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transmission and filter change woes

the_bandit87

NAXJA Forum User
Location
Sydney,NS
Well I've just successfully removed the pan from my AW4. I had to unbolt the dipstick tube where it mounts to the bell housing and wiggle the whole tube&pan until it came out. I don't think I'm the only one who finds this a major PITA. I was just wondering if there is any solution for this (even with the pan on the bench I can't detach the top of the tube. I was thinking of trying to do somthing with a small lengh (3-4") of hose. Cut a small section out of the dipstick tube. Reinstall the upper part, the put the hose on with two hoseclamps. Even though the hose would be a few inches long, the cut in the tube would be quite small (1/2 an inch to an inch). This way you would only have to disconnect the hose clamps nextime instead of going through all the BS with the tube. I must also say that that filter holds quite a bit of ATF. I poked the element a few times, to see if it was empty, no atf came down so I began to remove the bolts. After taking off the first 2 bolts I took off the center one, and got a mouthfull of ATF, ATF ALL OVER THE PLACE. By the way, I noticed a bit of grit on my magnets and my ATF stinks. Its still a darker shade of red when it comes out (it looks black in the catch pan but I'm assuming that is becaus the catch pan is black). I am thinking the ATF may be burnt but can it also smell bad if it absorbs a bit of moisture (my jeep sat for a few years before I finished it)

Edit: OOPS I for forgot to say tranmission FLUID in the title
 
Yeah - pull the plug, allow to drain (prefereably over a magnet to check for metal bits) and reinstall the plug. Refill through the dipstick tube.

As you've no doubt discovered, the "filter" is really a coarse metal screen, and if you get something stuck in there, you have larger problems. I probably drop the pan on a rig every 2 to 3 years just to check and clean the magnet in the pan. There's not much reason to pull the thing each time.

A little wrestling will usually free up the upper dipstick tube from the pan - just be ready for a fight. When you put it back together, grease it well, and that should help for the next time (never-seez or Teflon pipe dope might also help, in a pinch. I use "red moly" chassis grease if and when, since I always have it around.)

Just clean the pan every few times you pull it and you'll be fine. There's no real reason to pull the pan every time - and if there wasn't a drain plug, I'd install one!

5-90
 
I just went through the same thing yesterday... I thought I had all the ATF in the oil pan and so I put it away. Then I started pulling the filter bolts and down came quite a bit more ATF. I am just glad I had a large sheet of card board down to catch it all. I was able to get the upper section of tube free after taking the pan out and from under the Jeep. It took a little twisting and pulling with some ATF to help out.
Who ever pulled the pan last time used some kind of orange sealant to seal it up. I spent more time scraping that junk off than on the rest of the project.
 
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Always a messy job, it doesnt matter how hard I try to contain the fluid, I get it everywhere. I smear a dab of antisieze on the dipstick tube joint. It has helped the tube come apart with no problems so far.
You know to use Mercon Dexron in that tranny right?
 
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