jenyap

Can someone with a manual handy tell me how tight the transmission pan bolts need to be? Thanx

Landseer

here

jenyap

Thanks, Landseer! 8 Nm is about 6lb-ft. That's not very tight at all...

dr bob

Not very tight, and could have more safely been expressed in inch-pounds. Most Important factor in getting the trans to stay sealed is sneaking up evenly to the correct bolt tension. Finger tight on all of them. That means fingers on the bolt or maybe fingers on the socket, definitely not fingers on the ratchet handle. Then even turns with the wrench as you come up on spec torque. Any uneven procedure risks a warped pan and never getting a good seal again.

smyth1

i used some high tack on the gasket as well to seal both sides.

Mrmerlin

no sealant is needed if you have a clean dry surface a fresh seal and the pan surface is straight and the external feet are not bent

Leon Speed

A T-handle works great.

smyth1

high tack works great for holding the gasket in place as well as insuring there are no leaks no matter how loose the bolts are.

SeanR

Don't use anything on the gasket, it has tabs to hold it in place. If you decide to smear **** on it, you run the risk of the **** getting inside the transmission.

dr bob

^^^ What Sean said. Trans gaskets go on clean and dry to clean and dry mating surfaces. The flexible u-channel gasket sits comfortably on the pan during installation, and doesn't have any reason to move or squeeze out if you stay with the factory bolt torque specs. More than a few pans get distorted by folks who think that a little extra torque will help it seal better. Sometimes the warped pan can be straightened, many times they either continue to leak or get replaced with new. Last time I looked the pans were available new for reasonable $$ so there is a recovery path if one is accidentally damaged. Still, cost is higher than a small cheap torque wrench that could be used to save other things.

The auto trans is extremely sensitive to problems with fluid contamination. No brake-clean, paint thinner, gas, diesel, paper or plain cotton towels get used around the trans itself or the valve body and filter. Pan is OK to clean with those things, but Simple Green is easier and safer. Make sure you leave no residue, and no lint from towels or dirt/dust/crud that might fall into the pan when you install. Think 'clean room' clean. That often means you give the area and the trans itself a quick cleaning before you even start the project. A quick spray with some of that Simple Green is often enough. Or use your favorite spray engine cleaner. Rinse, let it dry before you get started with the fluid change.

jenyap

Thanks for all the advice! Looking at the transmission it appears that some of the wet/dirty stuff is above the pan gasket line. Is there any other place it could be leaking?

928Myles

My transmission was leaking from the B2 piston cover (2" circular recessed plate above the reservoir). Replacing the O-ring solved the problem.

Myles

Mrmerlin

jenyap if the leak is from the passenger side of the trans then it can be the Bowden cable O ring this is easy to replace remove the ball off the throttle quadrant first .
If it looks a bit more forward then bowden cable it can also be one or the other cooler lines if you have a cooler line leaking or weeping then its is wise to inspect the hoses as they pass over the cats for weeping ,
if you find a weep then the lines need to be replaced,
a competent hose shop can swage on new hydraulic hose,
once the new hose is fitted also get some heat sheathing to cover the flex portions, hose shop should also have that.

jenyap

The lines are fine, replaced recently. I noticed that the pan bolts are pretty tight, definitely tighter that 6 lb-ft. How do I check if the pan is bent and if it is, how do I straighten it?

Mrmerlin

to inspect the pan it has to be off the transmission put it back on without the seal and see how much clearance is between the edges,
or sit it on a flat surface