Dropping Trans Pan - Toyota Nation Forum : Toyota Car and Truck Forums

LE05 · 06-26-2010, 01:10 PM

asking all gen 5/5.5 owners that have dropped the trans pan... how do you get to the two bolts that are right under the frame?

i don't have any sockets that can fit into such a small space... and if i use a box wrench, I won't be able to torque it back to spec. in fact, one bolt i can't even reach the bolt with a box wrench

i considered jacking up the engine while the car is on stands... but i don't know where a good jack point is for the engine.

MstrToyoTech · 06-26-2010, 07:04 PM

loosen the mount and jack the trans up a bit, but of course not on the pan. a 10mm wobble socket works wonders in tight spaces like that and the torque should be about 5.5 ft lbs. for the pan bolts.

MstrToyoTech · 06-26-2010, 07:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by LE05

i considered jacking up the engine while the car is on stands... but i don't know where a good jack point is for the engine.

anywhere u can find a spot close to the trans it will move up slightly and thats all you need.

olympicgold · 06-26-2010, 08:36 PM

Dude I just did this like a week ago and it was freakin hard. I used simple ratcheting wrench and was able to get all those off. The only thing is that there is 1 bolt that is the hard to put on and I didn't do it since it seems impossible. Do you guys think it's ok to drive around without 1 bolt pan?

I've been checking my car regularly and it doesn't seem to leak

iconman · 06-26-2010, 10:38 PM

I’d done it before. I used a box end wrench. Just be patient because the wrench would twist about ¼ turns before it get block by the frame so I’d to reposition the wrench and repeat the process for those tricky bolts.

LE05 · 06-26-2010, 11:48 PM

i see, thanks all for the advice. guess i'll be dropping the pan next weekend, just drained and refilled for now.

***dz63*** · 01-14-2011, 09:44 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by LE05

i see, thanks all for the advice. guess i'll be dropping the pan next weekend, just drained and refilled for now.

LE05 - were you able to drop the pan? I tried to drop the pan on my 2002 Camry tonight and there are 4 bolts that I can't access with my socket wrench.

I got one of the easier ones out with box end wrench but it was a bear. Took at least 5 minutes for one bolt. The other ones looked even harder. I ran out of time tonight so I put the bolt back in for now. I am concerned that with a new gasket, it will be tough to get the bolts started again.

Sure would like to know if you were successful and what tool(s) you ended up using?

LE05 · 01-14-2011, 10:40 PM

yes, i was able to drop the pan after much cursing and bruised knuckles!

I used a combination of box wrenches, universal joints, and sockets wrenches. I also lifted the engine/trans up a little so i could get better access to those two bolts that i had trouble with.

89molavi · 01-15-2011, 12:50 PM

Yes, I have done this and it is a major PITA. If you have long and thin fingers they will help. Mine are long but thick. Anyways, I used a wood block between the jack and the differential base not to damage anything. Did not mess with the mounts, but might reconsider next time. With a U joint you can get enough room to get two off. The other two need a box wrench and a lot of patience. For each 1/4 of circle twist you have to reposition the wrench. I was on my back on the garage floor for a few hours I think. Getting that one difficult one, threaded back in is also rough, but possible. After I tightened all to the point of needing to torque them I realized my torque wrench is not working (thanks to lifetime warranty, I later got a new one). I tightened them with touch/feel watching the gasket not to get squeezed and so far no leak.

This, for a maintenance item should be a design crime. I know Toyota claims that the ATF is good for 100KM and I guess they expect that you buy a new car after that, BUT my fluid was dark on 36KM. My pan had some junk in it, so happy to have taken care of this.

***dz63*** · 01-15-2011, 03:19 PM

Thanks LE05 and 89molavi. I've got short fingers so it will be tough, but now that I know you have done it, it gives me the confidence to tackle this.

Up here in the great white North, Toyota only recommends a drain & fill every 96Km. The filter is supposed to be good for life. I am a little uncomortable with this. I am used to flushing every 50km and dropping the pan every 100km.

There is 101Km on the tranny now and only one drain & fill was done by Toyota at 74km. Last night, I drained & filled 3.5 liters and flushed an additonal 4 liters via the cooler return line. The old fluid was only a slightly darker shade of red than the new fluid. It appeared to be in very good condition.

I noticed that Toyota has gone to a felt filter on the GEN5 Camry. My GEN 3 Camry and GEN Corolla only had a mesh strainer. Intuitively, I think that a felt filter might get plugged more quickly than a mesh strainer.

Two questions:
1) How much height did you gain by raising the engine/transmission?
2) How many miles did you have when you dropped your pan and what did the filter look like?

Thanks!

LE05 · 01-15-2011, 04:34 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dz63

Two questions:
1) How much height did you gain by raising the engine/transmission?
2) How many miles did you have when you dropped your pan and what did the filter look like?

Thanks!

1) not much, maybe a 1/4 to 1/2 inch if that. gave me a little more room to fit a small socket in there and some universal joints.

2) i had approx 60,000 miles when i dropped my pan. filter actually looked pretty good, i probably could have gotten away without dropping the pan. however, there was some very fine "sludge" at the bottom of the pan. i think (and i hope) that it was just the normal wear stuff from the transmission.

89molavi · 01-15-2011, 05:38 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dz63

Two questions:
1) How much height did you gain by raising the engine/transmission?
2) How many miles did you have when you dropped your pan and what did the filter look like?

As mentioned, I also got only one to 1.5 centimeters of extra space, it isn't much, but that is what makes it possible.

I acquired mine at 35,000 miles and the ATf was pretty dark. So I drained and refilled at 40K and then 50K. At 60K I dropped the pan, some gunk at the bottom, but no metal shavings which is good. I know the filter or the strainer is supposed to stay there for life, but my kit had one in it and I didn't see much sense in not changing it. Make sure you remove the old filter O-ring and then install the new one.

I am not a big fan of flushing, just frequent ATF change and with the drain plug it is pretty easy.

molson.david · 01-15-2011, 06:40 PM

Quote:

Make sure you remove the old filter O-ring and then install the new one.

is it really important?
guy at the toyota part counter said to use old one...

LE05 · 01-15-2011, 07:38 PM

^ if it comes with the kit, why not install it?

o-rings don't last forever, the heat from the transmission fluid will degrade it after a while. might as well replace it since you're in there anyway.

89molavi · 01-15-2011, 08:22 PM

What I wanted to stress was not to forget the old O ring and try to push the new one on top of it. If you like the old one go ahead and re-use it. I didn't think about that, it would probably not change anything as long as you don't have two in there.