Thread: Doing a pan drop tomorrow any tips?

This tranny has not been touched in four years and 70k miles. Works great. I am going to change the filter and go from there. I have 8 qts of dex 6 on stand by in case i decide to use all of it. I may just use 4 or 5 qts and top off with the old stuff. I may use them all.

Any thought or suggestions? Fluid level is good and does not smell burnt.

Actually i get great gas mileage out of the car.

Just be careful in tightening down the pan bolts. Dont over torque them. Be sure to clean everything out really well and the magnet, but Im sure you know that. Also follow up for the next couple of days on your fluid level after you have been driving it around. Sometimes it can drop a little and you'll have to add a bit. It doesnt take much to move the fluid level on the dipstick either. So do small amounts, cycle through the gears, holding each one for a few seconds, then put it in park and check again and repeat until the level is where it is supposed to be. Auto trannys are a tad sensitive to fluid level so you want to take your time and make sure you get it where it is supposed to be and check that it stays there for the next couple of days.

Thanks. I just got it all back together with 5 qts. Everything looked great on teardown. No metal shavings just normal stuff on the magnet. No unexpected surprizes. I think i am going to add one more and check the level again cold and again hot.

Even the fluid that came out did not smell or stink bad just darker than new. So i am going to top it off with the dex 6 instead of mixing some old stuff in there.

Looks like i got about 6qts out of it.

Good job, glad to hear it all went smoothly and that things are working perfectly.

On a pan drop fluid change it takes about 7.4 quarts to refill it. (I usually just put in 7.5 and check it later)

Pan bolts, PLEASE use a torque wrench, I torque my pan bolts to 8 lbs. ft.

To get a good seal, wipe both pan and tranny mating surfaces with some sort of degreaser that doesn't leave behind a film. I like to use lacquer thinner myself.

But sounds like you got everything done and squared away. So good job for you!

~F~

The pan bolts are listed for 90-100 in lbs. We had a member snap one of his off while using a torque wrench on them, so I go for the minimum 90 in lbs. Never had a leak or other issue.

Use a vacuum fluid extractor and remove 5-6 quarts of fluid from the dipstick tube first. Make for less of a mess when you drop the pan.

My service manual reads

"Install all 20 bolts and tighten to 97 inch lbs. (11 Nm)."

I do not have a inch torque wrench so I convert that number to foot lbs.

97 / 12 = 8.08 which means 8 ft. lbs.

~F~

Originally Posted by GR8racingfool

My service manual reads

"Install all 20 bolts and tighten to 97 inch lbs. (11 Nm)."

I do not have a inch torque wrench so I convert that number to foot lbs.

97 / 12 = 8.08 which means 8 ft. lbs.

~F~

It would serve you well to pick up a in lbs torque wrench. Most torque wrenches are inaccurate below ~30% of their adjustable range. This is such an issue it's a big safety violation for us (Air Force air craft maintainers) to use a ft lbs torque wrench for only 8 ft lbs.

Just FYI.

Not my picture but



I'm very sure its accurate. I own one like this. But I have heard that yes to use inch for inch, and foot for foot.

~F~

Originally Posted by GR8racingfool

I'm very sure its accurate. I own one like this. But I have heard that yes to use inch for inch, and foot for foot.

~F~

It's not a question of who makes it. It's the design of breakaway torque wrenches. They can't be entirely accurate under ~30% and usually over tighten. The only torque wrenches that retain accuracy across their entire range is the "beam" style, but they suffer from being inconsistent in general.

I own a beam type only for torquing things like lug nuts since breakaways that go to 100+ ft lbs are expensive. I have two breakaways; one ft lbs and one in lbs that have always met what I needed otherwise without going below the ~30% mark.

Back to the point, the brand doesn't matter. We use Snap-on torque wrenches at work and if you take it down to PMEL (Precision Measurement Equipment Laboratories) they'll show you the inaccuracies at certain levels. If you think a Snap-on torque wrench is cheap, go pick one up and see how much it costs.

im sure the force when they click is lower than the set torque. I used an in-lb torque wrench to torque the pan polts.

Originally Posted by Sabrewings

If you think a Snap-on torque wrench is cheap, go pick one up and see how much it costs.

Ya, already own one skippy.

I bought me a semi-cheap off brand 1/2" drive torque wrench for lug nuts and other various high torque nuts and bolts. It does the job. Through my brothers work, I get mine calibrated yearly for free.

I have removed and installed enough wheels to know what 100 lbs. ft. feels like on my hand just using a break over bar. I check my work with a torque wrench and always pretty dead on.

~F~