ATF Complaint & Suggestion

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Cuplable

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Oct 8, 2005
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Ohio
Not so much about ATF as it is the design of the pan. Wouldn't it be so much simpler if car designers put a drain plug into the bottom/side/rear of the pan. It would allow all of the fluid to drain into your catch pan, easily. It sure would be easier than trying the old remove all the bolts but two on the high side and try to drain the fluid out of the low side.

I changed my ATF and Filter tonight and created the most unholy mess on my garage floor. I was smart enough to put a two-part epoxy on the floor earlier this year. The clean up was easy, but it took an entire rol of paper towels.

Any thoughts/commets?
 
I have 2 Hondas and 1 Toyota and they all have transmission ATF drain plugs. However, I have also had Chevys and a Ford --> no drain plug! In those cars, I took it to the shop for service!
 
I might follow that suggestion LargeCarMan. I've also heard of replacement pans with the plug in it. Don't know the cost though.

Or, maybe I'll save up and get me a Honda or Toyota next time rather than a Chevy.
 
Or get one of the vacuum pump canisters for draining boat engine oil. West Marine has a metal one, there are plastic ones, as well. You can then drain from the dipstick/fill tube.

I put off buying one for years, but finally did and it makes the ATX fluid change a 15 minute, messless, job. I now drain and replace 3 qts (pan capacity) every oil change.

I put in an inline filter the last time I changed my OE ATX filter, so there is no reason, IMHO, to ever have to pull the pan again. The inline is a finer filter than the OE one.
 
C.S. with the inline filter does the stock O.E.M. filter remain or is it removed and something replaces that filter in the pickup area?

Or

Is the inline filter an added filter that extends the life of the O.E.M. transfilter?
 
I made an ATF fluid evacuator using a 2.5 gallon plastic gas jug, a couple of 1/4 hose fittings, and some 1/4 ID tubing. I use my hand-held Mityvac pump to pull a vacuum on it. I can pull enough vacuum on it to collapse the sides! I will be trying it out this weekend. Total investment: $6, not counting the Mityvac that I already had. Well worth it to avoid the red bath.
 
The inline is put in the line from the cooler back to the ATX, it is external of the transmission. Many ATXs require the OEM filter to be in place to function properly.

That the OEM filter will never have to filter anything larger than its screen should assure that it would never have to be replaced. If I don't have to replace the internal filter, I shouldn't ever have to break open the ATX again. I hate taking things apart that aren't broke.

I use a Magnafine (TM, I'm sure) filter, which also has a magnet for trapping ferrous material finer than the filter. I cut one open after 12K miles and the magnet was covered with "goop."

http://www.emergingent.com/subpage1Magnefine.htm
 
C.S. very cool....On my Ford C-6 it has a fine stainless steel mesh as the filter. This would be a great way to avoid the pan gasket r&r.

On the Chryslers, Mopars, and Buicks..they still have the fiber filters...I still think the inline would work fine, but would r&r the stock fiber filter for peace of mind every other service. Hey, thanks for the idea's....as some say "Think out of the Box" I believe Most do on this forum. The vacume evacuator is also a great idea.
 
>>>> I made an ATF fluid evacuator using a 2.5 gallon plastic gas jug, a
>>>> couple of 1/4 hose fittings, and some 1/4 ID tubing. I use my hand-
>>>> held Mityvac pump to pull a vacuum on it. I can pull enough vacuum
>>>> on it to collapse the sides! I will be trying it out this weekend.

The concept is great. I've been doing it for 40 years. Still have the same 1-gallon glass apple juice jug. The glass jug also happens to have quart markings on the side. I'm able to suck 6 quarts out of the typical GM transmission without getting any air. So, I draw six quarts, and replace six quarts (don't even try for the 7th quart). Do this EVERYTIME I change my oil.

You're only problem will be the collapse of the plastic jug. As a matter of fact, you're going to be real dissapointed if you try to use the plastic jug, especially if the fluid's hot. Find a glass one if you can.

I never bought a miti-vac, though, I just use a vacuum source on the engine.

BTW, do the ATF change while the fluid is HOT. If you do it when it's cold, it'll take you 5-10 times as long.

Changing ATF is the single most important thing you can do for your transmission to ensure longevity.

Regards, Gary in Sandy Eggo
 
>>>I never bought a miti-vac, though, I just use a vacuum source on the engine.

Pumping 3 to 7 quarts with a Mighty-Vac is going to give you a mighty grip, for sure.

Gary in Sandy: Using engine vacuum - what a GREAT idea. I wish I'd thought of that before I spent so much money on pumps and vacuum evacuators! Do you run the engine during the entire drain, or have a clamp or use one of the litte back flow preventers in the vac source line and shut down after evacuating the container?
 
quote:
On the Chryslers, Mopars, and Buicks..they still have the fiber filters...
Click to expand...
Just so everyone knows ..media filtration was a forward evolution in automatic transmissions. There was no such thing as a transmission filter ..just a screen. They all had plugs. When they went to media filters ..they eliminated the plug, making it impractical to just change the fluid without changing the filter . It looks like we may be going back in the original direction ..except maybe moving the filter to outside the pan (replaced by the venerable screen) and replacing the drain plug (or non-drain plug, as it may be) with the "fluid exchange" method.
 
The Ford CD4E transmission has a non-replaceable filter (I haven't actually seen it so it might not even be more than a screen) and a drain plug.
 
I was hoping I could just start the siphon with the Mityvac, and then let it drain on its own if the jug is below the level of the transmission pan. Guess I'll find out Saturday.
 
>>> Gary in Sandy: Using engine vacuum - what a GREAT idea. Do you run the engine during the entire drain, or have a clamp or use one of the litte back flow preventers in the vac source line and shut down after evacuating the container?
I run the engine the entire time. Started doing this back in the middle 1960's. When the bottle fills to the top, I twist the lid, break the vacuum, and the flow stops. I dump the gallon of sucked fluid into a disposal container, then reconnect the lid and suck 2 more quarts. I turn off the engine as soon as possible, though, because the input shaft seal will be running on residual oil rather than recirculating oil. In reality, I now use another car as my vacuum source and don't even run the target cars engine. This is a recent change. Either way works great.

I also use the sucker to purge my brake hydraulic system. Suck on all 4 brake cylinders until the fluid flow clear. All I do is stand at the master cylinder and continue to pour replacement fluid gently into the reservoir.

Regards, Gary in Sandy Eggo
 
Well, my homemade evacuator worked very well. I only needed to pump the vacuum back up a couple of times, and even that wasn't really necessary since it was siphoning itself out. Increasing the vacuum just sped the process up a bit. It only took 10 or 15 minutes to empty out the pan, and there was about 1/2 quart left when I dropped it...no big deal.
 
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