Draining a C6 without a drain plug
Thread Starter
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Regular User
Joined: Sep 2014
Posts: 1,798
Likes: 15
From: Bathurst, New Brunswick
Draining a C6 without a drain plug
I know the usual method is to drop the pan and drain it that way. I plan to add this plug while I have it out:
https://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/B00...K6Y9EEQB&psc=1
What if I drill a small hole in the pan in the location the plug is going, while still full and on the truck, and let it drain through that hole? Once empty I pull and clean the pan, install the plug, change the filter, and reinstall pan.
Would this work or am I just looking for trouble (as my mother would say)?
https://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/B00...K6Y9EEQB&psc=1
What if I drill a small hole in the pan in the location the plug is going, while still full and on the truck, and let it drain through that hole? Once empty I pull and clean the pan, install the plug, change the filter, and reinstall pan.
Would this work or am I just looking for trouble (as my mother would say)?
Fleet Mechanic
Joined: Feb 2004
Posts: 1,816
Likes: 3
From: River Valley AR
Drawback would be oil running down the drill and killing it. If you were quick enough though, you might be able to use a small bit with a stop collar on it. Find a short piece of copper (or whatever) tubing, get a drill bit that fits snugly into the ID of the tubing, then trim length so only 1/4" or so of the bit sticks out past the tubing. Don't forget rags....
Cargo Master
Joined: Jul 2005
Posts: 2,309
Likes: 364
From: Kansas
not worth the risk in my opinion, and you'll probably make a bigger mess than you would just removing the pan the old fashioned way...I use a rubbermaid 30 gallon trash can lid...no mess on the floor.
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Regular User
Joined: Sep 2014
Posts: 1,798
Likes: 15
From: Bathurst, New Brunswick
Where is the best/safest location for the drain? I've seen pictures of ones installed on the rear side near the bottom as well as the rear bottom of the pan.
Drilling the side of the pan would mean less of a mess dripping onto the drill and my arm, should I decide to go that way. Thoughts?
Drilling the side of the pan would mean less of a mess dripping onto the drill and my arm, should I decide to go that way. Thoughts?
Posting Guru
Joined: Jan 2005
Posts: 1,051
Likes: 0
From: Douglas, Georgia
Why not just pull the modulator, let most of the oil drain and then drop the pan in the conventional way?
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Elder User
Joined: Feb 2011
Posts: 575
Likes: 6
From: Knoxville, TN
Use a hand drill.....no electrical drills. Center Punch it and drill it where ya want it. Use something to catch the oil. Done in 10 min.
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Thread Starter
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Regular User
Joined: Sep 2014
Posts: 1,798
Likes: 15
From: Bathurst, New Brunswick
Thanks for the suggestion. I haven't seen this approach in my research. Have you (or others) done this?
Posting Guru
Joined: Jan 2005
Posts: 1,051
Likes: 0
From: Douglas, Georgia
Yeah. It doesn't drop ALL of it, but it makes it a ton easier to drop the pan.
I just remove the back bolts of the pan and work my way forward. by the time you get to the front there is only a quart or two in the pan and it's easy enough to deal with.
I would be careful with the punch, hate to warp a pan, the stock ones are normally pretty rough by the time you get to them :P
I've changed fluid in a c6 probably 100 times.
On another note, a chrome pan with a drain plug is only like $30..... just an fyi.
https://www.summitracing.com/search/...rder=Ascending
I just remove the back bolts of the pan and work my way forward. by the time you get to the front there is only a quart or two in the pan and it's easy enough to deal with.
I would be careful with the punch, hate to warp a pan, the stock ones are normally pretty rough by the time you get to them :P
I've changed fluid in a c6 probably 100 times.
On another note, a chrome pan with a drain plug is only like $30..... just an fyi.
https://www.summitracing.com/search/...rder=Ascending
Fleet Mechanic
Joined: Feb 2004
Posts: 1,816
Likes: 3
From: River Valley AR
Where is the best/safest location for the drain? I've seen pictures of ones installed on the rear side near the bottom as well as the rear bottom of the pan.
Drilling the side of the pan would mean less of a mess dripping onto the drill and my arm, should I decide to go that way. Thoughts?
Drilling the side of the pan would mean less of a mess dripping onto the drill and my arm, should I decide to go that way. Thoughts?
Laughing Gas
Joined: Nov 2013
Posts: 1,207
Likes: 60
From: S.E. Louisiana;so far USA
If you use the plug as designed it won't drain all the oil. Also be sure to read the user feed backs regarding leaks. I used a 1/8" NPT slotted bung and brazed it in at the lowest point on the pan. It drains all the fluid and does not leak.
Fleet Mechanic
Joined: Sep 2014
Posts: 1,626
Likes: 78
From: NE Texas
I'm the contrarian, I guess - I would drop the pan, install the drain plug, and use it the next time. All the shavings should rinse out, true - but a) I want to make sure the inside of the holes is deburred and b)with my luck, I'd be "that guy" for whom that one big shaving would stick in the pan, and I would find out about it about the time it jacked up my transmission. Plus I would want to change out the filter at least once, and it's really hard to do that through the drain plug. My $.02 - drop the pan and do it right. As my father used to say "You don't have time enough to do it wrong the first time."
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Regular User
Joined: Sep 2014
Posts: 1,798
Likes: 15
From: Bathurst, New Brunswick
I'm the contrarian, I guess - I would drop the pan, install the drain plug, and use it the next time. All the shavings should rinse out, true - but a) I want to make sure the inside of the holes is deburred and b)with my luck, I'd be "that guy" for whom that one big shaving would stick in the pan, and I would find out about it about the time it jacked up my transmission. Plus I would want to change out the filter at least once, and it's really hard to do that through the drain plug. My $.02 - drop the pan and do it right. As my father used to say "You don't have time enough to do it wrong the first time."
My understanding is that there are +/- 3 quarts in the pan. Is the rest (+/- 10 quarts) all in the TC?
Elder User
Joined: Aug 2016
Posts: 723
Likes: 3
From: Cape Town, South Africa
I wouldn't drill into the oil pan unless I knew with 100% certainty, that there would be no clearance issues once the drain plug is fitted.
Drilling blindly into the pan sounds like something Left Eye Blind racing would do.
(The shades cover the blind eye !!)
Rather drain the TC, remove the modulator (good idea that !
), then drain the cooler (if pipes are higher than the pan), then the pan.
Once the pan is off you can double check exactly where to fit the plug.
As HD says, rather do it right.
Is that B&M plug magnetic ?
If not, better to get a magnetic one, or, place a magnet outside the pan next to the plug.
Food for thought : an ally finned pan with a plug already fitted.
Drilling blindly into the pan sounds like something Left Eye Blind racing would do.
(The shades cover the blind eye !!)Rather drain the TC, remove the modulator (good idea that !
), then drain the cooler (if pipes are higher than the pan), then the pan.Once the pan is off you can double check exactly where to fit the plug.
As HD says, rather do it right.
Is that B&M plug magnetic ?
If not, better to get a magnetic one, or, place a magnet outside the pan next to the plug.
Food for thought : an ally finned pan with a plug already fitted.