Most transmissions are "lifetime fill" now, so why would they add a drain plug when you never have to drain the fluid out? I don't agree with lifetime fills and think the fluid should always be changed periodically, but still, it wouldn't make any sense to add a drain plug when you aren't "supposed to" use it in the first place.
Why not put a drain plug on an auto trans?
- Thread starter Pajamarama
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Originally Posted By: exranger06
Most transmissions are "lifetime fill" now, so why would they add a drain plug when you never have to drain the fluid out? I don't agree with lifetime fills and think the fluid should always be changed periodically, but still, it wouldn't make any sense to add a drain plug when you aren't "supposed to" use it in the first place.
For service. Drain the fluid out with plug, pull and service transmission, put back old fluid.
Most transmissions are "lifetime fill" now, so why would they add a drain plug when you never have to drain the fluid out? I don't agree with lifetime fills and think the fluid should always be changed periodically, but still, it wouldn't make any sense to add a drain plug when you aren't "supposed to" use it in the first place.
For service. Drain the fluid out with plug, pull and service transmission, put back old fluid.
Originally Posted By: Pajamarama
Originally Posted By: motor_oil_madman
Dumb people mistake the transmission drain plug when changing the oil and end up with a transmission with no oil and an engine with twice as much oil.
That's a funny scenario to imagine but does it actually happen?
If you cruise the Subaru forums you see several threads started each year by a first time Subaru owner who intends to do a engine oil change who drained the automatic transmission and proceeded to add another 4-5qts to the engine oil by mistake. Even a few where a shop did the goof.
Occasionally we see the trifecta.
- where one drains the automatic transmission oil, thinking it is engine oil
- adds 5qts engine oil to the engine
- discovers the transmission wont engage a gear when done
- realizes the used oil they just drained is ATF not oil
- pulls the dipstick on the transmission on the passenger side(note passenger side) to add 4qts of transmission fluid to the tranny only to get about 1.5QTs in.
They then come to the forum to post about their mistake of draining the ATF and adding another 5QTs of oil to the engine which now has 10 QTs, and that even though they drained 4QTs of ATF out, they can only add about 1.5QTS back in.
You then have to explain that the transmission dipstick/fill tube is on the drivers side and they are currently trying to add 4QTs of ATF to their front differential via the fill tube on the passenger side.
1. Drained the transmission
2. Added another 5Qts to the oil
3. Completely filled the front diff with ATF, on top of the 75w90 that was already in there.
A couple years ago, SubaruForester.org had a rash of 3-5 threads started on the same weekend, of private owners doing this and IIRC one who had the car in a shop(not quick lube). Some of the regular posters were in awe and couldn't believe what we were seeing.
One of those threads
http://www.subaruforester.org/vbulletin/f89/funny-story-4eat-help-plz-79355/
Yes it does happen.
Originally Posted By: motor_oil_madman
Dumb people mistake the transmission drain plug when changing the oil and end up with a transmission with no oil and an engine with twice as much oil.
That's a funny scenario to imagine but does it actually happen?
If you cruise the Subaru forums you see several threads started each year by a first time Subaru owner who intends to do a engine oil change who drained the automatic transmission and proceeded to add another 4-5qts to the engine oil by mistake. Even a few where a shop did the goof.
Occasionally we see the trifecta.
- where one drains the automatic transmission oil, thinking it is engine oil
- adds 5qts engine oil to the engine
- discovers the transmission wont engage a gear when done
- realizes the used oil they just drained is ATF not oil
- pulls the dipstick on the transmission on the passenger side(note passenger side) to add 4qts of transmission fluid to the tranny only to get about 1.5QTs in.
They then come to the forum to post about their mistake of draining the ATF and adding another 5QTs of oil to the engine which now has 10 QTs, and that even though they drained 4QTs of ATF out, they can only add about 1.5QTS back in.
You then have to explain that the transmission dipstick/fill tube is on the drivers side and they are currently trying to add 4QTs of ATF to their front differential via the fill tube on the passenger side.
1. Drained the transmission
2. Added another 5Qts to the oil
3. Completely filled the front diff with ATF, on top of the 75w90 that was already in there.
A couple years ago, SubaruForester.org had a rash of 3-5 threads started on the same weekend, of private owners doing this and IIRC one who had the car in a shop(not quick lube). Some of the regular posters were in awe and couldn't believe what we were seeing.
One of those threads
http://www.subaruforester.org/vbulletin/f89/funny-story-4eat-help-plz-79355/
Yes it does happen.
lol, my wife would never let me touch her car again if I pulled off that trifecta.
dnewton3
Staff member
Easy fix; I have done it myself on my older Taurus.
B&M # 80250; find it at Summit, Jegs, Ammazon, etc. Less than $10.
You will have to endure one last messy change, to remove the pan. But then you can install the new plug by drilling a hole, installing the hollow bolt, then the plug. Easy to do; easy instructions to follow. Works fantastic. In all the time I had it, it never leaked one drop. Comes with a high-quality seal; not some cheap rubber that will eventually age and crack.
I actually put mine on the side of the pan, rather than the bottom, but still down low, and towards the back (so that it still tended to drain nearly all the fluid out when the front end was raised).
B&M # 80250; find it at Summit, Jegs, Ammazon, etc. Less than $10.
You will have to endure one last messy change, to remove the pan. But then you can install the new plug by drilling a hole, installing the hollow bolt, then the plug. Easy to do; easy instructions to follow. Works fantastic. In all the time I had it, it never leaked one drop. Comes with a high-quality seal; not some cheap rubber that will eventually age and crack.
I actually put mine on the side of the pan, rather than the bottom, but still down low, and towards the back (so that it still tended to drain nearly all the fluid out when the front end was raised).
Last edited:
Agree, saw those crazy posts myself when I had Subaru and was active on those forums. I have to admit, it takes some looking to find the tranny dipstick in the jungle of cables/tubing, as it's way back (longitudinal engine).
Originally Posted By: dnewton3
Easy fix; I have done it myself on my older Taurus.
B&M # 80250; find it at Summit, Jegs, Ammazon, etc. Less than $10.
You will have to endure one last messy change, to remove the pan. But then you can install the new plug by drilling a hole, installing the hollow bolt, then the plug. Easy to do; easy instructions to follow. Works fantastic. In all the time I had it, it never leaked one drop. Comes with a high-quality seal; not some cheap rubber that will eventually age and crack.
I actually put mine on the side of the pan, rather than the bottom, but still down low, and towards the back (so that it still tended to drain nearly all the fluid out when the front end was raised).
Did that to my '92 Aerostar. Was able to make more frequent pan drain outs and on the longer interval took it in for the filter change. I had the shop install the plug. They said they had to make sure it would not be in the way of anything inside when the pan was reinstalled--just keep in mind that you could potentially interfere with something and/or not have the pan fit back on if you put the plug in the wrong spot.
My 2005 Mountaineer has a drain but no fill tube. You fill through the drain plug which has a smaller plug in it connected to a stand pipe. Fluid has to be pumped in through the bottom until it drains back out by overflowing the stand pipe. Real bass ackward setup. Of course it should help keep numbskulls from overfilling the tranny.
Easy fix; I have done it myself on my older Taurus.
B&M # 80250; find it at Summit, Jegs, Ammazon, etc. Less than $10.
You will have to endure one last messy change, to remove the pan. But then you can install the new plug by drilling a hole, installing the hollow bolt, then the plug. Easy to do; easy instructions to follow. Works fantastic. In all the time I had it, it never leaked one drop. Comes with a high-quality seal; not some cheap rubber that will eventually age and crack.
I actually put mine on the side of the pan, rather than the bottom, but still down low, and towards the back (so that it still tended to drain nearly all the fluid out when the front end was raised).
Did that to my '92 Aerostar. Was able to make more frequent pan drain outs and on the longer interval took it in for the filter change. I had the shop install the plug. They said they had to make sure it would not be in the way of anything inside when the pan was reinstalled--just keep in mind that you could potentially interfere with something and/or not have the pan fit back on if you put the plug in the wrong spot.
My 2005 Mountaineer has a drain but no fill tube. You fill through the drain plug which has a smaller plug in it connected to a stand pipe. Fluid has to be pumped in through the bottom until it drains back out by overflowing the stand pipe. Real bass ackward setup. Of course it should help keep numbskulls from overfilling the tranny.
? to anyone who knows. Would it be possible to remove one of the transmission lines at the connection to the radiator cooler, and then run the engine to get the trany fluid pump to pump the trany fluid out of the open line, 1) until it stopped pumping, or 2) until a predetermined amount of trany fluid is accumulated in some ketch bucket? If you ran it until it stopped as in 1), would running the trany fluid pump dry for a short time cause damage to that pump or any other part of the trany?
I realize that if the wrong line is removed the fluid would first go through the radiator heat-exchanger for the trany fluid. So unless you now for certain which line if the feed to the radiator heat-exchaner, it probably would be a good idea to have a pre-made add on that you could put into the open threaded hole in the radiator heat-exchanger and channel via copper tubing or an added on piece of hose, this line into the ketch bucket so that regardless of which opening ends up pumping out the trany fluid, you have it running to the ketch bucket.
While it is obvious that opening the trany cooling line will provide a means to drain the trany fluid if the trany is ran so as to make it pump the fluie, the question remains about if running the trany pump dry for a short time will damage anything, including the pump?
I realize that if the wrong line is removed the fluid would first go through the radiator heat-exchanger for the trany fluid. So unless you now for certain which line if the feed to the radiator heat-exchaner, it probably would be a good idea to have a pre-made add on that you could put into the open threaded hole in the radiator heat-exchanger and channel via copper tubing or an added on piece of hose, this line into the ketch bucket so that regardless of which opening ends up pumping out the trany fluid, you have it running to the ketch bucket.
While it is obvious that opening the trany cooling line will provide a means to drain the trany fluid if the trany is ran so as to make it pump the fluie, the question remains about if running the trany pump dry for a short time will damage anything, including the pump?
Hermann
Site Donor 2023
Originally Posted By: LT4 Vette
I love the Honda drain plug/magnet. Makes 30K ATF drain / refills a snap.
Easier than changing the oil when I had my Accord.
I love the Honda drain plug/magnet. Makes 30K ATF drain / refills a snap.
Easier than changing the oil when I had my Accord.
I'm sure its mostly a money saving measure for the mfrs. I've seen drain plugs on some Jeeps (ok, just the AW4 trans) toyotas, and saturns. I added a drain plug to my Ram.
Originally Posted By: Pajamarama
Originally Posted By: motor_oil_madman
Dumb people mistake the transmission drain plug when changing the oil and end up with a transmission with no oil and an engine with twice as much oil.
That's a funny scenario to imagine but does it actually happen?
I saw a customer do it on a Ford Excursion. He took out the tranny plug thinking he was changing engine oil. He added about 3 quarts of oil to the engine and couldn't figure out why the engine dip stick was reading high. He then drove it about 10 miles to the shop to get everything figured out. Yea, the transmission was very low on fluid and the engine was high. Unbelieveably, nothing was hurt.
Originally Posted By: motor_oil_madman
Dumb people mistake the transmission drain plug when changing the oil and end up with a transmission with no oil and an engine with twice as much oil.
That's a funny scenario to imagine but does it actually happen?
I saw a customer do it on a Ford Excursion. He took out the tranny plug thinking he was changing engine oil. He added about 3 quarts of oil to the engine and couldn't figure out why the engine dip stick was reading high. He then drove it about 10 miles to the shop to get everything figured out. Yea, the transmission was very low on fluid and the engine was high. Unbelieveably, nothing was hurt.
I've had them installed on my Windstar and Mustang over the past couple of months; friend of mine can do it about 30 minutes. So much less mess to get at the filters. An immediate bonus was in draining just enough when we overfilled some, plus I don't like sucking dirty fluids up through input tubes.
Kevin
Kevin
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- Dec 30, 2006
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- 29,558
My 3000GT that had an auto tranny had a drain plug.
"That's a funny scenario to imagine but does it actually happen?"
I've seen it happen twice at the sears I work for.
Only with new kids.
The two cars it happened on was a honda, where the engine and trans were side by side, and both had hex bolt plugs, both were black pans... I could sympathize.
The second was a late model subaru, where the engine is far forward. The oil drain plug was hidden by a belly pan, the trans plug was right there, forward enough to maybe look to be in the right place, and a hex bolt. To the unobservant and inexperienced, it seemed to be the bolt to remove.
He'd only been a tech for a month? Two?
We spent a while, however, finding the fill plug on that one
I've seen it happen twice at the sears I work for.
Only with new kids.
The two cars it happened on was a honda, where the engine and trans were side by side, and both had hex bolt plugs, both were black pans... I could sympathize.
The second was a late model subaru, where the engine is far forward. The oil drain plug was hidden by a belly pan, the trans plug was right there, forward enough to maybe look to be in the right place, and a hex bolt. To the unobservant and inexperienced, it seemed to be the bolt to remove.
He'd only been a tech for a month? Two?
We spent a while, however, finding the fill plug on that one
Why not a drain and a real filter?
I put an in-line spin on filter on my Suburban. Its works great. I take the filter off, run the engine until the ATF stops pumping, then I put a new filter on. Refill with same amount that was pumped out. Done.
The Corolla has an ATF drain plug. Easier than changing oil.
I do both cars each spring. Probably takes 20 mins for everything.
The Corolla has an ATF drain plug. Easier than changing oil.
I do both cars each spring. Probably takes 20 mins for everything.
Originally Posted By: Pajamarama
Originally Posted By: motor_oil_madman
Dumb people mistake the transmission drain plug when changing the oil and end up with a transmission with no oil and an engine with twice as much oil.
That's a funny scenario to imagine but does it actually happen?
Certainly happened to one of my friends. Her boyfriend tried to show off by offering to change oil on her Passat, and ended up doing exactly what motor_oil_madman described.
Originally Posted By: motor_oil_madman
Dumb people mistake the transmission drain plug when changing the oil and end up with a transmission with no oil and an engine with twice as much oil.
That's a funny scenario to imagine but does it actually happen?
Certainly happened to one of my friends. Her boyfriend tried to show off by offering to change oil on her Passat, and ended up doing exactly what motor_oil_madman described.
Originally Posted By: Hermann
Originally Posted By: LT4 Vette
I love the Honda drain plug/magnet. Makes 30K ATF drain / refills a snap.
Easier than changing the oil when I had my Accord.
Same here. I don't even have to lift the car up to drain the transmission on my Accord! There is also an external filter that I will be replacing with a Magnefine on the next change.
Originally Posted By: LT4 Vette
I love the Honda drain plug/magnet. Makes 30K ATF drain / refills a snap.
Easier than changing the oil when I had my Accord.
Same here. I don't even have to lift the car up to drain the transmission on my Accord! There is also an external filter that I will be replacing with a Magnefine on the next change.
Some of our trucks come with them, some don't. I've never found out why or why not.
Just note that a slushbox makes most of its debris when new so after some miles you can just change fluids and let up a bit on the filters.
I wish they all were external like my Dmax!
Just note that a slushbox makes most of its debris when new so after some miles you can just change fluids and let up a bit on the filters.
I wish they all were external like my Dmax!
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