Aftermarket transmission pan

[04TC]

Hey all,

I am thinking of replacing the stock transmission pan on my car with an aftermarket pan with a drain plug. I don't want to buy the Dorman or other cheap aftermarket brands because they seem to ALL be black powder coated both inside and out. Which I would think would eventually start coming off and contaminating the transmission fluid. I even read a review on that type that said as soon as you unscrew the drain plug for the 1st time, since the whole thing is powder coated in the factory with the drain plug screwed in, some of the powder coating comes loose off of the plug. I ordered a $50 bare metal stock depth transmission pan but when I received it it had the wrong bolt pattern. There are very few stock depth pans that seem to be well made. Also, the $50 pan I bought was by far the cheapest I could find that wasn't powder coated, all the ones that were bare metal or chrome plated were $200-up. Does anyone know of any pans less than $200 that aren't powder coated? For the 4R70W version of the Town Car transmission. (Other versions might be similar). If there are no good stock depth options in that price range I would be open to considering deeper pans, but not shallower ones than stock. Thanks for any help,

 

[CuttingToolGuy]

If you are ok with the stock pan and just want a drain, consider this...

B&M 80250 B&M Hi-Tek Universal Transmission Pan Drain Plug Kit

Very few automatic transmission pans come with a drain plug from the factory. So servicing your transmission by removing the transmission pan to drain the fluid can be very messy. We've got you covered with our Hi-Tek Universal mount transmission pan drain plug. You remove the pan and drill a...

www.holley.com

 

[gunnye7t]

About once a year I pull off the upper hose from the trans cooler, start the engine and pump out a gallon of trans fluid.

Then top off with new Amsoil synthetic fluid.

I initially did drop the pan to clean it, change the filter and the magnet.

Easy peasy. No muss. No fuss.

 

[wolf_walker]

FWIW, I bought a Dorman 265-813 last year and put it on, seemed fine.
I'm sure it wasn't OEM good, but I don't recall it having anything
screamingly cheap going on.

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[dave42]

I had the Dorman pan w/ plug put on my '03 when I had the transmission serviced a year and a half ago. So far so good, though haven't removed the plug yet.

 

[04TC]

If you are ok with the stock pan and just want a drain, consider this...

Thanks for the idea, i didn't want to drill a hole myself because I might mess something up.

 

[04TC]

About once a year I pull off the upper hose from the trans cooler, start the engine and pump out a gallon of trans fluid.

Then top off with new Amsoil synthetic fluid.

I initially did drop the pan to clean it, change the filter and the magnet.

Easy peasy. No muss. No fuss.

Is the Amsoil synthetic full Mercon V spec? Or is it just "recommended for Mercon V applications" like the Valvoline full synthetic is.

How difficult is it to pull off and reattach the upper trans cooler hose, do you need special tools?

 

[gunnye7t]

Specs from Amsoil.

Allison C-4, TES-389; BMW 7045E, 8072B, LA 2634, LT 71141; Chrysler Mopar* ASRC, 68089195AA, 68049954AA; Ford MERCON*, MERCON* V, ESP-M2C166-H, FNR5, M2C924-A, XL-12; GM DEXRON* III, DEXRON* II, AutoTrak II; Honda/Acura ATF-Z1; Hyundai/Kia SP-II , SP-III, Red-1; IDEMITSU K17; JASO 1A; JWS 3309, 3314, 3317; MAN 339 Type V-1, 339 Type V-2, 339 Type Z-1, 339 Type Z-2, 339F; Mazda ATF-M III, ATFMV, F-1; Mercedes Benz 236.1, 236.2, 236.3, 236.5, 236.6, 236.7, 236.9, 236.10, 236.11, 236.81, 236.91; Mitsubishi SP-II , SP-III, ATF-J2; Nissan Matic-D, Matic-J, Matic-K, 402; SAAB 3309; Shell 3403, LA 2634; Subaru ATF, ATF-HP; Suzuki 3314, 3317; Texaco ETL-7045E, ETL-8072B, N402; Toyota Type T, T-II,T-III,T-IV; Voith 55.6335, 55.6336; Volvo 97340, 97341; VW/Audi G 052 162, G 052 990, G 055 025; ZF TE-ML 03D, 04D,05L, 09, 11A, 11B, 14A, 14B, 16L, 17C, 20B, 21L.

The small clamp on the hose might be a pain to grip but I had no problem using a pair of pliers.

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[04TC]

So it is a multi-vehicle ATF, not dedicated Mercon V?

 

[gunnye7t]

It is multi vehicle as the specs show.

It meets all the requirements to be Mercon V "spec" compatible.
I didn't dig down into the specifics. Amsoil does have a tech support line that can for sure answer your questions.

FWIW, in test results Amsoil will compete against all the other brands and will usually come out on top.
If not, Amsoil will state that they came in second or perhaps third on a particular test.

What is telling is that if you look at another manufacturers test results you will notice that they never test against Amsoil.

 

[04TC]

It is multi vehicle as the specs show.

It meets all the requirements to be Mercon V "spec" compatible.
I didn't dig down into the specifics. Amsoil does have a tech support line that can for sure answer your questions.

FWIW, in test results Amsoil will compete against all the other brands and will usually come out on top.
If not, Amsoil will state that they came in second or perhaps third on a particular test.

What is telling is that if you look at another manufacturers test results you will notice that they never test against Amsoil.

Ok thanks for the info.

 

[PatrickBateman]

I use the Dorman pan. No issues. Though I don't like drain plug that comes with it as it just has aluminum crush washer so I just got another plug that has the rubber gasket. Uses the same thread pitch as the oil pan at least on -02.

No issues with the powder coat either. Some Dorman stuff isn't good and but the transmission pan is good to go.

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