Tranny Pan Dipstick install?

After last week's blown return line on the tranny, I figured this weekend would be a good time to drop the pan and replace the screen. As far as I know, this is the first time in 172,000 miles that the pan has been dropped.

I don't know whose %$#$ idea it was to use a pan 2" longer than the distance between the crossmember and the exhaust crossover, but I digress. How in Beezil's name do you reconnect the filler tube to the tube on the pan? There's about 1/2" remaining before the tubes are fully seated, but I cannot get them to connect (and seal?) completely. Any ideas?

I just did this last night. What a @#%^@#!!!!

To remove the pan I unbolted the dipstick from the bellhousing. Then with the pan unbolted I wrestled the pan and dipstick tube out as one piece. That probably took me about 10 minutes.

Once the pan was off I removed the dipstick tube, cleaned the o-ring, and greased it a little. With the pan off I changed the filter with one from Advance Auto and cleaned the pan and magnets. I then reinstalled the pan with the dipstick tube removed. I plugged the dipstick end of the tube to keep dirt out, then fed the tube up from underneath, and set the o-ring end into the tube in the pan. Then I went from above and made sure the tab to bolt it down was in the right place. Then, back underneath, I pulled the dipstick tube down into place.

I did this two days ago. The hardest part was getting the gasket to stay in place when I put the pan back on. I ended up using RTV to stick it to the pan.
About half way up the filler tube you will find where it attaches with one bolt – remove the bolt, and then the top end of the tube will be loose. Install the pan first. Then push the tube back down into the installed pan. Attach the bolt that secures the tube.
There was a rubber 0-ring on mine, which was a little compressed, but still in good condition.

Glad to see I was not alone this weekend w/ the PITA trans pan and dipstick tube fiasco. I did basically same as Sparkman but was able to separate the two halves once the pan was down a few inches. After separating the two, I cleaned everything up and used Anti-sieze to lube both pieces and the o-ring before reassembly. I bolted the pan up and reinstalled the upper half of tube from the top side and it went right in, needed to adjust the mounting tab a bit, but no probs after that.

The Real pi$$er of the whole job was dealing w/ a previously broken bolt on the trans pan that ended up w/ a broken EZ out in it. Real PITA! Dang bolt had to be one that was under the exhaust crossover too. Ended up leaving the broken one in and drilling a tapping a new hole for a new bolt near the broken one. Dare I say it worked ok so far? Gotta love working on old Jeeps, at least it was nice working under a lifted vehicle.

So how did y'all get the pan out? I was able to shimmy it out to the passenger side somehow after twisting it around, but there was NO way it was going to go back in the same way once the gasket and goop were on. I found that the pan will slide back in nicely from the driver's side if the front driveshaft was removed (or still stock height?) but will it do that if I reconnect the dipstick before assembly?

I normally use ultra-black, but last night I was running out of time (got to bed at 1 AM, up for work at 4:45), so I just used the gasket. I left the dipstick off, then holding the pan at an angle I put the front of the pan up over the exhaust crossover, then brought the rear of the pan up and slid the pan toward the rear and into place. I normally torque pan bolts but the crossover and crossmember are in the way, so I just used a 1/4" drive ratchet and tried to get them all the same. No leaks so far.

Yup, that's what I tried to do as well and the crossmember is about 1/4" too far forward for the pan to go up. I still have to figure out how and when I'm going to reconnect that dipstick tube properly; I guess I'll be doing the second tranny pan drop this beast has ever seen...

Jim, I was doing a search for torque specs and found this thread. I also have a 96, and the pan will go into place as Sparkman described. I just did it.....

You have to work it in at an angle from the driver's side, move the front forward, and then place the rear edge into the space between the motor mount and trans housing. That gives enough room to finess the front into place, and the rear follows.

I tried to save some time by leaving the dipstick tube in place, and bent the mounting tab trying to separate it from the pan tube. Had to remove it anyway. I'll have to re-bend it and re-install tomorrow.

Anyone want to confirm the torque specs for me...? I've already torqued the filter bolts to 84 inch lbs, and plan to torque the pan bolts to 65 inch lbs. Does this sound about right?

Thanks,
ROE

Yeah it was a pain the ass for me too. I don't remember how exactly I shimmied that thing back in there but I know I took the tube off the engine before putting the pan back on. I also know I did it from the passenger side. Not to mention someone had stripped most of my tranny pan bolts, arg. Then getting to those nuts behind the crossmember was a pain.

I figure it'll be easier just to swap trannies at the next service interval, lol.

I figure it'll be easier just to swap trannies at the next service interval, lol.

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Ha, ha, maybe so, Wobbles, maybe so......

WobblesXJ said:

I figure it'll be easier just to swap trannies at the next service interval, lol.

Click to expand...

Well, since this thread is a year old that's exactly what I did. That's where I found this: