[allenga]

Hi Guys, I would like to replace my stock pan with no drain plug to one with a drain plug.

Looking at Jegs and Summit, I read bad reviews for stamped steel pans leaking, clearance issues, cracks. Same for the cast pans. Some pans hit the filter too!

Have you bought one that does not have these issues for a TH350. My transmission shift cable bracket mounts to my pan with two of the pan bolts.

Thanks!

[steve25]

B&M makes a trans drain plug kit that will go on any pan and I have used many times and it does not leak and is dirt cheap!

[allenga]

Originally Posted by steve25

B&M makes a trans drain plug kit that will go on any pan and I have used many times and it does not leak and is dirt cheap!

Thank you. I saw those and some said the leak. Does is allow you to drain the whole pan. Do you install on bottom or side of pan. thank you!

[steve25]

Yes, I put mine on the bottom of the pan and most of the fluid can be taken out but for maybe you’ll have 1/2 qt left in the pan.

If you put the plug in to the left or right side bottom of the pan you can jack the car up a tad on the opposite side and get the pan drained out to near dry if you prefer.

These do come with hard Nylon washers to seal them up, and I have used a thin film of form-a-gasket to get it leak free.
The last time I used one I went thru a auto parts store oil drain plug gasket draw and found 2 nice compressible gaskets that fit and I used those in place of the Nylon ones in the kit.

[Cardo]

I used one of these PML pans on my 200r4. Fits very well, nice piece. I would recommend it. https://yourcovers.com/transpan_9589.php

[allenga]

Originally Posted by Cardo

I used one of these PML pans on my 200r4. Fits very well, nice piece. I would recommend it. https://yourcovers.com/transpan_9589.php

Those look nice.

[Cliff R]

The cast aluminum pans are nice, and typically leak free. I think I have a few spare TH350 pans in the shop with drain plugs in them. Will take a look when I get out there later today........

[allenga]

I said screw it and painted the one I have. I will just plan on taking a bath in ATF every few years.

[Formulajones]

Got a welder?

When I want to add one to a steel pan, I just weld a 1/2-13 nut to the back side and use a typical oil pan drain plug with a gasket. You can buy those at any auto store for pennies or rob it out of an old oil pan laying around. Cheap and takes 5 minutes.

We've run the deep cast aluminum pans on a couple of 400 turbos here for at least 30 years and they work fine as well. Although they've gotten a little pricey since the last time I bought one, lol.

[Schurkey]

I put drain plugs into stamped-steel trans pans on my own vehicles. It's not hard, and it doesn't cost much. I've used "drain plug kits", I've welded/brazed nuts inside the pan, and I've used generic bulkhead fittings and a hardware-store nylon gasket. I don't do any of that any more.

Eventually, I figured out that I can pop a cooler tube off at the radiator cooler, drain the pan by pumping it out the cooler tube with the engine running. Costs nothing, extremely easy to do. When I refill the pan, I can pump new fluid through the converter, flushing all the old fluid out that same cooler tube. Depending on the size of the torque converter, 10- 15 quarts of fluid flushes and fills the transmission except for the servos, accumulators, and whatever is trapped in the valve body and clutch drums. (about a quart or so, maybe less.)

I don't see a point to a drain plug any more. And a drain plug that you don't install, absolutely cannot leak or drag on on an obstruction.

[Formulajones]

Except that you might want to get in there and change the filter???

[highway star]

Originally Posted by allenga

I said screw it and painted the one I have. I will just plan on taking a bath in ATF every few years.

Looks great! I did the same after cracking a B&M aluminum deep pan. Buyers beware of the deep pans, speed bumps are vicious!

[allenga]

Question Guys. Following the shop manual, I added 3 quarts of AFT. Started the car and the trans puked 1/4 of a quart on the ground. It does not look like the pan was leaking. Looks like it came from behind the torque converter plastic cover. Car went into all gears fine.

I went back under the car, checked the torque specs on all the cover bolts and it was fine.

I checked the dipstick and it was registering fluid on the end. I added some more AFT. Started the car and no fluid is leaking. Still goes into all gears.

Any idea what happened.

[Schurkey]

Originally Posted by Formulajones

Except that you might want to get in there and change the filter???

Drive into the garage. jack-up and support vehicle as needed. Drop the cooler tube, direct the fluid into a BIG drain pan. If you're really clever, you drop the cooler outlet tube, and stuff a one- or two-foot long temporary tube you buy at a parts-store into the cooler, to direct the fluid into the drain pan.

Start engine. Trans pump moves fluid from trans pan to drain pan. As soon as the fluid coming out of the cooler tube reduces volume, or has air in it, shut off engine.

Trans pan is now "almost" empty. Doesn't drip all over you or spill when the pan bolts are removed. You didn't need a drain plug. Remove pan, change filter, (and filter seal as needed) clean pan and magnet, (if equipped) straighten pan flange as needed, reinstall pan with new gasket as needed.

Add ~5 qts fluid via the funnel crammed into the dipstick tube. Open another 6--10 quarts so they're ready. Start engine, pour fluid down funnel as fast as you can dump it in. Watch color of fluid spewing into drain pan. When fluid looks virgin-fresh like the stuff you're pouring into the funnel, shut off engine, re-connect cooler tube. If you used the temporary tube in the cooler outlet, you've even flushed the cooler.

Remove jack stands, lower vehicle. Start engine, warm-up transmission, top off fluid as needed. Look for leaks at the cooler tube and pan gasket. Dump old fluid back into the now-empty bottles in preparation to drop-off at recycling center, or into someone's waste-oil furnace.

You now have new filter, clean trans pan, (and magnet) and 90%+ of the fluid has been replaced with fresh, clean stuff. You're done.

Drink celebratory beverages. When you've recovered, deliver the old fluid to recycling center.

[1968GTO421]

Post #10 and #14--Thanks Schurkey. I'd forgotten about this trick. Back in the '80's when my wife bought a new '84 Reliant coupe (shhh, she really is a good person) and old mechanic in the neighborhood advised me to use this trick to change the tranny oil with out a lot of fuss (he also advised using the Mopar v8 oil filter to replace the "teacup" oil filter and gain some additional oil for the engine). She eventually traded it for V6 Camry as she had a new job 50 miles away all interstate 70+mph, too much for the old 2.2.

I'm going to use this trick on my GTO's TH400 as who knows when previous owners ever changed the oil and it sounds like it will clean it up good and make filter replacement easier (less messy). Thanks again.

[allenga]

Any ideas why the trans spit fluid out which ran out the hole in the torque converter dust cover. I took the cover off and the torque converter and area around it are completely dry.

[Schurkey]

Originally Posted by allenga

Any ideas why the trans spit fluid out which ran out the hole in the torque converter dust cover. I took the cover off and the torque converter and area around it are completely dry.

I have no idea. I was originally thinking it blew fluid out the vent--but that wouldn't drip out of the hole in the dust cover.

[SRR]

Originally Posted by Formulajones

Got a welder?

When I want to add one to a steel pan, I just weld a 1/2-13 nut to the back side and use a typical oil pan drain plug with a gasket. You can buy those at any auto store for pennies or rob it out of an old oil pan laying around. Cheap and takes 5 minutes.

We've run the deep cast aluminum pans on a couple of 400 turbos here for at least 30 years and they work fine as well. Although they've gotten a little pricey since the last time I bought one, lol.

I've done this on a couple pans. I used a 3/8" fine thread bolt, I tack welded a nut on the back side and then just used a 3/8" fine thread bolt with a nylon or copper washer.