To drain plug, or not to drain plug...
To drain plug, or not to drain plug... Hello everyone. I was looking at some of my cars and thought about doing a pan drop and filter change on some of the A4s. I've always been told to install a pan with a drain plug for convenience, but that's never made sense to me because my personal belief is that if you're going to change fluids, you should always change filters, which would mean dropping the pan anyway. I mean, I guess having a drain plug would make it less messy as you can at least drain the fluid before you drop the pan, but I've done a pan drop on my F bodys and Mustangs without draining the pans and it was never too messy as long as I took my time and brought plenty of rags.
What're your guys thoughts on changing filters, fluids, pans with plugs, etc? Seems like an unnecessary expense to me. Thanks in advance...
What're your guys thoughts on changing filters, fluids, pans with plugs, etc? Seems like an unnecessary expense to me. Thanks in advance...
Sounds good to me.
Automatic transmission fluid changes for TH400, 700R4 & 4L60E, have always dropped the pan to dump the fluid, no drain plug. New filter & gasket, clean magnets etc refill to proper level.
Since that only gets part of the old fluid out as some remains in torque converter, I tend to do the transmission fluid & filter more often. Typically ~15,000 miles. Fresh clean transmission fluid is critical for longevity for sure.
No experience with the newer transmissions.
Automatic transmission fluid changes for TH400, 700R4 & 4L60E, have always dropped the pan to dump the fluid, no drain plug. New filter & gasket, clean magnets etc refill to proper level.
Since that only gets part of the old fluid out as some remains in torque converter, I tend to do the transmission fluid & filter more often. Typically ~15,000 miles. Fresh clean transmission fluid is critical for longevity for sure.
No experience with the newer transmissions.
Joined: Nov 2001
Posts: 34,628
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From: Schiller Park, ILL Member: #317
I mean, I guess having a drain plug would make it less messy as you can at least drain the fluid before you drop the pan, but I've done a pan drop on my F bodys and Mustangs without draining the pans and it was never too messy as long as I took my time and brought plenty of rags.
Also, fluid changes become so easy with a drain plug that you can refresh the fluid more often than would otherwise be feasible due to the extended process of dropping the pan, being careful not to spill the fluid as mentioned above, swapping out the filter, and then re-torquing the pan properly to prevent leaks. That all takes a lot more time than a simple plug pull and fluid drain/refill - so the practicality of more frequent fluid changes (compared to what would be a typical interval when the time is required for the longer filter change process) does offer some benefits.
On the downside, most of the aftermarket plug kits tend to leak in my experience. Never a ton, just a drip or two here and there. The exception to this was the nice 4L60E truck pan that GM used to sell many years ago - it was deeper and had a factory drain plug built in. The plug and seal was of the same quality as a factory engine oil drain plug, and it never leaked. I put one on my Trans Am, but when I went to buy another several years later GM had changed the design of that pan and removed the factory plug.
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Joined: Mar 2005
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From: South Carolina
If you get the pan with a drain plug keep in mind all the factory plugs are soft metal and the head rounds off very easy. I tried driving on a smaller socket with no luck. Easy-out no luck. Finally grabbed the air chisel and it came right off.
I found a much better plug at Autozone (Needa 653076) for $4 that has a much beefier head but just a tad long (M12-1.75). I zipped the extra length off with a cutoff wheel and used the OEM plugs gasket as it was larger in diameter and fit perfect. No more worries with rounding off the soft GM drain plug and zero leaks.
My struggle with that dam OEM plug
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I found a much better plug at Autozone (Needa 653076) for $4 that has a much beefier head but just a tad long (M12-1.75). I zipped the extra length off with a cutoff wheel and used the OEM plugs gasket as it was larger in diameter and fit perfect. No more worries with rounding off the soft GM drain plug and zero leaks.
My struggle with that dam OEM plug
Attachment 712391
Attachment 712392
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Ugh. Trans fluid is the one thing that ISN'T leaking on my cars but it might start with an aftermarket pan. Oh well, you can't have it all. I think I'll have a go with the pans with plugs. Thanks for the input, guys...
