Hello all,

Long story short--I stripped two bolts when dropping the Transmission Pan and one has held up while the other is leaking. I took it to the shop originally and they had to hammer tap it back to true(or as close as possible). I bent the pan while trying to remove and install it. I should have heeded Micah's and black's warning. The exhaust brackets and Transmission mount crossmember did not give me very much room to work. Anyway, the one of the bolts held up, I believe they put some sort of threadlocker on it while the other is still leaking. Not very much mind you, but I would rather it not leak at all of course. Shop recommended that I replace the pan although I cannot see how this would help the stripped bolt at all? Any input/advice would be greatly appreciated.

I should have known better than to start a project like this when I was tired and it was later in the day.

On the bright side, I replaced both the Pump to PS reservoir hose as well as the opposite reservoir hose which is the Pressure Feed hose I believe? In any case they were both so hard and brittle I had to cut and peel them off very carefully as to not damage the surrounding areas.
So I am just finishing bleeding the system and am pretty happy about that job at least

Thank You

Matt

 

You can most likely find a pan cheap at the junkyard but are you saying that you stripped the pan bolt or the threads in the actual hole? The reason I asked is that I stripped the holes for the the 2 bolts in the back of my engine oil pan and the tech at the dealership told me to tap them with helicoils.

 

As far as I know it is only the two bolts. I would really like to avoid getting a whole new pan especially because it is only leaking on that one bolt. I wonder if getting a Felpro gasket like Cowboy uses might do the trick..Hell I'm not even sure what about just a new bolt on that one hole?

 

you do not need a new pan if you are talented enough to pound out pan edges to original flatness and contours

stripping bolts is caused by failure to use a torque wrench - the correct torque on these transmission pan bolts is only 5.5 ft-lbs, that is very little tightness, so little that it seems like not tight enough, but it is.

the correct torque wrench in this case is one that measures inch-pounds
if you are going to do the work yourself, you have to invest in the right tools for the job!

yes, a Fel-Pro gasket will help

 

I agree with you getting one of those Felpro gaskets that Cowboy talks about and then straightening out the bend if you can. Also just buy new bolts.

 

Thanks sha and cowboy, I really appreciate your help. maybe with a slightly bigger Fel-Pro gasket as well as new bolts with maybe even a little threadlocker on them? I'm sure if the bolts are stripped the inside actual hole is not prefect either. the only trouble I could see is getting every part of the two surfaces free of fluid. The transmission case just keeps dripping and dripping ever so slowly. Needless to say I won't be doing this myself again. Unless I took off the exhaust brackets or something.

Cowboy the worst part is that I have the torque wrench and just did not use it. It was about 1AM when I was finished jamming everything back up there and was in no shape to be working on cars. I should have known better and called it quits and started over in the morning when i had more energy. Also, getting 2 days off of work in a row to ensure I had enough time to finish the job correctly is what i need to shoot for in my beginner learning stages at least.

Sheesh..Live and learn I suppose

Thank you again for the feedback

Matt

 

ok, I will confess that I go up to about 8 ft. lbs on these bolts when using a gasket, but I have a very accurate Snap-on inch-pound torque wrench and I know what I can get away with.

the pan becomes warped or damaged from two bad practices:

● overtorquing bolts and not using a proper torque wrench (inch-pound torque wrenches are a tool few DIY mechanics possess)
● using a screwdriver, or other prying tool to separate pan from transmission

 

Noted. I'm thinking I'll get a new pan and gasket and ask our trusty transmission shop how much they would charge me to put it all back up there.

Cowboy, which year or years have you dropped the pan on and what kind of trouble if any have you run into? Seems odd that I had such trouble with this.

 

I have dropped the pan on all generations of LS, and never had any problems, but keep in mind I have been doing this for nearly 40 years, so I made all my mistakes long ago - everyone has to learn the hard way!

Take the money you would spend at a transmission shop and buy a really nice torque wrench, I like the old Snap-On dial type like this one! and 150 inch pounds is a great size for this application!

You don't get good at this stuff by letting Beavis and Butthead at the local crooked transmission shop do it for you!

I would start with all new bolts if they are not in new condition at this point.

 

I understand the importance of the torque wrench, but from what I experienced, the torque settings of the bolts is the least of my worries. If I can get it to that point without bending the pan to all hell getting it past the exhaust brackets as well as making sure the upper and lower tubes are mated properly, I'll be in good shape. Even the lower tube on my pan is not exactly where it once was. I'll have to see what the quote is from the tranny shop. This shop is known for solid work and has great reviews for many decades. I'm just a little weary as to them charging me big-time for this.

I'm all about doing it myself. If I do I again, I'll probably get two more jackstand so I can jack the whole car up giving me more space as well as getting a creeper so I can move around mote freely. I based my procedure off of the one on LexLs: http://www.lexls.com/tutorials/trans...anschange.html

If you know of any tricks I may have missed or that apply to the 98-00 models it would be a big help. As it is right now, the lower tube is not where it originally was, the upper portion was bent/moved slightly to get the two to mate. The pan is definitely bent, but I think I can get it closer to straight than the shop did.

I would really like to do this myself and do it right although there is inevitable fear that I will not do it correctly again for whatever reason. Tough decision to make when I only have Friday and Saturday to get this finished before work again next Sunday.

Any input is awesome as always.

Matt

 

if the tranny shop has a great reputation, then let them do it! - just make sure to use all genuine Toyota parts, and shop around for ~25% discount

 

Thank you again for all the advice cowboy. It is greatly appreciated. I'll make sure I get oem parts and hopefully I can find a little discount.

Matt

 

Keep us posted on the repairs.

This is a modest torque wrench that I use. CDI Torque 1501MRMH. Buy from an authorized dealer. If bought through Amazon and other online sources, there is no warranty. Snap-On distribution is wide, you can get these easily for ~$110 from local tool supply places.

 

Roger that 40, will do.

 

Well a valuable lesson was learned. Long story short all that I needed to do in order to have a little bit of extra space was remove the exhaust brackets. After that, it is a super simple job. Thank you again for all of the help.

Matt