'93 Auto tranny filter change

[stangsdado]

I've got a '93 Auto 5.0 and I've got a small tranny fluid leak. So my buddy and I went under and found it leaking from the front of the tranny filter. I went out and bought the filter, gasket and 3 gallons of mercon. I started reading the Haynes (if that's how its spelled) manual and tracing steps and then I noticed that the two front pan bolts are obstructed by the tranny mount and cross-member.

1. Is there any way to do anything except removing the cross-member to get to those two bolts?

2. If I do remove the the two mount bolts and the cross-member itself, are the engine and driveshaft enough to hold the weight of the tranny while I do the filter?

3. Any other pointers anyone may have on doing the filter/gasket?

Thanks much!

 

[RYC CUKR]

No matter what you do its gonna be messy since the pans don't have a drain plug.

I would support the transmission with a jack and drop the cross member, its not hard. When taking the pan off you want to let it down on one end first. That way you have a little more control of where the fluid runs out from. I would take the bolts out of one end of the pan, which ever is the lowest end to start with is best. Then start taking the bolts on the sides of the pan out and let the one end hang down and drain most of the fluid out.

After it has drained take the rest of the bolts out, keep in mind that there is gonna be some fluid still in the pan. And it will continue to drip off the filter and valve body while you are under there so where some old clothes that you don't mind turning pink from the fluid.

Unless you are doing a full fluid change, converter and all, you don't need 3 gallons of fluid. I can't remember the exact amount for a filter change but definitely not 3 gallons.

 

[stangsdado]

Thanks for the reply.

I was under the impression that all of the fluid will come out when removing the pan but I guess I was wrong. If I wanted to flush it all out, what do I need to? Is there even a need for that?

 

[BYRDPE]

been a long time since i did the swap my auto for a 5sp but i know i didn't remove the xmember when i changed the filter and fluid.

 

[stangsdado]

been a long time since i did the swap my auto for a 5sp but i know i didn't remove the xmember when i changed the filter and fluid.

Looks like when I had my mounts done, the tranny sat all the way up on the mount. It seems that if it slid down, there would be plenty of room to put a socked up there but as it sits, there isn't.

 

[RYC CUKR]

You can do it without dropping the xmember but is a pita