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My 2003 5.4 currently has 103K & I figured it's since it's now my current daily driver (Was spare vehicle) it be a good time to drain the Transmission fluid. Fluid currently has about 40-50K shifts like butter but it's been put off long enough.
I'd assume that this truck used the 4r70W transmission & was wondering has anyone swapped the stock Transmission pan for one that has a built-in drain plug? Figured I can do fluid change ever 20K & do a filter change ever other time (40K)
You can spend money on a drain plug pan or there are drain plug kits for around $20 that you drill a hole and install the fitting. I used to drill a 1/2" hole in the pan, keeping in mind location for no interference with valve body. Then I'd flip a 1/2 NF castle nut upside down in the pan, center and fasten it with a 1/2 NF bolt. Then tig weld the legs of the castle nut to pan. Then I'd remove bolt and install an Allison 1/2 NF magnetic pan bolt for final. We had lots of those drain plugs available where I worked.
I have got to ask why?
Do you put your truck in a lot of mud and water?
Your money I know, but just change the fluid and filter at 40,000 miles and be done with it.
Knocking on wood here as I have a truck with the transmission in it with over 200,000 miles and that filter has never been changed or the oil as the oil still looks new and passes the smell test. One of those I have been putting off for a while now as things keep coming up. Yes, it stays in the mud and water and still shifts like it needs to shift and what can you say?
I welded a nut to the pan like Lime1GT said and put a 3/8 NF bolt in it as a plug. Changed the filter ONCE at 75K miles when i bought it.. Plan to drain and refill the oil every 40K miles after that. NEVER take off the pan again.
For ~$30 the Dorman pan is one of the very few Dorman products that isn't crap. RA also sells a variant under the SKP name for sub-$16 that has the same part # as the Dorman, but shipping might kill the deal.
I've welded nuts into C6 pans before but for $30 or less my time is more valuable these days, plus you get a flashy new black paint job on the new pan.
The "why" for me is because balancing a cake pan full of wet batter overhead as you attempt to lower it and minimize spillage is just dumb....AND as others have stated you can now periodically drain your fluid and not disturb the pan. The internal filter has a lot of surface area and shouldn't need to be changed often -- perhaps only once in the lifetime of the vehicle.
I was just asking because if the Domain Model does fit I'd rather swap to this pan since I'm already due for the fluid/filter change & make the fluid change much cleaner & easier in the future.
I was just asking because if the Domain Model does fit I'd rather swap to this pan since I'm already due for the fluid/filter change & make the fluid change much cleaner & easier in the future.
I've put the Dorman model on an '03 4R70, '07 4R70 and '08 4R75. I like it personally (shrug). I got all of them thru AWD (Amazon Warehouse Deals) and they were all in great shape. I don't see any in AWD but presently $24.45 new, shipped, although if enough people click this link the Amazon bot may jack the price: https://smile.amazon.com/Dorman-265-.../dp/B00NF1PT8O
edit: that's not an affiliate link for me or anything, I don't have a dog in this fight aside from personal experience and opinion
