Post mortem revealed that the diff mount bolt stayed attached, however it ripped the attachment point clean off the underside of the car.
The slamming that ensued from the unsecured differential popped the exhaust free at the front at the slip fit from the downpipe. The slamming of the differential into the pavement (I saw the marks on the asphault) caused the oil drain fitting to break clean off, hence the dumping of the gear oil.I'm hoping the half shafts and differential survived unscathed. Let this be a lesson to others. It was posted on another board here recently, but I'll say it again since I wish I'd done it. If your chassis has high mileage or has been subjected to hard use, pull the rear seat and inspect the mounting points for the subframe studs. I don't know where you'd get access to it, but also check the spot where the subframe bolt attaches for any signs of fatigue. My car had been autocrossed often by the PO, and at 240k miles, I gues putting 300ft-lbs of torque to the ground was just too much for it. Poly filled diff mount might have relieved some of the stess on that one attachment point.
Hopefully I'll have it fixed and ready for the Bavarian show this weekend. I really don't want to drive the Jeep up there for a second year in a row.
Jeremy
