how often do you drop ATF pan for filter/maget

[windeye]

I change ATF about every 36K miles on the Mazda3, and about 50K miles on the Camry. Have not dropped the fan on both yet. Assuming preventive maintenance on auto trans that are no obvious issues, is it necessary or how often should the pan be dropped to change the ATF strainer and clean the magnets?

Both above said cars have drain plugs, so it's not necessary to drop pan for fluid change. On the Mazda MPV, there is on drain plug, I have dropped pan once at ~120K. It's at about 200K now.

Reason I don't want to mess with the pan is the special sealant (instead of gasket) that the manufacturers use, and prying it off and cleaning the mating surfaces, etc. But I am will to do it if there's a benefit. What's your experience?

Thanks.

 

[Phishin]

I don't plan to EVER take the pan off my 2010 Accord. I plan to drive it to 400k miles.

I change the ATF every year. Sometimes I do multiple D&F's and twice I've had my dealer do a complete ATF exchange using their machine. That is all.

The filter on my Honda is just a screen. It will NEVER plug, and will only catch huge chunks of [censored]. If that is happening, my tranny is toast anyways.

 

[Trav]

Originally Posted By: windeye
I change ATF about every 36K miles on the Mazda3, and about 50K miles on the Camry. Have not dropped the fan on both yet. Assuming preventive maintenance on auto trans that are no obvious issues, is it necessary or how often should the pan be dropped to change the ATF strainer and clean the magnets?

Both above said cars have drain plugs, so it's not necessary to drop pan for fluid change. On the Mazda MPV, there is on drain plug, I have dropped pan once at ~120K. It's at about 200K now.

Reason I don't want to mess with the pan is the special sealant (instead of gasket) that the manufacturers use, and prying it off and cleaning the mating surfaces, etc. But I am will to do it if there's a benefit. What's your experience?

Thanks.


Personally I drop the pan every 50K and do a full line off exchange. No drain and fills (as useless waste of time and money IMO) and I want any junk out of the pan if there is any and change the filter.
If there is any junk in the pan now you can determine what it is and try to figure out if its normal or why its there, is it clutch material, magnetic or aluminum.

 

[MasterSolenoid]

On my 2002 Ford Ranger, I changed the Filter at 93,000 miles.
I cut the Filter open and saw 1 small piece of metal (burr ?).
I believe the filter efficiency was for 90 microns.
The Magnet was coated with what looked like a paste.

This Summer, at 150,000 miles, I will change the Filter again (last time).
While I have the Pan off, I plan on adding some neodymium magnets inside the Pan.
That and doing a drain/fill every year.

I also added an inline Magnafine filter.

 

[WobblyElvis]

I would do a pan drop/filter change every 100,000 miles. Maybe a partial fluid change, out the dipstick tube a little more often.

 

[pbm]

In my experience the initial pan drop yields the most ferrous junk....I usually do this at 20 to 30K.
After the initial pan drop I usually just do a D&R every 25 to 30K to refresh the additives.

 

[sprite1741]

Every other fluid change. I sample the fluid by color. When it needs it I remove it by hand pump from the dipstick tube and replace. The next time it gets a pan drop and filter change. I added an extra magnet on the GM 4 speed.
Still have the original 3 speed on the turbo car at 320k. I did add a friction enhancer though which started being needed about 10 years ago when it started slipping on take off around 250k. Still runs good today, never rebuilt. No slips, no more.

 

[ZZman]

About 50,000

 

[windeye]

Thanks for your quick response. I am sorry for a few typos in the original post (but can't seem to be able to edit the text). One clarification on my ATF change: what I do is ATF exchange via the cooler line, using about 8-9 quarts each time. Looks like I am due for a pan drop this year...

 

[JC1]

When I had my 98 sienna I did three pan drops and strainer change. The Toyota deal said they never change the strainer, just do drain and refills. I put rare earth magnets inside the pan after the second pan drop. Also ran a magnefine filter for a bit. Transmission shifted like new after 285,xxx km.

You probably don't need to do it that often (every 100k miles), but if you are doing it yourself it's cheaper and cost effective.

 

[maverickfhs]

Originally Posted By: Phishin
I don't plan to EVER take the pan off my 2010 Accord. I plan to drive it to 400k miles.

I change the ATF every year. Sometimes I do multiple D&F's and twice I've had my dealer do a complete ATF exchange using their machine. That is all.

The filter on my Honda is just a screen. It will NEVER plug, and will only catch huge chunks of [censored]. If that is happening, my tranny is toast anyways.


This, just D&F - no plans to touch anything else. Fingers crossed

 

[4WD]

3 years … and it will be clean then …
added a B&M drain plug, Fram XG16 remote filter, (MagnaFilter on that), and TruCool LPD cooler …

 

[JTK]

You'll likely get the best potential for long transmission life by doing one or two pan drops and magnet cleanings in the unit's lifetime, but to me it's more important to refresh the fluid at regular intervals like you're doing. You are removing the particulate in circulation and refreshing the additives. I would concentrate on that first and dropping the pan last. Again, just my option.

OTOH, I'm interested in the Honda comments above. What Honda AT has a pan?

 

[Yah-Tah-Hey]

Four quarts of Mobil 3309 through Aisin five speed AT every spring. Never have had the pan off. Fluid looks as good as the first day I owned Camry.

 

[ARB1977]

Never...unless it’s leaking.

 

[Leo99]

Never. Especially in the Camry.

 

[Kestas]

The first pan drop is most important, and should be done around 20-25K. You can clean the pan every 60K after that and be okay.

 

[Donald]

Install a Magnefine inline filter and forget about pan drops, filter changes or wiping the magnet.

 

[windeye]

Originally Posted By: Donald
Install a Magnefine inline filter and forget about pan drops, filter changes or wiping the magnet.

I'll do that on my next new car from the get-go... I worry less about replacing the strainer, which is designed to catch relatively large particles (unless the trans has problems, it would not be saturated). What I don't know is whether or not the magnets in the pan would be saturated over time. These are the particles that would pass the strainer. If the mag does get saturated, the fine particles would float in ATF, and changing ATF out will become necessary. And of course, an external mag filter certainly will remove more fine particles from flow and easy to change out.

 

[Donald]

Originally Posted By: windeye
Originally Posted By: Donald
Install a Magnefine inline filter and forget about pan drops, filter changes or wiping the magnet.

I'll do that on my next new car from the get-go... I worry less about replacing the strainer, which is designed to catch relatively large particles (unless the trans has problems, it would not be saturated). What I don't know is whether or not the magnets in the pan would be saturated over time. These are the particles that would pass the strainer. If the mag does get saturated, the fine particles would float in ATF, and changing ATF out will become necessary. And of course, an external mag filter certainly will remove more fine particles from flow and easy to change out.


The magnet in the Magnefine gets covered in a metallic paste. Reminds me of NeverSeize. Hard to wipe off your finger.