Today I discovered that the inspection cover at the rear of the engine broke, a large piece missing, exposing the front of the trans.

Is this a major replacement requiring removal of the trans?

1997 Grand Cherokee zj - stock

thanks, John

 

Welcome to the forum.

Which engine?

Is the broken / missing part the torque converter inspection cover?

 

Engine is a 4.0 - straight six - it looks as though the bottom 1/4 of the plate simply broke off - thus exposing the torque converter.

Mechanic said the trans has to be taken out to replace the inspection cover - can't imagine that would be necessary.

Thanks for the reply. John

 

Not sure what would be broken on the cover that is not "easy" to remove and replace.

The cover is stamped / formed / almost flat steel, retained by the starter and several bolts.

The torque converter is also concealed by the transmission cast aluminum bell housing. If that is broken, such as part of the bottom missing, then a new transmission is required for a proper repair.

 

It's simply the inspection cover" and it sure looks as though I'd just remove the starter to take off the old and install the new.



It looks as though the one on the Jeep has been rounded off at the corners for some reason....

John

 

Yes, the starter is removed (after first disconnecting the battery negative terminal), plus also removal of the cover retention screws, then the old cover slips out, new one slips in.

Yes, somebody rounded those corners.

 

Thank you for the welcome Wingless - and for confirming what I had thought to be the situation.

So much for the "mechanic" - or perhaps he just didn't know - he had guessed a couple of hundred bucks for the fix!

John

 

OR he's trying to sucker you into a big bill, which is about par for the course lately. I'm thinking to would cost a lot more if he had to pull the trans to replace it.

 

The inspection plate has no mechanical purpose other than protecting the flexplate from dirt/debri ect. I literally have mine held on with zip ties. Having that mechanic tell you to drop the trans is an example of why some of the best mechanics in the world exist in online forums....

 

1/1200 - Agreed!

We appreciate the nice responses for a first time poster. Dirt and debris was our concern - wonder how long it's been like that? Certainly the year and a half we've had the Jeep - Now we are wondering how much stuff actually got into critical areas and what that might mean for the near future.

John

 

I've heard of rocks getting jammed into the bellhousing and breaking it. That would be expensive to fix and leave you stranded in the rough.

 

The mechanic might simply have been speaking from ignorance. He might have assumed he'd need to disconnect the bell housing. Not many are familiar with these beasts these days.


As for damage that might have been caused.... you'll have a chance to look around once you have the old cover off. Might be good to invest 20 bucks or so in a to look around in there.