Thread: trans pan removal

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Am I the only one who detests oil spills? Why the hell didn't the factory put drain plugs in these things? ( chevy 350 turbo trans )

I just drilled a 3/16 hole in the sucker, then welded it back up after pulling the pan.

The only mess was the fluid slinging off the chuck of the drill.

They did that by design............they want you to pull the pan so you go ahead and change not only the oil but the filter too. Some aftermarket pans have plugs, but only to eliminate the mess. You still need to drop the pan each time to change the filter and look for any signs of problems.

Little tip........remove most of the bolts except ones on the four corners, then as you loosen them tip the corner of the pan down and start spilling the old fluid into a pan. Then when you remove the pan it will be less full.

Don

Some years ago when I worked as a mechanic we got some in that
had not ever been changed.
After we changed them with new fluid and filters they would come back after a couple weeks saying we messed up their trany's.
They would never admit that they had started having problems with thier
trany's and decided it was time to maybe change the fluids and filter.
Funny how that never seems to fix it. HE! HE! HE! Kurt

When draining the pan on a 350 start taking the bolts out at the right front corner and work counter clock wise around. When you get to the right rear loosen one bolt before the angle in the pan. Go back to the right corner and continue taking the bolts out working your way back. When you get to the angle loosen those bolts and then you can control the oil coming out from the left front corner. Remove the remaing bolts and you have the pan off.

Or maybe it saved them .50 per vehicle

Amen to that, Uppster!
Hey, maybe if they did away with the engine drain plug, they wouldn't be in the financial difficulties they suffer from today? After all, GM did away with the tranny dipstick and fill hole on some of their FWD shitboxes! They claimed they held enough fluid to last the life of the trans, if it got low you needed a new one anyway. WTF??!?

Suck the fluid out of the dipstick tube. Lots of inexpensive choices here from harbor freight or your local boat shop.

Kitz

There are positives - errr sort of.....

Just think of the skin softening attributes (along with the lead, mercury and some other great compounds plus asbestos from an older tranny)

Then there is that great chance to do a major floor cleaning - and my shop can always use that.

Whenever I change fluid in one of my cars other then daily drivers, I replace the pan with a $25 one that has a plug. This one was ~$75 and does have a plug (hidden in this photo)

shoot a 45 cal hole into it and while its off weld a bung onto it

Originally Posted by jerry clayton

shoot a 45 cal hole into it and while its off weld a bung onto it

The only problem with that is it takes too long to straighten out the surrounding steel and remove the sharp pointies - but it is a viable alternative

Originally Posted by jerry clayton

shoot a 45 cal hole into it and while its off weld a bung onto it

i work on a truck were a guy unloaded has deer rifle in the truck there was the guy that came back from deer hunting and unloaded his gun in to trans to kill that damn thing dead he did

Originally Posted by jerry clayton

shoot a 45 cal hole into it and while its off weld a bung onto it

THAT is a viable alternative!

Frankly though, the drill-a-hole method worked so well, I may do it every time.