afate45
Junior Member
Long time lurker, first time poster! I have a question about the PPE pan install on a 2014 Ram 1500 with the 5.7.
I'm at the point where it's time to install the PPE pan and the exhaust crossover isn't giving me the clearance to install the pan.
My question...I unbolted the cross member, raised it up just before the 3 bolts come out of the holes for the cross member, but I still don't have the clearance needed...if I go ahead and jack the rear of the transmission up another 1/2in where those three bolts clear the bolt holes in the crossmember, am I going to have a nightmare getting them to drop back into the holes?
Ive read just about every thread here about the pan install. I see in older threads people talked about needing to unbolt the exhaust from the manifolds, but I'm really trying to avoid that headache since the driver side isn't easily accessible from under the truck...I just don't want to hose myself by creating another issue where the 3 cross member bolts won't go back into their holes when I lower the transmission back down.
Thanks for any advice you can provide!!!
EDIT: 4/7/23
I was finally able to install the PPE pan. It seems that the fit was much tighter on my truck than other accounts around the internet. I had to unbolt the rear transmission mount and raise it substantially....at least 2 inches (the bolts for the mount were well clear of the cross member)...and even then it was a tight fit. All in all, I wouldn't say it was difficult, just a learning experience that made it difficult. As with most mods/service on a vehicle, the first time around takes 5x as long as it should...next time will be a breeze.
A few other notable highlights...
- When I unbolted and raised the rear transmission mount, my fear of the bolts not lining back up when I lowered it actually did come true. Luckily it wasn't nearly the same nightmare as I've had with other vehicles in the past. I took a ratchet strap, fed it through the passenger side of the mount, and looped it around the frame...I just had to pull the mount over about 1/4in to get the bolts to line back up. A minor inconvenience, but still worth noting.
- Don't be stupid like me and forget to disengage the parking break before doing your fill process...I was wondering why the tires weren't spinning with ESC disabled.
- Check the drain plug on your PPE pan before wrapping things up. Mine wasn't loose, but it was definitely not tight enough for my comfort (I went to 25ft lbs...seemed good enough, but don't quote me on that)
- The pesky transmission pan bolt that is right above the exhaust crossover pipe can be easily accessed if you lift the rear transmission mount as high as I did.
So far I'm very happy with the results, the truck seems to shift really smooth. Not that it had problems before, but it does feel a bit smoother. Perhaps it's all in my head, but I'm satisfied with the result.
I'm at the point where it's time to install the PPE pan and the exhaust crossover isn't giving me the clearance to install the pan.
My question...I unbolted the cross member, raised it up just before the 3 bolts come out of the holes for the cross member, but I still don't have the clearance needed...if I go ahead and jack the rear of the transmission up another 1/2in where those three bolts clear the bolt holes in the crossmember, am I going to have a nightmare getting them to drop back into the holes?
Ive read just about every thread here about the pan install. I see in older threads people talked about needing to unbolt the exhaust from the manifolds, but I'm really trying to avoid that headache since the driver side isn't easily accessible from under the truck...I just don't want to hose myself by creating another issue where the 3 cross member bolts won't go back into their holes when I lower the transmission back down.
Thanks for any advice you can provide!!!
EDIT: 4/7/23
I was finally able to install the PPE pan. It seems that the fit was much tighter on my truck than other accounts around the internet. I had to unbolt the rear transmission mount and raise it substantially....at least 2 inches (the bolts for the mount were well clear of the cross member)...and even then it was a tight fit. All in all, I wouldn't say it was difficult, just a learning experience that made it difficult. As with most mods/service on a vehicle, the first time around takes 5x as long as it should...next time will be a breeze.
A few other notable highlights...
- When I unbolted and raised the rear transmission mount, my fear of the bolts not lining back up when I lowered it actually did come true. Luckily it wasn't nearly the same nightmare as I've had with other vehicles in the past. I took a ratchet strap, fed it through the passenger side of the mount, and looped it around the frame...I just had to pull the mount over about 1/4in to get the bolts to line back up. A minor inconvenience, but still worth noting.
- Don't be stupid like me and forget to disengage the parking break before doing your fill process...I was wondering why the tires weren't spinning with ESC disabled.
- Check the drain plug on your PPE pan before wrapping things up. Mine wasn't loose, but it was definitely not tight enough for my comfort (I went to 25ft lbs...seemed good enough, but don't quote me on that)
- The pesky transmission pan bolt that is right above the exhaust crossover pipe can be easily accessed if you lift the rear transmission mount as high as I did.
So far I'm very happy with the results, the truck seems to shift really smooth. Not that it had problems before, but it does feel a bit smoother. Perhaps it's all in my head, but I'm satisfied with the result.
Last edited: