Re: IML: Doing a trans tune up by myself

["Frederick Joslin" <fljoslin@xxxxxxxx>]

Matt:

To save money, you should certainly change the trans fluid yourself. It will probably take about 1 hour from start to finish.

I agree with two ramps and two jack stands. You want to get the vehicle as high as you can safely.

 

Start by just loosening all of the pan bolts. Then you you start removing them in such a way that the pan angles down on one edge to let the fluid to start draining out. Then basically you remove the remaining bolts and have a pan full of fluid in your hands which you do not want to spill.

 

Take the pan and clean it. I use brake cleaner and paper towels. If there is a magnet, pull it out an clean it. I just got some small round magnets from Radio Shack for about 3 for $3 which will work great in the trans pan. Remove any gasket from the pan rail and from the transmission. I have found a wire brush in an electric drill works great for the pan. Be careful with the trans. Do not scratch it. Clean it with brake fluid on a paper towel.

 

Remove the filter from the trans. More fluid will drain. Replace with new filter.

 

I use a silicone sealer on the trans pan and then put the gasket on. I do not use a sealer on the transmission.

 

Replace the pan and start tightening the bolts. A cordless drill with a socket works great to get the pan bolts close without over torquing. Then I go round tightening each bolt about a quarter turn, probably ten to twenty times. I use a 1/4" drive ratchet to do this so that I have less chance of over torquing the bolts. I have used this method on quite a few vehicles and have never had a leak or a stripped bolt.

 

You refill the trans. I always measure what came out and use that as a starting point. Drive it, check the level, look for leaks. If you see a leak, try to tighten the pan bolts a little more but be careful. I have never had to do this.

 

If the trans is in bad shape, you may want to do a fluid change and then repeat soon after. I do not know if the torque converter has a drain on your vehicle, but this is a way to change the fluid in the converter.     

----- Original Message -----
From: "Matthew Gill"
To: mailing-list@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: IML: Doing a trans tune up by myself
Date: Tue, 5 Dec 2006 21:38:26 -0700


Hi all,

Some of you are probably following my trans
issues with my 81. Well the mechanic buddy of
mine that i met through a friend tells me i
should just do it myself! (Wow, who woulda
thought right?) He says i can easily pick up
four of those little ramps, drive the car up on
them and take off the pan, replace the gasket
and the filter, and bolt it back up nice and
tight.

He also tells me that i should put some Lucas
trans fluid additive to help stop any
slippage, he says he had a Dodge minivan that
started slipping on him, and he used the Lucas
fluid and drove the thing for another 60k
miles and then sold it to somebody else, still
in good shape. That sounds quite promising.

So, i think i'll pick up those ramps, the
filter and gasket, and i'm even considering
buying one of those fancy chrome transmission
pans instead of the plain one, for 25 bucks.

Any tips or suggestions would be great, and
i'll be taking care of it on Thursday so i'll
let everybody know how that went.

I was also told that if i'm hearing grinding in
the rear end and the car rattles sometimes
while driving, the transmission mounts may have
broken (one or more i guess) and they can
simply be replaced with new ones, so i'll
check it out and see what that looks like. He
doesn't think that it would have anything to
do with the U-Joints. Also, he says that when
putting the car in gear, for example from park
to reverse and having that THUD, is pretty
normal for a car since it's engaging into
gear, and generally just shakes a bit. I would
really prefer it not to do that, so we'll see
what i figure out after Thursday.

Matt


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