So here I am, a new TJ owner going through the basic cleanup and revamp process on my new toy. I figure that, even though the PO was quite good about maintenance, there would likely be some stuff he just didn't think of.
Aaaaaand, I was right. It looks like the series of TJ I have (2001) had issues with the firewall seals/gaskets for the A/C and, after some number of years they get a bit crispy...and start to leak. This leads to floorboard wetness, which leads to rust, which leads to me tearing into that section of my TJ. Long story somewhat shortened, I, being a devout type A, keep pulling anything with rust on it so I can kill it now before it marries my daughter...no, wait, before it eats my TJ...yeah, that's it.
It soon became obvious that I needed to gut the interior at floorboard level, just to do a decent job of rust denial and abatement. Not surprisingly, I remove the outer shift boot and center console...and then the inner shift boot and plate...and then, ugh...the boot on the top of the tranny looks like this:
Hmmm, mental note to change the tranny lube when I'm done.
...and add the boot to the list of "get now" items.
Later, back at HQ, I'm looking for the needed parts that today's work has uncovered and am having issues finding this damn tranny shift tower boot (or "dust seal", as I discovered it was named). Incredibly, I can't find the thing anywhere....not even (gulp) from Chrysler OEM! Apparently, you can't just buy this $5 rubber seal, you have to buy the whole tower, with lower shift lever...and seal/boot. From Chrysler, this is an insane (we don't really want to sell this to you) $542! Third party options yield the same tower+lever+seal option but at a much more lucid $90 or so. But, whazup?...nobody sells the stinking rubber boot by itself???? No enterprising Chinese have discovered the obvious gold mine here?? Every TJ owner with an NV3550 all over the world would be clamoring at your door to buy your $5, nay, $10 rubber boot!
But, alas, no. It seems that we must buy not only a shift tower we do not need, bit a shift lever shaft we don't need as well...just to get that stanking rubber boot!
So, I pose a couple questions to my fellow manual tranny Teejay owners:
1. Have you checked your tranny tower dust boot? If not, I STRONGLY suggest you do so before your next creek crossing...or even rainy day drive!
2. Do you have a track on a place that sells this and other such stuff without the ridiculousness of having to purchase $70 of crap you don't need? If so, please share!
Diz
Aaaaaand, I was right. It looks like the series of TJ I have (2001) had issues with the firewall seals/gaskets for the A/C and, after some number of years they get a bit crispy...and start to leak. This leads to floorboard wetness, which leads to rust, which leads to me tearing into that section of my TJ. Long story somewhat shortened, I, being a devout type A, keep pulling anything with rust on it so I can kill it now before it marries my daughter...no, wait, before it eats my TJ...yeah, that's it.
It soon became obvious that I needed to gut the interior at floorboard level, just to do a decent job of rust denial and abatement. Not surprisingly, I remove the outer shift boot and center console...and then the inner shift boot and plate...and then, ugh...the boot on the top of the tranny looks like this:
Hmmm, mental note to change the tranny lube when I'm done.
...and add the boot to the list of "get now" items.
Later, back at HQ, I'm looking for the needed parts that today's work has uncovered and am having issues finding this damn tranny shift tower boot (or "dust seal", as I discovered it was named). Incredibly, I can't find the thing anywhere....not even (gulp) from Chrysler OEM! Apparently, you can't just buy this $5 rubber seal, you have to buy the whole tower, with lower shift lever...and seal/boot. From Chrysler, this is an insane (we don't really want to sell this to you) $542! Third party options yield the same tower+lever+seal option but at a much more lucid $90 or so. But, whazup?...nobody sells the stinking rubber boot by itself???? No enterprising Chinese have discovered the obvious gold mine here?? Every TJ owner with an NV3550 all over the world would be clamoring at your door to buy your $5, nay, $10 rubber boot!
But, alas, no. It seems that we must buy not only a shift tower we do not need, bit a shift lever shaft we don't need as well...just to get that stanking rubber boot!
So, I pose a couple questions to my fellow manual tranny Teejay owners:
1. Have you checked your tranny tower dust boot? If not, I STRONGLY suggest you do so before your next creek crossing...or even rainy day drive!
2. Do you have a track on a place that sells this and other such stuff without the ridiculousness of having to purchase $70 of crap you don't need? If so, please share!
Diz