what MTG said, totally different issue. the lift itself doesn't cause a leak, your factory drive shaft coming into contact with the sump pan will. installing an aftermarket drive shaft will eliminate this problem. also, a sump pan leak WILL NOT cause a fire and i never suggested that it could or would. at most, a leak there will reduce the amount of fluid you have and that will effect your transmission's ability to work properly and, you may have a stain on your driveway to boot. atf pumping out of the dip stick/fill tube will throw it all over extremely hot stuff under your jeep's hood and that can cause a fire.
Forgive me; I seem to have a problem with comment clarity.
In reading your description, I thought I remembered you mentioning the possibility of a transmission fluid leak hitting the drive shaft and being spun off onto hot exhaust in your description. From what I've read of the JK fires, every one of them started
under the body at the transmission itself, not under the hood. This would imply that your description is
a logical cause, if not the real cause. Obviously, if the drive shaft wears through the sump housing it means you've got friction for heat as well as the potential for sparks--either of which could cause the transmission fluid to ignite. This is why I said I would want to avoid the
potential at any cost. I'm not trying to say either one of you is right or wrong; I'm just saying I want to play it safe. To be honest, I don't think even the HTSB knows the real cause of the fires and we are only speculating based on what few facts we know about the situation. The simple fact that both you and MTG have a lot more experience in this area than I do means that I will defer to your more educated opinions.
I still want to find a good shop and a good group like you guys up my way. I've got a lot to learn and a short time to learn it (paraphrasing the lyrics from 'Eastbound and Down' from Smokey and the Bandit.)
