lexslexus

Hello everyone. Finally getting around to replacing my transmission pan gasket to stop a slow leak.

Thought it would take a few hours at most but the bolts are so stubborn that several hours (and several breaks) later I'm still trying to get the remaining 4 or 5 bolts (the few that are hard to reach) out of the transmission pan. It seems like they're not budging at all but I know I'm making at least a tiny bit of progress because a few drops of fluid came out.

Any tips on getting the last few bolts out? This is my first car repair. I tried spraying some WD-40 onto the bolts but that did not help much.

ankurdave

I'm also a beginner at car repair, but so far I've had good results on difficult bolts, especially in the suspension, using these tips:
1. If you have the clearance, use a breaker bar. If you're already using one, try a longer one.
2. Try using real penetrating oil. I've had good results with Liquid Wrench, and apparently a 50/50 mix of acetone and ATF is even more effective.
3. Try alternating between tightening and loosening. This rocking action seems to break the bolt's internal friction.
4. Take breaks to let the penetrating oil soak in and regain your spirits. Have faith that you'll eventually succeed.

Banshee365

Those are M6 bolts. They can't be that tight... Which bolts are you having trouble accessing?

Losiracer2

I was able to get all 19 of mine out with a 19v cordless drill, took me about 5-10 minutes. Are they seized with corrosion or something?

dicer

Someone could have used locktite on them. So using a heat gun maybe the thing to do, or a small propane torch, but with that be very careful if its oily down there. Maybe use a degreaser and wash it all good first.

lexslexus

The bolts that I'm having trouble with are really close to the catalytic converters and the bracket that holds them in place. They're not corroded but they do have loctite on them (all my bolts do) or maybe FIPG . Tried the acetone and ATF mix and tightening and loosening but no luck. Not sure why these specific bolts won't come out as easily as the others. At this point, I'm kinda frustrated and really sore so I'm going to have a mechanic finish it up for me.

djamps

Cordless impact is your best friend. Tends to break loose stubborn bolts.

Banshee365

An impact is a lot of tool for an M6
bolt. I'm afraid that would snap a stuck bolt fairly quick.

lexslexus

I'm gonna give it another go tomorrow. With the new bigger jack I ordered, I should be able to get more room to pull the bolts out. Right now, I've got the bolts soaking in Liquid Wrench. As always, thanks for the help everyone. I'll let you all know how it goes.

Banshee365

Bigger jack? You are using jack stands or something besides a jack to hold the car up right?

lexslexus

Yes, I was using 2 ton jack stands and a 2 ton hydraulic trolley jack. I'm replacing the trolley jack with a 2.5 ton floor jack. Didn't realize it wasn't the type of jack I needed.

nthach

If the pan was dropped, there's a good chance it was zipped on with a 1/4" impact driver - those things might be small but can throw 1000+ in-lbs of torque. I wouldn't rule out red Loctite as well - careful heat with a heatgun might help budge the seal.

Banshee365

Red loctite? What the hell is wrong with people...

oldskewel

iTrader: (1)

LOL. Maybe they wanted to match the red FIPG. Just kidding.

More seriously, I agree on the electric impact. My favorite is my 12V Nextec for something like this. You really don't want to break the screws, so a breaker bar is maybe not what you want here. You want to impact them loose, not shear off the screw. A good solid fit of the socket (10mm probably) will help too.

BTW, I've noticed that (on other cars) some of the AT filter/gasket kits that come with screws include class 10.9 screws, which is really strong considering the minimal torque specs on the screws for an AT pan. I guess they realize that heat, etc. may make removal difficult no matter how light the installation torque spec is.

lexslexus

I tried getting the bolts out again today and still absolutely no luck.

Yes, the loctite is red and the pan has been dropped before. At one point, I even wondered if it was FIPG because the coloring is pretty much exactly the same as what I'm seeing around the perimeter of the transmission pan.

Given that I tried mixing ATF with acetone, I'd assume using heat would result in a fire. So, I'll see about getting the electric impact.

This is so wild. I thought I'd be done with this job by the end of the day at worst but it's almost a week later now and I'm still not done lol.