YAY for me and BOO formy luck.

[Ldub]

Ya Dub I really like your set up and yes I will go thought route if needed.



Yup dont know how to do the whole tranny thing myself so bart pm comming your way.

From the "how to" section of this here site...don't forget to thank Joe Black.


http://www.vehicross.info/modules.ph...warticle&id=20

The rest is just removing the cross member & dropping the pan to access the filter.

[nfpgasmask]

I will reply with my step by step for the tranny fluid and filter change since it is still fresh in my head. Not that Joe's how-to is not good, but his is only a fluid change.

So, here goes.

Stuff you need:

[ ] Jack
[ ] Jack Stands
[ ] Drain pan(s)
[ ] Lots of shop rags and/or paper towels
[ ] 6-7 quarts of new trans fluid
[ ] New tranny filter and gasket (about $35 from AutoZone) ***Note, after you buy the new filter, take out the gasket and flatten it under some heavy books for 2 or 3 days, it will make it 10 times easier to align and put on.
[ ] Wrenches (can't remember what sizes you need)
[ ] Socket set and extender
[ ] Goggles (unless you want all sorts of crap falling in your eyes)
[ ] Funnel with a tube thingy (look at Wal*mart next to the trans fluid section, they have this neat little graduated funnel with a lid and an on/off valve. Get this for like $6, makes refilling a BREEZE!)
[ ] Plastic tubing to attach to the above funnel with a tube thingy (I think we used 1/2 inch, can't remember)
[ ] Some sort of scraper (razor blade, putty knife, etc)
[ ] 1 or 2 helpers (3 people makes the job easy, 2 will work with a little juggling, doing this by yourself will suck ostrich eggs)

1) Open tranny drain plug and drain out as much fluid as you can

2) Apply parking brake and jack up front end of VX and put it on jack stands.

3) Now, slightly jack up the tranny itself, and put on a jack stand, you need to do this because we are about to....

4) Unbolt and drop the cross member under the tranny. There are some wires connected to some clamps on the crossmember you will also need to disconnect. Have fun with that. Set cross member out of the way.

5) Dropping the pan: There are a bunch of little bolts holding it up. Carefully remove each one and set aside in a good place so you don't loose them. You may need a piece of 2x4 and a hammer to get the pan unstuck once all the retaining bolts are removed. Before you start hammering though, make sure all the bolts are out so you don't fubar anything.

6) Now that you have the pan dropped, catch all that dripping fluid and dump the rest into your drain pan.

7) Clean up the pan. Wipe out all the old fluid really good. You will also have a magnet in the bottom. Take it out and inspect it for metal shards and metallic goop. Clean it off really good and set it back in the pan once it is clean. Then, remove the old gasket off your drain pan. If you are luckly like CrnCnn, you will have about an hour worth of scraping to remove the old gasket. Its really fun. Make sure you don't mess up the pan if you have to scrape. Be careful, but get as much of the rotted gasket cleaned off the pan. You might also have some caked on gasket remains under the truck as well. You will want to get that clean also.

8) Now that you are all drained and cleaned up, set the pan under the truck below where you need to bolt it back up. Set the gasket flatly on top (which should be easy because you already flattened it under some books for 3 days like I told you to ). This part is optional: Fill the pan as much as you think you can with fresh fluid before you lift it up and rebolt it. I think we put 2 or 3 quarts in this way. This will hasten the refilling time needed, but this part definitely requires a friend (someone to hold the pan up while you start putting the bolts back in). Or you can just skip that and fill it all up after the pan is back up and secure.

9) Now that your pan is back up and the drain plug is secure, put the cross member back up and reattach the wiring under there as well. Remove the jack stand under your tranny and gently lower it back down onto the cross member. Take your VX off the jack stands and let it sit on level ground.

10) Open the fill plug. Take the funnel with the hose thingy and attach a length of clear tubing to it, long enough to go from a standing person who is holding the funnel at about chest height, down and into the fill port on your tranny. Now, have all your quarts at the ready, and fill up the funnel with a quart of fluid. Make sure the other end is shuved into the fill hole, and it is probably a good idea to have someone laying down there and holding it in. Open the valve on the funnel and watch the fluid syphon into the tranny. I think you should be able to get 4 or 5 quarts of fluid in there before its time to check the level, which is the best part....

11) Now, follow the procedure below:


12) Once you are full, cap off the fill port and you should be good to go. Check for leaks over the next day or two just to make sure everything is tight, but remember, don't over tighten anything!

It sounds a lot worse than it is. But that said, dedicate an entire, waking up early Saturday to get the job done. Offer 2 of your buds a case of beer each and you should be able to bag the project with no issues. We did both mine and CrnCnn's in one day.

NOTE: If anyone has anything to add, or if I forgot something, feel free to interject.

Bart

PS - I should have documented the procedure with photos last time we did it, but trans fluid covered hands and holding a camera isn't really convenient.

[etlsport]

I really should do my own next time.. what did you do with the ATF when you were done bart?

[nfpgasmask]

I really should do my own next time.. what did you do with the ATF when you were done bart?

.....Brought it to Kragen and dumped it with the oil in my drain pan. I'm sure there is probably a better way to dispose of it, but this was the best way I could think of getting rid of it. Does anyone know of the proper method for tranny fluid disposal?

Bart