I just put new floor pans in my 03 tj and when I put the new pan in the driver floor I forgot to do that bracket back up , I think it's the same one your talking about , but anyway my old one was so rotten and I can't find the bolt for it now . Think it will work to just weld the bracket to the floor pan vs bolting it?
Forgot to mention but if it's the same bracket Your talking about , there's like two different brackets connecting to the rod , ones connected but the others just sitting there , that's of course the one I want to weld , sorry if this sounded confusing but I'm not even sure how to explain it better
Sorry to thread jack you here , just wondering if it's the same issue as you

 

Welding it could work I think (although I'm no expert). It sounds like the BEST thing to do is to throw out the junky stock linkage and replace it with a Novak cable shifter (that would probably solve your problem also). Unfortunately I don't have the extra $180 right now, and I've already asked for a lot of Jeep stuff for Xmas.

 

I would just get one from a wrecking yard and swap it out, if you think it's just the bracket. A Novak is really the best way to go. Savvy Offroad has them (same thing) for a little $'s. I definitely would not weld it on. It would make transmission work down the road a hassle.

Before putting all the blame on the shift linkage, be sure and check your transmission mount for separation. That can allow the rear of the transmission to move laterally and cause issues and noise from the linkages as they move.

 

Thanks Water Dog! I actually just saw a post that's a couple years old where you mentioned this. I think I'll take off my skid plate and take a look at the mount this weekend.

 

Alright so I took off the four bolts holding the mount to the skid plate then jacked up my transfer case and this is what the mount looked like. It was also pretty loose around the bottom. Seems like it probably needs to be replaced. I'm gonna wait until after Christmas when I have a little more cash.

 

That one doesn't look quite right in the pic. I think the last one I bought at Napa was <$30. Once you have the engine/transmission supported and those 4 nuts off, you can just pull the 6 bolts holding the skid to the frame and lower the skid to provide easy access to change that mount. It's real easy if you have a floor jack to lower the skid, but two people can do it pretty easy also. I believe it weighs about 60#.

 

Alright thanks! I think I'm gonna try to do it without removing the skid plate. I've heard you can lift the t-case just enough to remove the mount and install the new one without removing the skid plate. I might not get to it for a week or two but I'll let you know how it goes. Thanks again for the help!!

 

Great news! I just got to replacing my transmission mount this weekend and the problem is solved!! I ended up getting a friend to help so we dropped the skid plate and did it right. It was a pain getting the skid plate back on but no more knocking now!! Thanks WaterDog!

 

:thumb: Gotta love it when it's easier than what you thought...!

 

advance adapters makes a Tcase bracket that moves it from the Tub to your Tcase..might want to look into that ...even though problem is solved...the stock linkage rubs on the tub

 

My 97 TJ makes a rattle sound from the transfer case area when in 4H. I heard its a loose chain. can it be tightened or needs to be replaced? anyone

 

My 97 TJ makes a rattle sound from the transfer case area when in 4H. I heard its a loose chain. can it be tightened or needs to be replaced? anyone

if it is indeed the chain ..you need to open it up and replace the chain...

but also check for contact on your tub from the linkage. In 4h position it may just be high enough to contact something