I tried to take the pan off the transmission today to change the oil and had a *real* fun time trying to remove it (Oh, I love doing that while oil is drooling everywhere). some things I wanted to ask you: Do you REALLY have to remove the rear transmission mount to get the pan off? I can't get the pan off without pushing it back towards the rear (To clear the exhaust pipe) and down, and that mount is preventing me from even hinging it down. I don't want to force it down (I know the tranny is full of nice delicate equipment...), but this is really frustrating!

 

First, if the new gasket came out of a box, you may find it helpful to lay some phone books on it to flatten it out.
With the pan unbolted, you gotta finesse it rearward and up while dropping the front down to clear the exhaust. It's tricky but its possible. A few curse words usually help.
If you do end up removing the rear mount, replace it, it is worn out.
A trick I use when putting the pan back on is to use small plastic wire ties through the bolt holes to hold the gasket in place. They are easily cut out of the way once a few bolts are started.
I also installed a drain plug on my pan while I had it out. Don't you just love the smell and feel of old hydraulic fluid? yuck!

 

First off, what are you driving? Some of the 2nd gens do require you to drop the transmission cross member to get the pan out. My old 2000 Bravada did not, but it could be a little fun to get out.

Definitely lay the new gasket out. Most gaskets now come with holes smaller than the bolt thread so you can install all of the pan bolts through the pan and into the gasket to hold the gasket in place. This works great for some of those hard to reach bolts.

And DEFINITELY get yourself a B&M drain plug. Next time you service the transmission, just pull the plug. Refill and enjoy the next few hours of free time. Really, the only thing that can plug up a transmission filter is parts of the transmission itself. I always replace them when I have the pan off, but if you do not need to remove the pan to change the fluid, there is no need to change the filter.

 

Oh, YUCK! I had it all over my arms while trying to pull it down, and although I caught most of it in a pan, I watered the ground pretty good with the stuff. I am definitely getting a drainpan for that transmission.

The vehicle in question is a '98 Chev Blazer. I just finished changing the front brakes and tightening up the steering (If you have "Loose" steering, Check the idler arm's frame bolts. I replaced mine, thinking it was worn, but I can't find the movement in the idler arm related to the movement I was seeing. I wonder if those mounting bolts were simply loose...), so I thought I would dive in and change out the drivetrain fluids. I never figured the transmission would be this hard! I guess we learn!

Thanks for confirming my suspicion and all the tips (It is my first auto job). I'll let you guys know when I'm done!

 

I use one of my grand kids old sand box covers under the normal drain pan. It catches the splash and keeps my driveway clean. The sand box cover is flexible plastic and about 4' in diameter. It's necessary to put the normal drain pan inside the sand box cover because the sandbox cover is too light weight to pour from.
Regarding removing the trans pan, simply remove the two rear mount nuts and jack up the trans about an inch or two. The pan comes off much more easily. No need to completely remove the cross beam.
When changing the filter, make sure the old grommet comes out with the filter neck. If you get two of them up there, they will interfere with the pan installation.
Good luck.

 

I finished bolting the pan back on. I was able to spot the last post about jacking the tranny up, and with a little bit of effort, squeezed it past the crossbrace / exhaust pipe.

thanks again for all the help!

 

X2, otherwise you could damage the back of the valvebody banging the pan around as you get it out. Removing that crossmember is taking the long road, and is no fun to do that way, and you better have a magnetstick, lol.

 

With air tools, I prefer to remove the cross member when clearance is an issue. I have had a few where jacking up the transmission was not enough to properly get the pan out. My cousin's 1998 Bravada for example. It is always something to try first though.

 

I found that the only way to get my pan off was to unbolt the transmission from the crossmember...4 mins later the pan was out.

 

I'm going to attempt a pan drop on my 97 Bravada this weekend. Hope I can get the pan out without messing with the crossmember or lifting the transmission but will do what it takes to get the job done and I also plan on adding a B&M drain plug for future changes. Couple questions in case I do need to detach the tranny from the crossmember....

1. Where are the two bolts that need to be removed located? Are these the two bolts directly beneath the crossmember?

2. When lifting the transmission an inch or two can I use a regular car jack or do I need a special transmission jack? And where under the transmission can it be lifted?