should i drop the pan when doing a transmission fluid exchange? thoughts?

[Woodyg]

for the vibe in my sig I am going to pump out the old tranny fluid and replace with 7 quarts of type IV. I know it would be better to drop the pan and clean everything up, however what if I just drained the pan and then pumped out the remaing 4 quarts........should that be good enought... TIA......I probably could do this simpler procedure in less than and hour and for less than $50

[fishexpo101]

Depends on the last time the transaxle was serviced, if the pan was dropped before. If it hasn't been cracked open over the 140K miles that are on it - I'd highly recommend dropping the pan, cleaning the magnets, and replacing the filter/screen.

If it was opened up within the last 30K miles or so, a drain and refill should be sufficient.

Myself, I like to drop the pan to look at the deposits. Might be none in there, might be a lot. Even with a flush through the cooler lines, it may not stir up enough of the bottom of pan to see exactly what is in there. Only take another 30 minutes or so to do it, and the gaskets/filters are pretty cheap. I usually do a drain and refill every 30K miles, pan drop every other one.

[mikered30]

I dont see any reason not to do it if your mechanically inclined. The screen should be cleaned.

[saskrider]

Drain and refill is a waist of time,you contaminate the fluid, even if you do it often, filter are cheap, I had never done it,I did it on a Corolla 2004 at 96000KM(60000 Miles) and if you follow the DIY it's easy, I suggest to get a torque wrench....

[invader]

Originally Posted by Woodyg

for the vibe in my sig I am going to pump out the old tranny fluid and replace with 7 quarts of type IV. I know it would be better to drop the pan and clean everything up, however what if I just drained the pan and then pumped out the remaing 4 quarts........should that be good enought... TIA......I probably could do this simpler procedure in less than and hour and for less than $50

Removing the pan allows you to inspect and clean it, filter and magnets, and check valve body bolts' torque. You only get about 3.6 quarts out of the automatic transaxle's 8 quarts total capacity when draining and removing the pan and filter, compared to about 3.5 without removing the pan... You can't pump or siphon any more out either way. It is possible however to have it pump the rest out at the cooler's return line, by idling engine just long enough to pump out about a quart, refill and repeat until it comes out clean. It's still better to clean the pan out first.

[Woodyg]

well it looks like I will drop the pan........I just dropped the pan and pumped out the fluid on my Ford Focus(this was the first time I had done this procedure) it was not to bad took about 2.5 hours. I am a little confused about if I need a filter/screen or not. does the screen look like a regular tranny filter? Autozone has a duralast gasket and filter for $19...........what is this about tightening the valve body bolts?...........my torque wrench only goes down to 120 inch's.

[fishexpo101]

Checking the torque is more for convenience sake, since you already got the transaxle pan off, might as check the bolts. Myself, I've never checked the torque on the valvebody, unless I needed to take the valvebody off for some reason or another.

For the filter/screen - they are pretty inexpensive, I'd just replace it. You can clean and reuse them, but that cork/rubber gasket on the valvebody side will usually be pretty hard by then, just easier to just toss on a new one.

[Woodyg]

I ended up dropping the pan and installing a new filter. I don't think I had a o-ring on the old filter. It might have fallen in the bucket. I took a quick look and did not see it. The new kit came with a filter o-ring and pan gasket. There was some metal on the magnets but nothing crazy. I changed my oil at the same time. The whole thing including cleanup and 2 beers took 2 hours and 20 minutes. I have talked to a few mechanics about this recenntly and most of them just pump out the fluid and don't drop the pan. If I did not drop the pan I would have done the oil change and tranny fluid swap in less than an hour. So for you on the fence just pump out the 7 quarts. I pumped/ drained out 8 quarts. Your car and wallet would appreciate it

[Woodyg]

Originally Posted by invader

Why pump it when you can drain it? You will get more out more easily by draining it, and it's easier.

I don't have time to explain it again, maybe someone will come along and help out. FYI my tranny is liking the new fluid !

[invader]

I lost the net for a moment.... You can't pump it out yourself. Only a so equipped garage can. So if you do it yourself, you can only drain it and also remove the pan. You can't remove more than about 3.5 quarts. Like I mentioned in post #5, it is possible to have it pump itself out by the transmission cooler return line.

Why do you say you 'pumped' and drained 8 quarts out, when you can only drain about 3.6 quarts out when removing the pan?

How much new fluid did you put back in? Did you check your level properly with the engine idling, then again after a short drive?

[Woodyg]

Originally Posted by invader

I lost the net for a moment.... You can't pump it out yourself. Only a so equipped garage can. So if you do it yourself, you can only drain it and also remove the pan. You can't remove more than about 3.5 quarts. Like I mentioned in post #5, it is possible to have it pump itself out by the transmission cooler return line.

Why do you say you 'pumped' and drained 8 quarts out, when you can only drain about 3.6 quarts out when removing the pan?

How much new fluid did you put back in? Did you check your level properly with the engine idling, then again after a short drive?

this is what i did

- put the car on ramps
-drained the tranny fluid
-dropped the tranny pan and installed a new filter/screen
-reinstalled the tranny pan with the new gasket(autoparts international kit)
- put 3 quarts of type 4 into the tranny through the tranny dipstick
- pulled the tranny return line and put a 5/16" hos on the nippple of the return line
- I had my kid start the car and move through the gears and I "PUMPED OUT" AROUND 1 QUART OF FLUID AT A TIME. I had my kid turn the car off when I got to about 1 quart. When I had about 5 quarts pumped out and it was coming out bubbly I stopped and hooked the return line back on
- I then drank 2 beers and cleaned up while adding a little fluid at a time to make it PERFECT...........SHE IS RUNNING GOOD...oh and along the way I chaned the engine oil and filter....the whole thing took me 2 hours and 20 minutes..........

[invader]

Ahh cool. So you did use the method I mentioned to have the transmission's torque converter pump out the rest of the fluid with engine power... Right on, Woodyg.