problem with dropping tranny pan

Weasel · April 23, 2006

After stripping the drain plug I took off all of the pan bolts but I can't get the pan to come down. It seems as though the lip of the pan gets stuck on something near the back. I can't seem to figure out a way to get that pan off. Has anyone else run into this problem? Am I missing something? Thanks for any clues.

ZZebes · April 23, 2006

the shift cable bracket if i remember right, will cause the pan to hang, loosen that and you should be in the clear

100R1 · April 23, 2006

the shift cable bracket if i remember right, will cause the pan to hang, loosen that and you should be in the clear

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Yep, bracket is in the way. Held in place by Torx head bolts accessed from the blind side. be careful easy to strip these bolts if you don't use the correct size torx.. You do not have to completly remove all the bolts. leave 1 in place except loosen it enough to "swing" the bracket out of the way of the pan.

rjirvine · April 23, 2006

I had the same problem on my 2000 Silverado 4x4. To add to my misery, I couldn't get any of the torx bolts on the bracket loose. I picked up a tip from this forum and wound up using a big crescent wrench with the jaws covered in masking tape (to prevent scratches) and bent the bracket out of the way. When I was done I bent the bracket back. It was only about 1/8 to 1/4" off from where it was. If you have a 4x4, you will probably have to pull the front driveshaft out like I did to get enough clearance. It's not too hard, but the whole process is a true pain in a$$.

Once I got the pan down, I used a wrench on the inside of the pan, and loosened the nut thats on the back side of the drain plug. It removed the tension on the plug, and I was able to get the drain bolt out with my fingers. Try and tun that nut only as much as needed. I think it was about 1/2 turn for me. I got a new plug from Advance autoparts. They make one that has a really wide head that will pretty much match the factory plug. I could have gotten one from the dealer I suppose but it was the weekend and they were closed.

Good luck and let us know how you do....

Weasel · April 24, 2006

Welp, the torx screws would not budge. Matter of fact, I started to warp the little teeth of the torx bit trying to get it to break. I ended up having to use a C-clamp to draw that bracket over to the front drive shaft. I then pulled the lip of the pan down and finally got it off. Holy crap, if I had known how much of a pain this was going to be I probably would have taken it somewhere. I now can't get the filter seal out. Can anyone suggest a tool for this? Can I just get a seal puller from Autozone, etc.? Also, the drain plug is now stripped and I have a replacement. What have you guys used to get the old one out? Just a bolt extractor? Thanks again for the help

asilverblazer · April 24, 2006

Oh, I so can't wait to do mine! I would try a bolt extractor, for the plug. I plan on using a hook tool (like the dentist uses) for the seal, just try not to scratch the surface. By the way how much tranny fluid did you end up ingesting?

Weasel · April 24, 2006

Oh man, the fluid was all over the place. All over my drive way, all over my arms, and at one point all over my face. The filter came with a cork gasket however the directions state don't use a gasket sealer. Is this correct? Also, got the bolt from Chevy at lunch, $6 for a new bolt. Hopefully I can get the old one out now.

Weasel · April 24, 2006

rjirvine: "Once I got the pan down, I used a wrench on the inside of the pan, and loosened the nut thats on the back side of the drain plug. It removed the tension on the plug, and I was able to get the drain bolt out with my fingers. "

Do you mean the large nut that the bolt screws into? I thought that was the magnet? Am I wrong? Can I just loosen that large nut and the bolt will come out?

rjirvine · April 24, 2006

rjirvine: "Once I got the pan down, I used a wrench on the inside of the pan, and loosened the nut thats on the back side of the drain plug. It removed the tension on the plug, and I was able to get the drain bolt out with my fingers. "

Do you mean the large nut that the bolt screws into? I thought that was the magnet? Am I wrong? Can I just loosen that large nut and the bolt will come out?

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It's not a magnet...I thought that too. It's a nut. I was going to mention in my earlier post that I couldn't get the seal out either, I wound up just using the old one. I had also started to strip the torx bolt. Yes, I farted around almost all weekend with the whole project..a true pain. Did you remove the front driveshaft? I didn't use any sealer on the gasket. it wasn't too hard to position, but mine was rubber, not cork. I also tightened the bolts on opposite sides of the pan and went around the pan. Hope this helps!

Weasel · April 25, 2006

Well last night I went out and bought and 'easy out' set and rented some kind of small seal puller that I'm going to try. I will let you guys know how that goes. I'll be quite happy if I can get the stripped bolt off and put this replacment on. Got underneath my buddies 2k2 Sierra yesterday and the shop that he took his to to get the filter changed and a flush stripped his as well. It really seems to be common place. I did not remove the front driveshaft but I thought about it. I just put a piece of leather around the driveshaft and then used a C clamp to draw that bracket all the way over to it. I then had to pull down the pan so I'm not sure how much trouble I'm going to run into when putting it back on.

Weasel · April 26, 2006

Ok, so tonight I broke two "easy out's" trying to get that d**n drain bolt out. One on each side. I also rented a pilot bearing puller attachment in an effort to get the seal out. It's basically a smaller seal puller. That was a no go so at this point I'm thinking I'll just use the old seal. What would be the harm? I guess my only other option is to do as the guy in the tech article did and go to Sears and get a bolt extractor kit and try that on the pan. It's either that or I just put the pan back on the way it is and drive it or buy a new pan. I will freely admit that I'm not the greatest shadetree mechanic as I'm a computer geek by trade, but this is probably the worst job I've ever tried to do. If I knew then, what I know now, I would have just paid for a flush and been on my merry way. Yes, I am bitter.

rjirvine · April 26, 2006

Ok, so tonight I broke two "easy out's" trying to get that d**n drain bolt out. One on each side. I also rented a pilot bearing puller attachment in an effort to get the seal out. It's basically a smaller seal puller. That was a no go so at this point I'm thinking I'll just use the old seal. What would be the harm? I guess my only other option is to do as the guy in the tech article did and go to Sears and get a bolt extractor kit and try that on the pan. It's either that or I just put the pan back on the way it is and drive it or buy a new pan. I will freely admit that I'm not the greatest shadetree mechanic as I'm a computer geek by trade, but this is probably the worst job I've ever tried to do. If I knew then, what I know now, I would have just paid for a flush and been on my merry way. Yes, I am bitter.

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I'm telling ya...try turning (loosening) that nut on the inside of the pan just a bit, it will break the tension loose on the drain bolt. It shouldn't take take much. The flared part of the new drain bolt will cover the hole quite a bit. I tried a set of those sears nut/bolt extractors and the one size it too big, the other size too small, that's when I got mad and turned the bolt, I figured I had nothing to lose. It worked....

divejoe · April 26, 2006

Oh Man...deja vu!! I went through the same exact pain. I can't beleive it. Same tran fluid all over driveway and myself (hope is good for your hair because I had it all over)..same strip bolt, same broken bolt extractors and same pain in the ass filter problem. I also couldn't not get the pan out even after removing the torx bolts. That pan gave me a good fight. Wait until you want to put it back.

Anyways, the Sears bolt extractor works like a charm. There was almost nothing left of that bolt (during one of my failed attempts, I drilled a hole through it) and it grabbed it like it was new. I can't beleive I didn't use it earlier, probably would have saved me one day of pain and all of my drill bits and extractors.

I used a very small flat head screwdriver to take the filter off. It was not easy, I had to basically pry it around and bend it inwards to get it loose (with extreme caution because I didn't want to scratch the surface). After couple of hrs, the almost destroyed filter came off like nothing.

After everything was back in place I felt pretty good, but would I do it again? Not a chance. I probably take it to the Chevy dealer, pay the $90 and forgo the headache.

Good Luck!

Weasel · April 26, 2006

rjirvine: I tried turning that large bolt with some Vice-Grips and it wouldn't budge. I went so far as to pound on it with a mallet and no go. About the filter seal, the one in there looks great, what is the harm in just leaving it in? If it's such a pain to get out and it's in good shape why bother risking scratching up my tranny? Thanks guys!

rjirvine · April 26, 2006

rjirvine: I tried turning that large bolt with some Vice-Grips and it wouldn't budge. I went so far as to pound on it with a mallet and no go. About the filter seal, the one in there looks great, what is the harm in just leaving it in? If it's such a pain to get out and it's in good shape why bother risking scratching up my tranny? Thanks guys!

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I used a big crescent wrench, I don't think vice grips would have enough leverage, unless they are really huge.