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Danielle's 99 GT :)

dont. got to learn somehow, if you dont ask you'll never know.

what you want to do is loosen (crack them lose) up all the bolts on that weird shaped pan lol then take out one corners worth of bolts, and keep loosening up the bolts till it starts to leak out that corner then let it slowly drain in to a pan, when it stops draining remove the rest of the bolts while holding it up, then take it down and dump it into a pan. the pan will still have fluid in it, not much but be carfull not to spill it.
 


I'm learning thru your thread too danielle lol i gotta do a pan drop this summer...

one thing i do know is.. DONT LOSE THE MAGNET! lol
 
There's a loose magnet in there? Dear lord, I have a lot to learn.
I doubt I'll be the one under there doing it, but at least I know what the hell I'm talking about now.

Scotty, in your picture to the bottom of the motor mount cup thingy, that square bar that runs down both sides of engine bay and around the front, what is that?
The cradle or something?
That had some oil residue on it too, but its close to that mount so idk.
Also, I don't have any noise like Jordon described in What did you do to your car. Shifts smooth, no clunks. Just groans when turning.
 
yup thats the cradle, if you look at the 4 corners you see a large bolt in a round thingy. using your terminology lol
The thingy majigger's inside the flodgets? lol

Ok, I'm done worrying about leaks for the day/week.
I got spoiler and polishing trunk lid on my mind.

Leaky leaks can wait until this weekend for a re-wash.
 


Well, the spoiler wasn't quiet done baking when I got off work. So I decided to just wait until tomorrow after work to pick it up so that it has plenty of time to dry.I did however remove the spoiler and clay/polish/glaze/seal/wax the trunk lid so that it's all ready for tomorrow.White is a b!tch to photograph the swirls in. In the sun, you can see them but put a halogen light on the car and they disappear :th_scratchhead:Right after pulling spoiler off
IMAG1163.jpg
After removal of sticky residue and clay bar
IMAG1167.jpg
Uhoh...
IMAG1168.jpg
Prior to polishing...there are swirls there, I swear
IMAG1171.jpg
After everything
IMAG1176.jpg
The only shot I got of the swirls after polishing
IMAG1175.jpg
I guess I really shouldn't complain. It doesn't look to shabby for 13 yr old paint.I'm kinda worried about how well the spoiler is going to match.When I painted my front plate the matching color according to dupli-color code it doesn't match.Says its "bright white" but its kinda got a yellow tint to it.I touched up a few chips today with the dupli-color touch up brush and same thing, its kinda yellow.So I'm hoping that the spoiler will be the true "bright white" and that the dupli-colors are just wrong.I really thought about leaving the spoiler off instead of messing with putting it back on just to take it back off.But besides it looking hideous with nothing back there, they are calling for rain tonight and tomorrow and I didn't wanna trust tape to keep water out.
 
The duplicolor bright white is quite a bit more vanilla than bright white. If you ever want a good matched pen or rattle can you would need to find an auto paint supply shop and have it mixed for you there. 3 or 4 times the price of duplicolor but it usually is a exact match
 
The duplicolor bright white is quite a bit more vanilla than bright white. If you ever want a good matched pen or rattle can you would need to find an auto paint supply shop and have it mixed for you there. 3 or 4 times the price of duplicolor but it usually is a exact match

Ok, thats good to know. Thanks!
I didn't think anything of it when I did the filler plate, just figured I got a bad can. But when I opened up the pen today and it was the same way, I got nervous.
I was tempted to just get a can of regular white spray and see how well it matched up, but its not that big of a deal.
 
Um, sounds dumb but, I used some rattle can Rustoleum high gloss white to touch up around the bottom of the fog lights. (previous owner couldnt park)
Matched very well, you would never know any different.
 
Um, sounds dumb but, I used some rattle can Rustoleum high gloss white to touch up around the bottom of the fog lights. (previous owner couldnt park)
Matched very well, you would never know any different.

I was highly considering that method. I will have to wet sand the areas now to get the dupli color off. Maybe a summer project.
Good to know rustoleum matched.
 


FORGET ABOUT THE LEAKS? Did you think I wasn't going to see that? I say ignore them, however you are at the perfect number of days to take another look and pinpoint the leaks. Otherwise..you are likely to have to clean and wait again. Since you didn't post the pics of you under the car in that bikini, it's fine if you have to do it again. lol

On the trans service. There's 20 10mm bolts. I get a large Steralite plastic pan from Walmart in the organization/storage section. About 20 inches by 36 inches. I start taking out the bolts at the passenger end of the pan and work my way back on both front and back of the pan. You'll get more dripping etc as you go, when the draining is happening very well...let it sit for a minute and then take the rest of the bolts. Lower the pan and tip into your super huge catch pan. Set on large towel or cardboard. Now pop out the filter and go clean the pan/magnet. The magnet is not loose technically ...it's holding onto the pan.

Brake cleaner is great for the pan cleaning (both sides). Then put your bolts into a rag and spray them off. Now crawl under, toss in the new filter and wipe the gasket surface.

Important note: if your gasket that came off is ribbed and has metal inside it, that is considered a factory lifetime gasket. Clean, inpsect and reuse if possible. It will seal better than that 5 cent rubber pos they give you in the filter kit.

Put it all back together, torque bolts to 120 inch lbs or 10 ft lbs.
 
^^^ This.

Just to add, typically for our cars a pan drop is between 7-8 quarts of fluid.

That is out of 13 +/- quarts that the transmission holds. Like said before, when flushing, a tech would hook a machine to one of the trans cooler hoses and it would pump new fluid into the trans and out the other hose. This is good on lower mileage or REGULARLY serviced transmissions, but if your car hasn't been serviced meticulously, then just do a pan drop. We say this because flushing tends to (on older transmissions) pull off the carbon deposits that stick to the plates that allow your transmission to function properly, and with those gone, it won't shift. Seen cases personally where after a full flush the car wouldn't even shift into reverse to back off the lift.

So, just drop the pan, replace filter, and add in 7 quarts, start and check it again. Add a little more if needed and you should be all set.

BTW factory gasket bill was talking about looks like this.
tranny10.jpg

^^ Notice the metal rings around the bolt holes. If yours looks like this, make sure it is in good condition and re-use if possible. It is 100x's better than the cheapo one they give you, in fact, just compare them yourself and you will know which you would rather use lol.

Also... source for picture is http://www.grandprix.net/upgrades/tranfluid.html It has a full breakdown of what to do with pictures so you get a good idea of what to expect. Also shows the magnet on the pan :P Its not loose at all, at least it better not be
 
Uhoh, am I in trouble? *runs off and hides in corner*

I will put it back on ramps tonight and recheck and take more pictures and report back. (After I install spoiler of course ;))

You all make the trans service sound super easy that I can do it solo?
Would it be ok to do that while on ramps? I may try to tackle that some weekend soon if it is.
What if my dad doesn't have a torque bar, will a regular ratchet super tight work? I'd have to ask him tonight to see. If not, I think I have access to one at work
 


It's very easy. Would you like me to have my friend Rachael chime in to tell you it's a cake job? 10 ft lbs is not very tight. This is a seal pressure, not crush. :th_winking:

Only thing you'll notice is your arms get tired from the 20 bolts. Overall though..it's straightforward and with my number in your speed dial...you won't have any issues or questions.
 
I'll check with my dad tonight on the torque. I may attempt it next weekend when I have more free time.
How many quarts to refill? 5-6?
Goes in the dipstick tube correct?

I'm glad I joined here. You guys are awesome :)
 
Buy 2 gallons. Gallons are cheaper than 4 quarts. Get a funnel that'll fit in the dipstick tube. I personally add about 6, then top off after starting until I use nearly 7-7.5 every time. The proking filter kit number is PK-190 (yes..top of my head) at advance.
 
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