We are doing our own transmission fluids and filters at 26K on a '92 350 LE. The transmission is the 4L 80E. Does anyone know if you have to drill and tap the torque converter to drain it? The parts house said the auxillary filter can be rinsed and reused.
i don't know if drilling and tapping the converter would be such a good idea. if the plug you install works loose you would be stuck and minus your tranny.
call around, most tranny shops have equipment to do a complete fluid change via the cooling lines. catch the old fluid as it is pumped out, and replace with new.
as for the filter, replacement has to be better. i would worry that if it was reinstalled the rubber grommet it seats in could fail if it were not replaced.
there are plenty of mh folks here, i'm sure they will chime in soon!
Most shops have tools that can drain all the fluid somehow, but I don't know how they do it. I have always changed my trans fluid every 15-20k and that has made my trans' last at least 100k miles. Most people simply drain the trans and leave it at that.
I would not mess with the converter at all. I would talk to your local GM shop to see what they do since the 4L80E is a GM tranny.
On the subject of filters, change it, it's just not worth it.
Also look at the magnet in the pan for tell tale wear signs.
You run into several problems drilling and plugging the convertor. First as John said is leaks. Pipe threads are cut at an angle relative to the center line of the pipe, plug, etc. and work by wedgeing themselves into the hole. The housing is pretty thin to tap and expect a good seal for any period of time. Second is contamination of the fluid with chips from drilling and tapping. Third would be balance from the weight of the plug. It doesn't seem like much but the convertor turns at engine speed and even a 1/2 ounce is a lot at 3200 rpm.
I am not sure what you have for an auxilliary filter. Mine is aftermarket, it uses a PF8 which is what Ford used for an engine oil filter for years. To clean a filter you need to dissasemble it, wash it thoroughly and blow it out with air. If it is not done properly you are loosening particles it has trapped and allowing them to contaminate the fluid again. Compared to the price of rebuilds replacement is cheap insurance.
dont even think of drilling the converter./ all you have to do to flush the transmission and the converter is to remove one of the lines and catch the fluid. what you do when you figure out which line fluid comes out put a piece of rubber hose on he end and drop it in to a bucket. have someone start the motor and let the fluid pump untill it starts to bubble cut the engine off and fill the transmission with 6 quarts of fluid , do this three times and your old fluid is flushed out . i usually get two cases of oil and run 18 quarts of fluid thru the transmission you will have flushed most if not all of the old fluid out of the transmission. then stop the engine put the lines back on and put fluid in the transmission dont over fill . and do not let the enging run after the fluid starts to bubble. shut the engine down as soon as possible. i do this once a year on my MH maybe 20 to 25 k on the old fluid. but for my pickup i do it every 35k . if im towing with the pu i also change the filter in the xmission pan . if it is shifting like it should filter replacement isnt necessiary. if it is a new vehicle do replace the filter as you may have trash from the factory in your filter and pan.
lol
al
Thanks for the advise. I had tried to reply a few times to threads but it seems that I time out the page or? When I complete my thoughts, I am not logged in anymore and the message is gone. I do despise futile effort.
We have decided to tap the pan, and have not decided on the torque converter yet. The bubble method puts the paper clutches at risk I am told. I did think the rinsing method (besides the amount of atf) sounded like the best way of cleaning it out.
However we did find filings and even aluminum filings in the pan (not sticking to the magnet). These must have been there since the factory.
I really appreciate the forum members generosity with time and knowledge. Thanks for the help. I am looking forward to another year of technical exchange and sheer entertainment.
If the bubbles bother you use a measured container to catch the old fluid and replace it (quart for quart) as you pump it out. This is the recomended way to change the trans fluid in my Volvo. I'm pretty sure it won't hurt the tranny to run one or even two quarts down in neutral at idle.
The best place to tap into the system is at the exit from the cooler. Remove the cooling line from the cooler and place a hose over the output fitting. Let the return line hang but be sure not to let any dirt or trash get into the system.
Just did same with eldorado. To determine how many quarts of oil the transmission held, measuring the old fluid was the only way other than buy the $90 service manual and the $50 transmission service manual from Cadillac.
These days the dealer provided materials give as little information as possible - kind of like the past generation assembly instructions for Asian made products. Now the poles are reversed! Paper clutches, plastic radiators, soda can mill weight auto bodies, minimal maintenance information, special order for common parts... engineered obsolesence.
And I need reading glasses to use the free telephone books! Mid-life, so many realizations.
well you do need some mechanical skills . and yes if you dont shut the engine down when the oil starts to bubble it will do you some damage. ive been doing this to my vehicles for years. and have not had a transmission problem . lol
al
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