Don’t undertake this project if you are not willing to do the research, watch the videos, and ensure that you comprehend the procedures. Know what you’re getting into, and be honest with yourself about your mechanical aptitude and physical limitations.
Having said that, let me add that this isn’t rocket science and requires no “special” tools other than a torque wrench, two metric allen wrenches, some sort of sump gun (I used the type for servicing differentials), a small level, and a torx bit. I’m 66 years old, never serviced an automatic transmission in my entire life, and I am extremely pleased with the outcome.
This service even mitigated a snatching/jerking condition during low-load acceleration that had been steadily worsening over the past three or so years. Don’t know if the problem was caused by filter restrictions or degraded fluid, because obviously I replaced both.
I’d like to offer some specific pointers to anyone doing this for the very first time:
1. Don’t read just one description or watch just one video. Many of these documentaries gloss over one or more important points. Utilize a number of different sources, and make sure you understand the entire procedure.
2. Decide whether you must have factory parts and fluid. This is basically an economic choice. My own research convinced me that I would do no harm by using tried-and-true aftermarket items. I chose the Dorman 265-850 pan with replaceable filter, and Valvoline Maxlife transmission fluid. Both seem to work perfectly. I found the pan for $114 at Rockauto.com, and the fluid for $18 a gallon at Walmart. You’ll have to buy two gallons, but you’ll actually use maybe five quarts. Next time I change fluid and filter, I’ll keep the same pan and just replace the filter element for about $40.
3. Level the transmission pan’s mounting surface to obtain an accurate fluid fill. Members slickracer, Tim Garceau, and Wild One mention in the comments that the transmission is installed with an upward slope (rear to front). This means that, on a level parking surface, the fill-plug opening will be “low”, as will the final fluid level. This slope is difficult to judge when laying underneath the vehicle, so get a level and use it. My driveway slopes between 4-1/2 and 5 inches over the distance occupied by my truck’s wheelbase. Backing into the driveway, then adding a couple of paving stones beneath each rear wheel, resulted in a level transmission (as measured at the pan-mounting surface). Having the pavers under the tires also gave me a small but welcome amount of extra clearance to crawl beneath the truck.
4. Be sure you have all tools on hand before beginning. You’ll need a 10-mm allen wrench for the drain plug and an 8-mm allen wrench for the fill plug. You’ll also need some sort of extension handle for the 8-mm wrench, because the fill plug will be tight. The 10-mm drain plug is plastic, and easily loosened (about 6 foot-pounds). The pan bolts require a T40 torx bit. A 4” to 6” extension for the torx bit will also be needed to reach all the bolts. Oh, and a long-sleeve shirt. More about that later.
5. With the truck leveled, loosen the drain plug. You don’t need to remove it, just turn counter-clockwise until the fluid starts running out. Let it run until it stops dripping, then re-tighten the plug. You can now remove the pan without spilling fluid all over the place. There are 13 pan bolts. Loosen them all, then remove all but one near the back. Leave this one loose, but in place, to support the pan while you free up the front. The pan will stay attached near the front because the pick-up tube from the filter fits fairly tightly into the transmission’s pump inlet. Wiggle the front of the pan while pulling down, until you feel this connection pull free, then finish removing the remaining rear bolt. Lower the pan carefully and set it aside.
6. Wipe the gasket mating surface with a clean rag, lubricate the pan gasket and the O-ring on the filter’s pick-up tube with some clean fluid, and install the new pan. Lightly snug up all the bolts. Tighten the bolts by skipping from side to side, starting in the center and alternately working out toward the front and rear. This helps prevent buckling of the plastic surface. If you bought the Dorman pan, the torque spec is 10 Newton-meters, or a little less than 90 inch-pounds. I worked up to this in three steps, torquing everything to 30, then 60, then 88 inch-pounds. “Test” the new pan’s drain plug with the 10-mm Allen wrench to make sure it was shipped “tight”. Mine was. Remember, max is only about 6 foot-pounds - don’t strip it!
7. Use the 8-mm allen wrench (with extension) to remove the fill plug.
This plug is located just above the rear passenger-side corner of the pan. On my truck (2014 1500 2WD crew cab), the plug is near the “Y” junction of the two exhaust-header pipes. Using the sump gun, add fluid until it dribbles out of the fill hole. Do not re-install the plug.
8. NOW IS THE TIME to figure out how you are going to re-install the fill plug without touching the exhaust pipes! It looks easy in all the videos, but with no clearance to move your body or even turn over, transmission fluid running down your arm, hot exhaust pipes an inch from the back of your hand, and only a minute or so to complete the task before the transmission temperature goes above the calibration range, you won’t have time to fumble around.
9. OK, now you are about to bring the transmission fluid up to the final fill level. Starting the engine will lower the fluid level as the pump draws fluid from the pan. You will then use the sump gun to add more fluid until the level is once again even with the bottom of the fill hole. Once this has been done, the fill plug can ONLY be out when the engine is running. Why? Because as soon as the engine is turned off, drain-back from the transmission will raise the fluid level in the pan substantially above the fill hole, and too much will run out. The fluid level must align with the bottom of the fill hole with the engine running, and with the transmission temperature within the calibration range.
10. Lay the drain plug and 8-mm allen wrench where you can quickly grab them. Crawl out from underneath the truck and put on the long-sleeve shirt (remember the long-sleeve shirt?). Turn the key to “run”, without starting the engine, and set the instrument panel to display transmission temperature. Start the engine and verify that the transmission temperature is at or below the lower end (86 degrees F) of the fluid-level-calibration range. Note - It’s August and I’m in Texas, so I had to do this in the early morning to get a starting temperature in the 80s. If it were winter, I’d have to let everything warm up to minimum before beginning to add fluid.
11. After the idle speed drops, with your foot firmly on the brake, shift into drive for about 30 seconds, reverse for about 30 seconds, then back to park. Also, several authors recommended holding RPM around 2000 for about 30 seconds (in park, obviously). Note - some sources I read said neutral, others said park. I believe the pump runs in park as well as neutral, because the fluid level stays “dropped” (no drainback). So I used “park”.
12. Now the fun begins. QUICKLY get your ass back under the truck and start pumping in more fluid until it again dribbles out the fill hole. Then put the fill plug back in and tighten it. This is where the long-sleeve shirt comes in handy. Those exhaust pipes heat up considerably faster than the transmission, and you CANNOT shut the engine off until the plug is back in, or you lose fluid because of drain-back. I had to “grin and bear it”, getting blisters on the back of my hand as well as the inside of my forearm. Next time, I’ll wear the shirt.
13. Now get back up to the cab and verify that the transmission temperature hasn’t gone over 122 degrees F, the upper end of the calibration range. If all is well, go check for leaks and then take a test drive. I was absolutely AMAZED at how much smoother my truck drove immediately after this service. The jerking and shuddering had gotten bad enough that passengers were asking about it.
14. After a few days of driving, I plan to re-check the fluid level in case I had trapped air anywhere in the plumbing. At least one procedure I read mentioned the possibility of fluid levels dropping a little after a transmission-cooler thermostat opened. But first I’m going to locate a sacrificial long-sleeve shirt.
15. I also realize that this service probably leaves about 1/3 of the old fluid in the system. Because my old fluid had 184,000 miles on it, I may do a simple “drain and re-fill”, without removing the pan, in the near future. This will dilute the remaining old fluid down to only about 1/9 of the total. It will only cost me about $18, because I can use the partial gallon of fluid I have left and buy only one additional gallon.
