Stainless Braid is NASTY stuff. See it take out brake lines, fuel lines, (transfer case is new to me, I assume it wore a hole in it), and even the oil pan as seen above.

 

Per this site: http://www.engineeringtoolbox.com/me...als-d_860.html

aluminum melts at 1220 degrees F. so with high egts i could see that beign achieved. but aluminum also dissipates heat really well wich makes this difficult at the same time.
i would say plausible.. lol

 

Still would be nice for some pictures to see if the hole in his case was melted open or was it rubbed to the point that the case leaked.

 

Ive seen t his issue lots of times.. Ur pipe didnt melt the tcase.. It rubbed away aluminum and created a crack/hole which will caause leak.. You need a new acd cover

 

Engine mounts are made of rubber. As time goes by they sag.

 

This is definitely possible.

The downpipes braided flex sections are made of steel which is significantly stronger than aluminum. With a lot of heat, a lot of vibration and a good amount of time it can wear through any aluminum assuming contact is made. Especially considering how abrasive the braided steel is.

Even if it wasn't the braided steel section of the flex pipe I can definitely imagine this happening from a hot steel downpipe making direct contact with an aluminum surface. The heat isn't enough to do it alone but the hot surface definitely speeds up the process.

 

Ok, first off, I appreciate all the cheering on to get the pics up, especially the "this thread is worthless without pics" smiley Couldn't've done it with out you guys :P Actually, I apologize, I was supposed to be off yesterday morning, and my relief didn't show up, so I actually got off this morning. Pics are here, I SWEAR.

Ok, took off the DP, and there is a worn area on the pipe, AND a significantly worn area on the TC. If you look at what would be about 10 o'clock on the wear area, you see a small black area. I am not sure if this is dirt or what. I have run my fingers all over the area, and it feels like asphalt. I don't notice any apparent holes or cracks, but then again, it's hard to see when it's 5 inches from you nose. I cleaned off the wear area, and am going to check it in a few hours to see if it is oily again.

Now, as promised, here are the pics. I have more, but they are just different angles, so if they are needed, they can be posted. I apologize for the poor quality of these.

 

it just looks like it was rubbing for a minute. adjust the angle a little bit on the DP, or wrap it. is shouldn't be leaking if it was just rubbing. If theres oil on it, might want to check other places.

 

Yeah that's more than a minute's worth of rubbing.

I don't think you're looking at the right spot on the transfer case.

 

Like we all said the DP did not melt the TC. It just rubbed it the wrong way and with the vibration of the car chewed the metal. Adjust the exhaust a little.

 

Melted, rubbed, whatever. It damaged it. Does anyone know how if that outer part of the case can be replaced? Any ideas on $ of the part? That part is the ACD cover, correct?

Downpipe has been on for about a year. So 30k is a fair estimate on the mileage.

 

Is it leaking? Doesn't look like it. If it's not, I wouldn't even bother for the T-case. But, the position of the DP on the other hand; Can you find a way to meneuver the exhaust to stay away from it? Something like angle the DP downward (with all the exhaust bolts loose of course) then get spacers for the frame stabilizers?
I had to go through this a while ago where I ended up bending the oil pan and a small section of the subframe to make it fit.

 

if you can't afford the t-case cover right away, get some aluma weld or jb weld and shut that leak! you may need a cover now, but if you keep riding like that, you will need a transfercase! and yeah, adjust that downpipe. now i gotta check mine!

 

Oh, it's up on blocks in the garage at the moment, I am not driving it right now. Just an update. This morning when I took the photos, I cleaned up the worn area, and this evening the worn area has a layer of oil on it. I had my dad look up under also, and there appears to be no other source of it. It the aluminum porous as it gets worn down?!?! The only thing I can think of is there is a small hole that I can't see. -stuie

 

I have said it before and will say it again...you need a new transfer case cover with a new gasket and the hole issue will be resolved. Then either hammer your downpipe so it doesn't touch the transfer case again or get a new down pipe.