmember (both the original and now the BudBuilt) into some pretty serious stuff and never bent one...

Pictures might help!

MudHippy

Yeah, mine's been tortured beyond belief and all it needs is a paint job.

Check your transfer case output shaft bearings fr/rr. Grab the flanges where the driveshafts bolt up, see if you can feel play side-side/up& down. I think you still need new rubber mounts even if you go with the BudBuilt. Your u-joints were probably not effected, but will be taxed if you drive with a serious vibration in the driveline.

TORTIS

iTrader: (1)

yes, i would say it is bent. i, like tc, would like to know how fast you were going. i hope you did hurt your transmission.

bigtrucknwheels

i couldnt have hit it doing more than 10, i dunno how it happened really, as ive hopped many curbs before... Driving after i posted, i noticed that a. it does it/is at its worst when im on it a lot. also, it seems to disappear above ~35 MPH unless i stomp it (like i had to today to make it up a 7% Grade mountain to get to school). I will def. check the bearings, but i hit hard, the little ball pivot thing on the transfer case linkage came out of place too, not sure how it shifted into and out of 4wd when i hopped the curb, unless it came loose when i jumped the truck later.... hehe, air in a pickup truck is sooo much fun.

but the vibration was there before i jumped it. my dad currently has my camera, but i will try and get some pics ASAP.

thanks!

bigtrucknwheels

alright, once i was armed with what to look for, i went and looked for it! what i saw: my fuel filter, i think, is OEM, judging by the amount of rust! anyways. checked both drive shafts where they enter the transfer for play, absolutely none. i shook all i could. thats great!

also, i checked and looked and looked for the cross member touching the T case, and i found it! the top of the cross member has the normal road dirt on it, except for a little 1/2 inch oval thats rubbed black. that was REALLY hard to see, considering its only about 1/16 of an inch from touching the T case.

MT_Goat, ill PM you when time permits! Probably later tonight or tomorrow. 25 is a good price.

Thanks everyone, again! you guys are def. some life savers! Thanks Thanks Thanks for the responses!

ill get some pics up though incase someone ever comes across this thread, maybe it will help them out...

AxleIke

I would say then, that when you load the drivetrain, your transfer case is hitting the xmember.

Get the one from mt goat, and it should be resolved

bigtrucknwheels

hey thanks! that, beyond any other theory, is the most logical, plus the evidence. so ill get that new x member and be golden. Thanks!

bigtrucknwheels

So, when I realized tonight that my truck was soon to become a D.D. tonight, I thought I'd try to do something to shake the vibration.

Solution: Logging chain and a vacant telephone pole.

Hooked up the chain, put it in 4 low, and gave some gentle tugs. I didn't get rid of all the vibration, but the majority is gone, much better anyways.

Just a tip...

nate V

lmao like your solution
you prob bent that balancer on the back of the t case
not very hard to replace or maybe you don't have to after your quick fix there.
good luck

WCorbett

I have a similar story; not as damaging, well to the truck anyway, but similar.

I was in a MacD's parking lot with my buddy and he trie to park with both front tires on the curb but this curb is a litte taller that most so he had to gas it pretty good. when it finnaly broke over it sent him directly into the tree on the other side of the curb .(the tree was about 2 inches thick). anway the tree bent over at about a 45 degree angle into the road and left a nice gash. i quickly locked his hubs and he managed to get back over with a significant amount of tire squealing . Luckily we made it over before and cops saw. where we live is cop infested in town.

Hijack over!

EDIT: yes we are in highschool

Jay351

So the op never got the new crossmember?

I used to park on curbs, but now (with my lift) it makes my truck too tall to drag my fat arse into..

bigtrucknwheels

what? haha. No, I never replaced the crossmember. I think a few more minutes with a telephone pole and someone to watch this time to make sure I don't pull on it too much, and I can get it *almost* as good as new.

It's not curb hopping that did it.

It was something like this: (excuse the text animation, but it will help)

| |######| |
| |######| |
| |######| |

Thats two curbs with some grass in between...

I went up and over the first curb, and came back down over the second curb. My truck was then straddling the two curbs, and it was when I came down the second curb with my tires that the tranny cross-member slammed off the curb. If my truck had 2 inch bigger tires, wouldn't have been a problem...

Jay351

Thats a big reason why I dont go over those kinds of curbs

yotasavg

that's a good story though. great solution!

InternetRoadkill

How high were the curbs?

bigtrucknwheels

about an inch less than the undercarraige of my truck, but my suspension traveled, and bam! there it was. Don't go fast if you chose to do something stupid like that. haha