Contemplating AT Fluid change

[harborman]

It may have been changed once around the 30K mark but possibly in 1992. It has just turned 40K. I have the new gasket and filter but have been doing other things to it like the T-belt/pump, new radio & speakers, etc. In the manual it says to also drain the tork converter. Can I just drain the pan oil? How bad a job is this?

[Mrmerlin]

if your going to go to the trouble of changing the pan gasket and filter you should also drain out the TC.
there is a small drain plug on the back of the TC,
it is removed through the small grate on the underside of the transmission.
It should be visible when the engine is at TDC but thats not always the case,
if you have a helper simply turn the engine with a ratchet while they look at the grate for the drain plug to appear.
Another way by yourself is to put a small piece of cardboard into the grate so when the plug comes around it pushes the cardboard out of the hole, if you have never seen the drain plug this might not be a way to find the plug.

[Mrmerlin]

Note the TC holds about 4 QTS of fluid so changing it is almost required as your new fluid wont be as much as your leaving behind.
Get 2 4qt bottles of DEX/MERC fluid, its good for DEX III, IV and also 2 1 qt bottles of fluid.
use a hand pump to refill,
it should take just about 8.5 to 9.5 QTS
on the inital fill , fill the pan with the engine OFF
Then run the engine for about 30 secobds, shut it off then refill the pan do this a few times till the fluid wont go down anymore then start the engine and fill the reservoir . Hold foot on the brake and run the shifter through the gears with the engine running .
Note dont let the rear wheels spin as this can cause major damage to the transmission locking pawl if you should put the shifter into park with the wheels still spinning, its best to shift to neutral first wait a few seconds then going into park.
as the car warms up the fluid will expand some so dont overfill the reservoir

[harborman]

Originally Posted by Mrmerlin

Note the TC holds about 4 QTS of fluid so changing it is almost required as your new fluid wont be as much as your leaving behind.
Get 2 4qt bottles of DEX/MERC fluid, its good for DEX III, IV and also 2 1 qt bottles of fluid.
use a hand pump to refill,
it should take just about 8.5 to 9.5 QTS
on the inital fill , fill the pan with the engine OFF
Then run the engine for about 30 secobds, shut it off then refill the pan do this a few times till the fluid wont go down anymore then start the engine and fill the reservoir . Hold foot on the brake and run the shifter through the gears with the engine running .
Note dont let the rear wheels spin as this can cause major damage to the transmission locking pawl if you should put the shifter into park with the wheels still spinning, its best to shift to neutral first wait a few seconds then going into park.
as the car warms up the fluid will expand some so dont overfill the reservoir

Thanks Stan. I did a copy and paste to store your instructions. I appreciate your time very much!!!! Rudy

[psychII]

I used a big screw driver to leverage the torque converter around until the drain was visible. There are little raised nubs that you can leverage the the screwdriver against. Make sure you are going clockwise.

[psychII]

If you are getting the 2-3 shift "flare", now would be the time to change the K-1 spring as well.

[harborman]

Originally Posted by psychII

If you are getting the 2-3 shift "flare", now would be the time to change the K-1 spring as well.

The trans is working just fine, nothing wrong except age of fluid. It shifts just great actually, but I am into maintenance and keeping everything up to snuff.
I did look at the level and in neutral the fluid was at the half mark when cold. It had no burning smell and looked normal but not sure if it was ever changed. The car was serviced at the dealer by first owner. I have most documentation.

[Mrmerlin]

Ahh one other thing before you remove the pan remove the vent hose from the side of the transmission you will need a long set of bent needle nose pliers to do this , otherwise you risk damaging the vent hose connection to the top of the tank, its plastic, if you snap it off then you need a new tank, the trans body connection is a metal tube.
The hose will slide off but it requires a bit of work to do and dont remove the pan until you have done this

[harborman]

Ok, I will make sure I disconnect that hose. I have a bent long nose pliers in the tool box.

[MPDano]

Originally Posted by Mrmerlin

Note the TC holds about 4 QTS of fluid so changing it is almost required as your new fluid wont be as much as your leaving behind.
Get 2 4qt bottles of DEX/MERC fluid, its good for DEX III, IV and also 2 1 qt bottles of fluid.
use a hand pump to refill,
it should take just about 8.5 to 9.5 QTS
on the inital fill , fill the pan with the engine OFF
Then run the engine for about 30 secobds, shut it off then refill the pan do this a few times till the fluid wont go down anymore then start the engine and fill the reservoir . Hold foot on the brake and run the shifter through the gears with the engine running .
Note dont let the rear wheels spin as this can cause major damage to the transmission locking pawl if you should put the shifter into park with the wheels still spinning, its best to shift to neutral first wait a few seconds then going into park.
as the car warms up the fluid will expand some so dont overfill the reservoir

Search does work when you need it to. I have also been using Dex/Merc in my 81 Euro. I will need to do a Filter/Fluid Changeout soon in my 83 S, so I just wanted to triple verify that Dex/Merc is the way to go. Any objections?

[Maleficio]

I just had a shot of Jack Daniels.

Nothing better than fresh, high-quality ATF.

[Anthony10370]

You could use dexron VI since they don't make the earlier versions of dexron anymore.

[MPDano]

What is Capacity again with TC drained?

[harborman]

About 9 quarts.

What is Capacity again with TC drained?

[MPDano]

Muchas Gracias!