drain plugs for auto trans??
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drain plugs for auto trans??
Anyone have experience installing drain plugs in auto trans?? I would like to have one installed when I put sonnax kit in. Would really make changing oil less of a hassle. Any thoughts??? Thanks Jeff
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From: La La Land
If you're handy with a torch and some silver-solder, all you'll need are a hole, a brass pipe-thread bushing from 1/2' pipe thread down to 1/4" pipe thread, and a 1/4" brass pipe plug. Open up the hole to accomodate the 1/2" pipe bushing. Carefully sand off the "galvanizing" from around the hole to enable the silver-solder to flow properly, and silver-solder it in place. Use a pipe tap to just "clean up" the female 1/4" pipe threads. Use just a small dab of Aviation Form-a-Gasket on the pipe plug threads to prevent leaks. I wouldn't use teflon tape, as a small piece could get loose inside the pan and cause a problem with the valve body.
When you're through, paint the whole pan Ford Blue to make it look nice.
SpringerPop
When you're through, paint the whole pan Ford Blue to make it look nice.
SpringerPop
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...or, you could just pick up a pan from a later model 4R100 - maybe at a junk yard? My 2000 4x4 has a deeper pan than the 4x2, and it has a drain plug with a big, donut shaped magnet around the drain plug, the better to catch any stray metal. It is quite nice. My brothers 97 E40D had a pan that looked the same, but no drain plug. The oil pans from the E40D and 4R100 are interchangeable.
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From: La La Land
That might be a better solution, but I had to solder in a bushing because even though my 2000 came with a drain-type pan, the plug had been previously over-tightened. That broke the spot-welds on the small threaded bushing that's inside the pan to create the plug threads. When I went to remove my plug, the entire plug just turned and turned, but would not loosen. The female threads were turning, too, inside the pan. My Dumore porting grinder and a 1/4" carbide burr finally got the thing apart, leaving me a hole in the sheet metal about 3/4" in diameter. It was Sunday afternoon, and I had to be back on the road again on Monday, so a trip to my local Napa got the bushing and plug. The bonus was that the circular magnet fit over the part of the bushing on the inside of the pan just perfectly. Looked almost designed that way! Got me back on the road, and it's the only part of my drivetrain (that I know of) that's not metric.
SpringerPop
SpringerPop
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From: West Texas
Jeff, I got the message you emailed me about this all, I use internet explorer for a search engine and the site will not let me email anyone back till I have made 15 posts or more LOL... I never use my sbcglobal account to surf the web so the site see's me as a new person all the time. Sorry for any trouble this was, next time PM me on the site here and I can do that LOL...
Now what I did to both axles and the tranny pan was I bought 3 bolts and 3 nuts and 3 copper washers to seal them up good. Then welded the 5/8" fine thread nuts to the pan or cover plate of the axles while I had them off. Cleaned up good with power wire brush and painted. Not a bad project if you have access to a welder. I used a drill to drill the 5/8" hole. Guess you wouldn't have to use a 5/8" either, you could use 1/2" and be fine too.
Now what I did to both axles and the tranny pan was I bought 3 bolts and 3 nuts and 3 copper washers to seal them up good. Then welded the 5/8" fine thread nuts to the pan or cover plate of the axles while I had them off. Cleaned up good with power wire brush and painted. Not a bad project if you have access to a welder. I used a drill to drill the 5/8" hole. Guess you wouldn't have to use a 5/8" either, you could use 1/2" and be fine too.
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thanks for all the replys, the kit you buy at a parts store sounds the easiest to install. Jeff
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Originally Posted by jcab
thanks for all the replys, the kit you buy at a parts store sounds the easiest to install. Jeff
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