Transmission cross member Warning & Information

[JP02XLT]

Just thought I would let you guys know about an issue I fixed on a friends truck, (03 Ex-cab, Lowered 2-4, automatic), yesterday. It started out that he jacked up the truck to rotate the tires, he raised the front end of the truck by jacking up on the transmission cross member then put stands on the frame rails, then picked up the rear under the carrier on the axle. After rotating the tires he had a noticeable thump, he said it sounded like exhaust rub ect. He brought it over we put it on the lift & what was rubbing was the driveshaft on the tunnel. The trans crossmember actually bent upwards, into the tunnel. He had no problems prior to rotating the tires so we finally figured out that the jacking of the truck by the trans crossmember was what caused this. We took out the crossmember straightened it & then re-inforced it by welding in some 2 x 2 box tubing. The factory crossmeber was soft as butter, I could not believe how easy it bent. Any how just thought I would put this out there as a warning for other owners

DO NOT JACK UP YOUR TRUCK BY THE TRANSMISSION CROSSMEMBER. They bend very easily

JP02XLT

 

[Rearanger]

My O3 also says don't jack the rear wheels using the differential. Only jack one side at a time. Another reason I won't buy another Ford - marginal engineering.

 

[pcollins]

My O3 also says don't jack the rear wheels using the differential. Only jack one side at a time. Another reason I won't buy another Ford - marginal engineering.

what? Your never supposed to jack ANY vehicle by the differential. I don't care what brand it is. your supposed to jack it up under the shock and place a jackstand under the axle. yea, ford has real marginal engineering alright...I know 3 people with chevys newer than 2002, all of them have issues my truck hasn't yet. Its a '97

 

[Rearanger]

92 Montero - FSM instructions, jack rear wheels at the differential. 85 Mazda - FSM - jack the rear wheels from the differential. Been doing it for 18 years on the Montero and did it for 20 years on the Mazda. Changing out flat tire - jack at jack points at four corners.

 

[Sasquatch_Ryda]

Jacking it up under the center of the diff isn't gonna hurt a damn thing...don't care what you say.

Also...the transmission crossmember isn't built to hold the weight of the truck..only to hold the transmission in place...of course you shouldn't lift the truck by it.

 

[177CIOfPureLove]

Well yeah, lol. The reason why your owners guide says never to jack off of the differential is because it is not balanced enough to safely work under, or change a tire. Its not "marginal engineering", its a safety issue. Mechanically your truck can be picked by the axle housing all day everyday without issue.

 

[adsm08]

My O3 also says don't jack the rear wheels using the differential. Only jack one side at a time. Another reason I won't buy another Ford - marginal engineering.

^You^:

what? Your never supposed to jack ANY vehicle by the differential. I don't care what brand it is. your supposed to jack it up under the shock and place a jackstand under the axle. yea, ford has real marginal engineering alright...I know 3 people with chevys newer than 2002, all of them have issues my truck hasn't yet. Its a '97

This

Jacking it up under the center of the diff isn't gonna hurt a damn thing...don't care what you say.

Also...the transmission crossmember isn't built to hold the weight of the truck..only to hold the transmission in place...of course you should lift the truck by it.

And this.



Now lets go do a little science experiment (I did this with a 99 Nissan sedan once):

Go jack your truck up by the diff. It can take it. Now jack the front up however you like. Now take all 4 wheels off, and jump up and down on the bed rail.

If you do this and you are lucky, you won't suffer enough brain trauma to prevent you from spelling "marginal engineering".

Ford has the best engineering of any manufacturer in the world right now. They have been better than GM and Chrysler for years and have gotten even better recently while Toyota and Honda (who are only bigger because they have more brands worldwide BTW) have both taken nose dives in the last 18 months.

 

[ElleShooTiger]

Lifting by the trans crossmember??? Wowwwww thats like the worst place to place a jack, directly in the center of the truck. Tell him to go to a salvage yard and get a new crossmember to get the drivetrain geometry back in alignment.

I usually lift the front of the truck by using a large jack under the center of the front frame crossmember, and then the back by the rear differential.

 

[JP02XLT]

Tell him to go to a salvage yard and get a new crossmember to get the drivetrain geometry back in alignment.QUOTE]

No need for a new cross member, we removed the cross member straightened it checked the drive line angles & then strengthened it with some box tubing & installed it & checked everything again. Its strong enough now to pick up the truck, but I still told him not to do this again.

Just posted this as to maybe keep someone else from doing something similar. He would have up the creek & looking for a cross member had we not had the tools & lift to check & repair this.

JP02XLT

 

[Rearanger]

Well yeah, lol. The reason why your owners guide says never to jack off of the differential is because it is not balanced enough to safely work under, or change a tire. Its not "marginal engineering", its a safety issue. Mechanically your truck can be picked by the axle housing all day everyday without issue.

FSM says no to differential housing as well, but I'm willing to agree it may be safety issue rather than structural issue. It's always easier to lift at differential with trolley jack in order to position proper supports.

Mechanically your truck can be picked by the axle housing all day everyday without issue.

No damage to axle or axle housing?

 

[adsm08]

The axle is meant to hold the weight of the truck. It holds up the weight of the rear the whole time the truck is on the ground.

I've jacked hundreds of vehicles by the axle housing and never had structural issues. Only balance ones. There are even types of car lifts that are designed to lift the vehicle up by the axles.

 

[-Nathan-]

I beat the living piss out of my truck. Its been jumped, bumped, and done things it shouldnt have, but keeps asking for more.

If I cant ruin the housing by doing those things, lifting it slowly with a floor jack isnt going to do $hit.

The ONLY reason they tell you not to lift it by the diff is balance reasons.

 

[Stxrangerbumper]

here is the solution

2 idea

3 idea
Ford Ranger 98+ Raised Transmission Crossmember

 

[Rearanger]

The axle is meant to hold the weight of the truck. It holds up the weight of the rear the whole time the truck is on the ground.

That's may be true but not necessarily the case. Jacking the diff means the load is distributed differently. The load is pushing down on the outside of the axles while the support is in the center, which looks to bend the axle housings. I'd bet there's deflection of the axle by jacking at the diff., which the axle may be able to withstand if it's beefy enough. Actual experience is important but I'm not sure if engineering would support differential jacking.

 

[4x4junkie]

The axle is made from nearly 3" tubing having a wall thickness of at least 3/16". Jacking it up by the diff ain't going to hurt a damn thing on it. Like was already said, that statement was put there purely for safety reasons.