B&M trans pan for Ram 1500 ZF 8HP series

[Sloppy_Snood]

This is a fantastic point - I was not looking at aftermarket pans with the added capacity, but this may have changed my mind. The fill procedure is keeping me from doing this on my truck at the moment.

How is the truck liking the new pan/fluids?

Hi @UGASpike.

The RAM likes this arrangement with the new pan and new 9.5 quarts of HPL ATF Green transmission fluid. Less jerk in some downshifting (downhill) and smoother shifting between gears. Hard to tell by my butt dyno.

 

[QwikKota]

The drain port is indeed smaller on the inside of the pan. I did not design it but it looks like it might be to either assist the drain plug’s magnet to attract metal fines near it OR possibly, to intentionally slow down the fluid stream of a fluid drain. The ATF for these transmissions is very thin and watery to me. Drains are 5-10 minutes. Not a factor for me.

The round disc you see in the pan bottom is a large neodymium magnet that is secured to the bottom of the pan with a small screw, lock washer, all screwed into a blind hole.

After having drained a 9 qt sump on a previous vehicle with a large drain plug, that is a good point. If it comes out too fast it can make a huge mess. I'm just glad mine has a large external hex and not a small internal hex drive like the Mag-Hytec diff cover drain that stripped on me.

 

[stenerson]

That's a well built pan. I'm surprised the inside seems to be painted/powder coated. The PPE has a groove in the top of the pan like the OEM that the rubber gasket sits in. Is that a cork gasket, any seepage issues?

 

[Sloppy_Snood]

That's a well built pan. I'm surprised the inside seems to be painted/powder coated. The PPE has a groove in the top of the pan like the OEM that the rubber gasket sits in. Is that a cork gasket, any seepage issues?

Greetings @stenerson!

Believe it or not, the B&M +4 quart transmission pan is neither painted nor powder coated. It is black anodized cast aluminum. Should outlive me and my HPL ATF Green transmission fluid.

The gasket is indeed a type of cork gasket but a bit different than the cork gaskets of the 1960-1970s. It appears to be a combination of a flexible black polymer and cork. More flexible than pure cork gaskets. Interestingly, whatever polymer is molded with the cork prevents the gasket from moving much during installation. It half-azz adheres to the pan’s machined flat flanged perimeter on its own.

But being the CDO (“OCD” in alphabetical order) person I am, I added a couple finger-smoothing, wiped-on spots of cheap window sealant (not RTV sealant!) to the flange for added installation confidence. This held the gasket in place and prevented any gasket shifting very well.

No gasket seepage noticed for nearly two weeks now. They key here is slight, progressive torquing of the installation screws and stopping all tightening once the manufacturer’s 8 ft-lbs (96 in-lbs) torque is achieved on each screw. This NOT where one wants to He-Man torque screws! The gasket needs much of its natural thickness to ensure sealing (per Holley tech service).

I do recommend a second person for installation. The helper can simply hold the pan’s weight while the other person is finagling the pan into place. It is a pretty tight fit.

 

[Sloppy_Snood]

Is leveling via the bolts on the same plane/angle as leveling from the bottom of the pan? If different, I would think leveling based on the bottom of the pan would be the proper way to do it.

Scott

I am sure the leveling via the flange bolts is sufficient. There should not be much difference with that method and using the flange itself. Assuming the bottom of the pan sump is parallel to the flange is not the best method as mentioned in other posts.

Hello again @slo town and @QwikKota!

I happened to take a few hours today and re-check my B&M +4 quart transmission pan gasket for any leaks. None found.

That said, I also jacked the azz-end of the RAM 1500 up in the air again to check fluid level again (in the 86-122 degree F fluid temperature range). I previously wrote 9-10” up in the air but in reality, it was 14 1/2” by my trusty tape measure .

After again leveling the transmission on the heads of the pan bolts, I compared the pan (at level) to the bottom face of the B&M transmission pan.

The bottom of the B&M transmission pan is not in the same lateral plane as the pan-to-gasket-to-transmission pan flange.

In fact, it is approximately 15 degrees different (sloping downward toward the front of the truck).

As such, if leveling the transmission on a RAM 1500, one must level the transmission using the flange face (with no pan installed)

OR

level the ZF 8HP75 transmission off the transmission pan screws (as I did).

Side-to-side level was simply checked with my 2-feet bubble level on the tailgate of the truck. This worked well.

I hope this helps DIYers with RAM 1500 transmission pan, fluid, and leveling.

A few pictures and explanation/identifications will follow this post.

-Slopster

 

[Sloppy_Snood]

How to cool a ZF 8HP75 transmission’s temperature more quickly. A sewer fan and a yard blower.

Side-to-side vehicle level checked with a 2-feet bubble level.

Jacking up the truck 14 1/2” in order to obtain a level transmission.

This leveling procedure is asinine not because of the transmission but the design requirement of how it was to fit into the frame with the motor.

Doable procedure but it does take time to execute this correctly.