Jump to content

Dropping Transmission Pan


olddirtyrake
 Share

Recommended Posts

I'm dropping the transmission pan and I cant get it out as it sits. Do you have to remove the exhaust pipe under it to get it to come out. Is there an easier way to wiggle it out or something because I don't want to mess with the exhaust bolts.

What is recommended to seal the pan back on. Can you remove all traces of old gasket and use RTV (black)sealant gasket maker or leave old gasket on and use sealant or just use new gasket . I would like to just scrape old gasket off and use gasket maker sealant.

Last but not least is trans filter recommended to replace if fluid was real dark (I think so).

Link to comment
Share on other sites

IIRC, you generally have to remove or at lease loosen the x pipe to drop the pan.

 

If yo clean the surfaces very well, yes, the proper rtv should be just fine. Just be careful not to smear it when reinstalling and do not overtorque, you can always recheck easily.

 

There is no filter, per se, but a screen. Remove clean the screen and wipe out the pan with a lint free towel.

 

B

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Unless R50 is different which I don't think it is...

 

Trans pan can be dropped without moving the exhaust, it's just tight. Bolts on the rear end of the pan were an extremely tight squeeze, didn't think I was going to get one of them back in. The exhaust is close enough that it will only come out one way. Remove all the bolts, slide it forward as much as you can, then drop the rear lip and bring it down towards the back.

 

Be careful, the pan will still have a significant amount of oil in it even after it is fully drained as the plug sits a centimeter or more above the bottom of the pan. The actual filter also holds quite a bit of oil, and depending on how long it's been in there (and how stuck the gasket on the top of the filter is), it might need some force to get it off.

 

New trans filter comes with a new gasket. I'd personally use the proper gasket given the amount of fuel in the pan. The generic trans filter I bought from Lordco came with two gaskets, one for my R50 and another which I gather is for a WD21, X, or some other vehicle that uses the same trans, and it was slightly, but hardly smaller. Make sure you scrape off all remaining traces of the old gasket and clean both the top and bottom of the pan to ensure a tight seal.

 

Make sure you clean off the magnet thats in there while you've got it open too.

 

Also the Haynes manual recommends that you measure the amount of oil removed to determine how much new stuff to put in. This is a good idea. I didn't do this, instead I referenced these forums and the volume chart in the Haynes manual, and after filling it there is too much in there (and I put less in than recommended).

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Ya, I tried to pry it out of the way but I only see problems getting a clean seal back on so I guess I'm going to have to loosen the exhaust where it crosses over lamo. Sometimes I wonder if they designed this vehicle to make my life a pain.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Mine came out easy,I simply just used a come-along to bend the pipe out of the way(my pipe was broke so it didnt make any real diffrence.Yeah,when you buy the filter you get a new gasket.Use vasoline and a putty knife to get the old gasket of the pan,a whole lot easyer then any other way that I've found.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Use vasoline and a putty knife to get the old gasket of the pan,a whole lot easyer then any other way that I've found.

I know some say not to, but I use a razor. Since I always have used this method I'm getting good at getting it real clean without any scratches.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 1 year later...

I went to change my filter and gasket today. I din't search, I thought it would be simple... hey it was easy on my buddies X... just not easy on the pathy :(

In the end (exhaust was not gonna be easy...) I wound up unbolted the tranny support pad, jacked the tranny up to the body a little and removed the pad. Then I unbolted the front driveshaft from the DIFF.

After that the pan came easlily; slid it down where the pad was and turned it 45*.

Goin back in was simple too, just wish I'd thought of this all sooner...

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 7 years later...

Sorry for the revive, as well as the fact that I have been putting off writing up an introduction to myself and my truck. All my free time goes to fixing it and driving it, and I only think to access the forums when I need help. I'll get around to that soon.

 

Right. I am in the middle of the filter change (AT 4X4) and I'm having the same problem with the clearance of the exhaust. MY1PATH, you got it off by taking the drive shaft off the differential? Do you have any pictures by chance? I have no other car so I'm stuck with an empty tranny until I get this figured out, and my exhaust is in such rough shape that I don't want to mess with it until I have a replacement. All that trouble I had with the manifold bolts a year ago was bad enough.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Never mind, I quit for the night and ended up taking the y pipe loose (three nuts on the passenger manifold, two bolts where driver's side connector pipe comes in, and the two bolts where it fits back to the cat. Had to take the O2 sensor out to fit one of these, good time to put in the new one), which I hadn't wanted to do, but I have some new exhaust gaskets and bolts that I needed anyways. Woo hoo.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Right. Tranny filter in (I looked inside, it is just a screen, basically) and I have three new exhaust leaks as a bonus! I now wish I'd left the filter and just put in my cooler and an inline filter, but I really needed to do this because I hadn't since I bought it and I've been worried about the possibility of having a bunch of metal in there. Everything looks great though. Nothing wrong with that transmission, except for the fact that it's not one from an xterra with a 33 attached yet...

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
 Share

×
×
  • Create New...