Transmission Crossmember End Bushings?

[scott7556]

1995 4.0L 2wd 5spd:
Does anyone know if the transmission crossmember bushings at the ends are replaceable, and if so, where might I find them? Mine are pretty rotted!
Thanks in advance!

 

[ForOffRoadDriving]

if your crossmember has the really big rubber bushings in the ends and they are either worn out or the steel has rotted out then your only real option is to get a new one from the dealer. the bushings are molded into the crossmember and are not sold separatley.

 

[fixizin]

Damn, now THAT is some lame-o design!

 

[Bravo]

I was just doing a simple clutch replacement and naturally it turned into a nightmare of frozen bolts etc. I'm ready to button it all up except for the crossmember, which I had to remove with a sawzall! Now I'm faced with scrapping a perfectly good crossmember because Ford(Mazda) saw fit to make the bushings irreplaceable! Thanks for the wisdom ForOffRoadDriving, I'm off to the junkyard now.

 

[Nhaz]

I ran into a similar problem in a old Hyundai many years ago. The grommets were not replaceable.

My solution to the problem was to head to a local surplus store that sold All the stuff that no one thinks about. like grommets, bolts, chains, Hydraulics, gas motors.

Basically a real hardware store. they had grommets many sizes. I got several sizes dirt cheap and ended up carving up the largest to fit the crossmember ends I also bought new bushings in various sizes and bolts, washers.

I think I ended up paying about 30 bucks in hardware and another hour of my time to make the grommets and bushings fit.

In a heartbeat. it was a ugly fix. but it worked and who the hell crawls under a car to admire how pretty the crossmember is on a 1.5 liter Hyundai?

 

[ForOffRoadDriving]

my 94 has a solid mount crossmember which bolts right to the inside of the frame rails, and i once modified the rubber bushing style one to bolt up like the one on my 94, but it suffered horrible vibrations afterward. one thing i have thought about lately though was that if you bount some control arm bushings for say a buick or a pontiac you could measure the diameter of the steel sleeve around the bushings and then find the apropriate diameter pipe and cut the pipe to length and then press the bushings in the ends, creating a new rubber suspended mount. now you would just have to cut off the old bushing and assorted rust and weld the new pieces of pipe to the old crossmember.
http://autoparts.thecarconnection.c...chassis-k5298-lower-front-control-arm-bushing

 

[ati190]

An easier fix for this, and a much better one in my opinion, is to grab a crossmember from a 1st gen explorer, or 2nd gen ranger. The design is much better, and is a bolt on swap. Your frame already has the holes pre-drilled. One on the left frame rail, and the 3 where the existing member is bolted to on the right. Knock the old Rivets out, and throw that junk crossmember away. The left side is bolted on top of the inside frame rail. Use grade 8 bolts found at any hardware store.... You shouldn't get any vibrations from this swap. It's solid and does not allow movement on the tail shaft of the trans. I personally done this on my 95 3.0.

 

[AllanD]

To clarify the left side of the crossmember rests on the INSIDE of the
frame on top of the lower flange.

AD

 

[Fitz92]

The crossmember bushings can be replaced with NAPA part number HB6977. If you need a vehicle, say "1998 Tahoe leaf spring bushing". Outer diameter needs to be 1.68 inches (1-11/16"). Hope this helps someone

 

[Rick W]

I have a 97 2WD, 5SP, 4.0, should be the exact same thing. I bought these on EBay after researching online.

You have to fiddle with them just a little tiny bit to make sure they don’t rattle inside the crossmember, but they were actually pretty simple to put in. If I remember correctly, I had to cut a sheet of tin, and wrap the outside of one because the crossmember hole was egged out a little bit from having no bushing for who knows how long. And you have to add a washer on the far side. The trick is just to make sure there’s no motion in it inside the crossmember, and remember it has a pretty good load on it from when you hit a bump. When I was talking about it with a buddy, he had the idea that you could dimple the cross member from several angles where the bushing goes by banging it with a ballpien hammer, so you have to tap the bushing in instead of sliding it in. I didn’t do that, but it sounds like a pretty good idea.

I searched around for a while for a new Cross member, but they don’t exist. The ones I found in the scrap yard were just as bad as mine. I did a lot of online research, and several places recommended these GM bushings.

Hope it helps, good luck

 

[Fitz92]

I would just advise anyone to be careful and double check measurements. There is an old Youtube video that recommends RB172 but also says its for a 2001 Chevy Blazer. If you ask a local part store to look up a leaf spring bushing for 2001 Blazer, they will give you a smaller diameter bushing that will be too loose.

NAPA part number HB6977 (1998 Tahoe) is the exact fit and does not require any shim/tin around the outside, assuming crossmember holes are stock/not damaged.