DROPPING TRANS PAN AND FILTER CHANGE

[grbr95]

I'm thinking of dropping my trans pan and replacing the filter on my own for the first time and wanted any advice. After I drop the pan and put in the new filter, do I need to clean the pan in any way, or just simply wipe it out before installing the new gasket?
Also, when replacing the bolts, do I just snug them once?

 

[Oldmoparguy1]

What car, what transmission?

 

[grbr95]

1995 Lumina 3.1L V6
2000 Dodge Gr Caraven 3.3L V6

 

[johnd]

i got a good tip for doing this from a guy a long time ago. Put a big trashcan lid with a small hole it it on top of your oil change pan so when the trans pan falls off (it will) it has a big target to land on. The amount of cleaning you do to the pan depends a lot on what you find. When I did my daughter-in-law's van, (Ford) the pan gaskets were marked as "reusable" which was nice-yours may be too.

 

[grbr95]

Yeah, that is my fear, driving down to my machine shed which is 2 miles from my home. dropping the pan, and realizing I have to go back to the parts store for cleaning products are parts exchanges because some clerk gives me the wrong stuff. Then i'm hoofing it 2 miles to get back to a vehicle.
Anyway. I'm just concerned. Will I have to possibly scrape off the old gasket? I don't mind changine my own oil. YOu can't really screw that up, but I'm sort of worried about fooling with my transmission.

 

[doitmyself]

If the pan bolt holes are exposed, shoot some penetrating oil on them a few days ahead of your job.

It's not uncommon for small transmission bolts to twist (break) right off. Use anti-seize when you reinstall them.

 

[LargeCarMan]

I would have a putty knife, couple of cans of brake cleaner, and some clean rags. Take out all the rear bolts and work towards the front. Try to get the pan to drop a bit in the rear and ATF will start to flow into your oil catch pan. That trashcan lid idea sounds pretty good. If your pan gasket is not cork, it will go up dry and just snug all the way around not too tight...snug. You will need different size sockets if the filter is held up with bolts...good luck

 

[Oldmoparguy1]

Can't help you on the 1995 Lumina.

I did my 2000 GC in Sept. First, go to your mopar dealer and get a tube of ATF-RTV. There is nothing better anywhere. You will need this for the oil pan. Don't use the gasket you will get with the filter. If you do, it will leak, sooner or later. Then get somone to drive one of your cars to your shop, so you have a car to get the things you will need that you forgot. While you are at the dealer, get 2 or 3 gallons of ATF+4. Along with your usual cleaning supplys, get a roll of paper towells. When you try to clean the magnet in the oil pan, you will need the paper towells to wipe off the metallic fuzz from the magnet. You will need a gasket scraper to clean both gasket surfaces. be careful with the RTV, don't overdo it. Feel free to pm me if you need more info.

 

[stringsattached]

It's your lucky day grbr95.
http://theoildrop.server101.com/ubb/ultimatebb.php?ubb=get_topic;f=16;t=002552#000000

(This thread should probably be moved)

 

[burnbomber]

Be sure you use ATF+3 or ATF+4 on the Caravan transmission. Use anything else and I guarantee you a transmission rebuild. Absolutely NO Dexron or "universal" fluid. It will burn up your clutches cause the friction properties are all wrong. The ATF+4 is only found at Chrysler dealers so far, and I believe it's fully synthetic. The ATF+3 is fairly common, found in parts houses and at Walmart. In fact, they have their own branded version. I've used it, works fine. The key to long life for the Chrysler transmission is regular transmission fluid changes, using Chrysler spec ATF+ fluids.

You'll also need RTV for both pans, and don't glop it all over the place. A thin bead works. It squishes out wider.

I always have to pry the pan off--use as little pressure as you can, and don't gouge the surfaces scraping off the old RTV. The bolts don't need much torque when you re-install. Your bolting into an aluminum case, so don't be a gorilla.

 

[stringsattached]

After careful examination, it appears that this thread does not need to be moved after all, because it has been in the right place the whole time. Hmmmm...

Anyway, I have seen two different recommendations so far in this thread for using RTV sealant on the trans pan gasket, but when I did mine, I used none. As a matter of fact, the instructions that came with the filter/gasket kit said to just use a thin layer of grease on the pan to help keep the gasket in place during installation (I previously understood rubber gaskets + grease to be a cardinal sin, but what do I know, so I followed the directions). No leaks folks.

Also, the pan came right off, and neither the gasket nor the bolts stuck. Maybe I have the magic touch?

The Advance Auto Parts tutorial recommends that an "oil-soluble grease" be used (section 7)
http://www.advanceautoparts.com/english/youcan/html/ccr/ccr20010601tf.html#

This Popular Mechanics article recommends using silicone sealant with a cork gasket, but cautions not to use too much, as it will "squish out between the mating surfaces into little silicone worms, which will eventually break off and clog the pump intake" (page 3) http://www.popularmechanics.com/automotive/sub_care_sat/1272521.html?page=1&c=y

[ February 02, 2006, 12:36 AM: Message edited by: stringsattached ]

 

[road_rascal]

I've posted this before in another forum but one trick I use when changing trans filters is to suck out as much fluid as possible through the dipstick/ filler hole using a suction/ evactuator pump. This also depends on the vehicle too, as I can get 6-7 qts out of my Windstar and Taurus. I have a LiquidVac brand but there are a bunch of others on the market (Mityvac makes a nice one). Makes the job not as messy once the pan comes off and having a gallon of fluid slosh all over the garage floor.

 

[m2200b]

Get a 15 gt drain bucket preferrably the open ones which can double for coolant changes and get a inch lb torgue wrench for $20 which also doubles on your valve cover gaskets and bolts someday. You want to cover 7/8 ft pounds eg 50 inch pounds on up. I can give you the 1/4 turn after finger tight version to get in those ranges but I don't do that as there are 19 bolts on the GM auto 4G60e. Use a garbage bag also to cover the drop area.

 

[porcupine73]

Wow lots of good pointers. Here's a few I learned from doing it a few times:

I have read/heard never to use rags to clean the pan because it could leave behind lint. I use solvent of some type and sometimes compressed air to dry it.

1. Make sure floor of garage is clean, not dusty. I dropped the pan once and I had the garage door open and the wind kicked up and it looked like a sand storm under the car with the trans naked to the atmosphere.

2. Have a rubber mallet at the ready. I've always been able to get the pan loose with a few taps.

3. Use the right amount of torque on the bolts when putting the pan back on. The vehicles I've done only called for maybe 7-14 ft-lbs. There might be a mfr suggested tightening sequence? I usually torque the bolts a couple of times until they're all about the same because the gasket compresses a little in the tightening. If you do not a small leak you can always tighten more later. To hold the new gasket in place while installing I usually stick bolts through the pan and through the gasket wherever it is unruly. I've never had a problem with the gasket leaking. I never use RTV because it's such a pain when taking it off the next time.

You might want to look into one of the ways to get out the old fluid from the torque converter else it really isn't a complete change.

I don't know if this still applies to more modern vehicles but I have heard that on cars with high mileage esp. if they've never had the transmission fluid changed it might be better to just leave it alone. I had a '91 Escort with maybe 100k mi on it that after changing the fluid the trans never worked right again.

 

[m2200b]

Autozone's site has some nice online repair manuals for this diy for both your vehicles if you put the vehicles into Autozones list. I used their transmission oil change pages printed out for a 1996 Cutlass Supreme which is like your Lumina.

 

[m2200b]

My best tip on the change is to always measure how much fluid you took out before you add no more than the same. (n same on coolant) I also test the trans level earlier in the week ahead of the change to see where it is on the dip stick (on the lumina you run it 15 minutes then go through the gears and then measure it running). The dip stick is a pint not a gt between low and high.

Do the job with a cold trans as its harder to keep from getting dripped on than an OIC.

 

[black thunder]

Non-Chlorinated Brake Cleaner works excellent for cleaning out transmission pans.

Also if you get a quality Filter kit you shouldn't need to put an Silicone on the gasket, it should be a rubberized gasket that seals on its own.