$25 transmission drain plug

[JTK]

As nuts as I am with fluid maintenance on my vehicles, I may have pushed the limits this time. I ordered a magnetic drain plug for the 9T65 9 speed AT in my 2021 Chevy Traverse just so I can see how much it collects. You can't service the filters or magnets in these units.

I believe most of the failures you see in these transmissions is due to lack of fluid maintenance. GM doesn't really call for ATF changes on them, even though doing drain/fills is easier than an engine oil change.

I'll follow through on how it goes. Total cost was $27.18 w/ PR or NY sales tax.

Amazon.com

 

[Urshurak776]

Same drain plug as a Harley Davidson (some of them anyway.) Probably why it's $25!

 

[SC Maintenance]

Thats a good price shipped, if it is in fact a Votex.

Dimple and Gold are like $40. I keep looking at them, too cheap to buy

 

[JTK]

Thats a good price shipped, if it is in fact a Votex.

Dimple and Gold are like $40. I keep looking at them, too cheap to buy

I've seen some threads with Traverse owners who have used dimple plugs for their T-case and rear carrier drain plugs. I couldn't find one for the 9T65 or I would have bought one. The Votex is supposedly made of SS. They are essentially little pipe plugs on the GMs which sketches me out a bit. If you got too carried away, you could break the transmission case.

 

[wpod]

Clean oil keeps trans lasting as long as its quality will allow, Clean oil will not stop parts breakage from poor design or quality.

 

[JTK]

Clean oil keeps trans lasting as long as its quality will allow, Clean oil will not stop parts breakage from poor design or quality.

Agreed. The way I see it, if my transmissions or gearboxes in general fail, they are not going to fail due to lack of fluid maintenance.

 

[Lubener]

As nuts as I am with fluid maintenance on my vehicles, I may have pushed the limits this time. I ordered a magnetic drain plug for the 9T65 9 speed AT in my 2021 Chevy Traverse just so I can see how much it collects. You can't service the filters or magnets in these units.

I believe most of the failures you see in these transmissions is due to lack of fluid maintenance. GM doesn't really call for ATF changes on them, even though doing drain/fills is easier than an engine oil change.

I'll follow through on how it goes. Total cost was $27.18 w/ PR or NY sales tax.

Amazon.com

There's not enough surface area on the plug to give you very good long term results after it loading up with debris.. If not equiped, put a donut magnet inside of the pan.

 

[IndyIan]

There's not enough surface area on the plug to give you very good long term results after it loading up with debris.. If not equiped, put a donut magnet inside of the pan.

Really? I've never seen one "full", and all the fluid must randomly go by it in an hour of run time?
Especially in a diff or a transmission without a fine paper filter, the magnetic plug must be way better than nothing?

 

[SC Maintenance]

Really? I've never seen one "full", and all the fluid must randomly go by it in an hour of run time?
Especially in a diff or a transmission without a fine paper filter, the magnetic plug must be way better than nothing?

I have never seen one either. My two Nissan's both have magnetic plugs from the factory - both diff's and transfer case. Every change there is nothing more than a smidgen on the plug. Not to mention the ferrous sludge becomes magnetic and the particles stick to the others already attached. I would say if it ever got full you have a much bigger issue.

 

[Lubener]

Really? I've never seen one "full", and all the fluid must randomly go by it in an hour of run time?
Especially in a diff or a transmission without a fine paper filter, the magnetic plug must be way better than nothing?

If you have ever dropped a pan with a donut magnet inside, you would be amazed by the crud stuck to the magnet. That's a lot bigger than a drain plug magnet.

 

[JTK]

If you have ever dropped a pan with a donut magnet inside, you would be amazed by the crud stuck to the magnet. That's a lot bigger than a drain plug magnet.

I agree with you and have done so. Luckily I've never seen more than fine black iron powder paste on the donut magnets of other units I've serviced over the years.

The problem with the 9T65 and all the GM 6, 8 and 9spds I'm aware of is there is no serviceable filter and magnets. There's no bottom mounted pan to drop. The filters are buried inside the unit and can only be gotten at by removing the transmission and opening it up.

Unless you want to cut into the hard ATF cooler lines and splice in a Magnefine filter, all you have is the option of a magnetic drain plug.

 

[Stimp]

My folks have a 2019 Buick Enclave with the 9T65. I leafed through the manual one day and it noted 45k mi was the drain interval for the atf.

It has the the easy to pop out cooler lines via c-clip, so will probably do a poor man's flush on it when the time comes. 3/8" poly tubing fits perfectly where the cooler lines snap in place.

Interested to see how effective that magnetic plug would be on one, nice find.

 

[Slick3914]

Is there a torque spec? Pipe plugs in aluminum always make me a bit nervous.

 

[SubieRubyRoo]

Thats a good price shipped, if it is in fact a Votex.

Dimple and Gold are like $40. I keep looking at them, too cheap to buy

What’s stopping you from epoxying a small N52 to the tip of your existing plug for about $6?

 

[JTK]

My folks have a 2019 Buick Enclave with the 9T65. I leafed through the manual one day and it noted 45k mi was the drain interval for the atf.

It has the the easy to pop out cooler lines via c-clip, so will probably do a poor man's flush on it when the time comes. 3/8" poly tubing fits perfectly where the cooler lines snap in place.

Interested to see how effective that magnetic plug would be on one, nice find.

I thought about that as well. The 2018+ are fairly roomy under the hood and access to the cooler hard lines isn't too bad.

Is there a torque spec? Pipe plugs in aluminum always make me a bit nervous.

The factory drain plug is steel. The Votex I got is stainless. The drain plug threads into the aluminum transmission case. I use a 1/4" ratchet and just snug it.

Here's the $25 plug. The magnet is super strong on it.

 

[Kiwi_ME]

I have a unique situation with my EV's single-speed gearbox in that Hyundai thought it was OK to install an internal magnet in a pocket which allows it to move around slightly in the oil circulation. Whenever it's inspected (through the drain opening with an inspection camera) it's clean, apparently failing to hold onto most particles. The oil also becomes contaminated very quickly, the example below is from another owner with a new gearbox, only 600 miles on it. I think that the blackness is due to aluminium rubbing off the walls of the pocket, and/or iron particles being worn down in while in ongoing circulation.

My research has indicated that iron particles lose their magnetism as they are worked and heated, so they have to be caught immediately after they wear off the gear teeth. Once they are broken down further they are difficult to catch. I added two Votex magnetic plugs 3 years ago which does sequester some particles.

Among these EVs I'm guessing up to 1% fail, developing a tapping noise due to worn bearings. Hyundai has been replacing the gearbox under warranty but a few owners have repaired them and in every case that has only required replacing the ball and roller bearings.

The only sure solution appears to be to split the cases and remove the factory magnet. For now I'm just changing the oil once a year.

 

[D60]

I've been buying Gold Plugs for crankcases, and they're also ~$25 ea. I know it's expensive, but as a machinist I like that they're made here in the US (looks like the Votex is also).

Gold Plug stuck to cart, OEM in fingers:

 

[Cromagnon]

I'm having a little diff problem with my used 2019 Toy Highlander with the 8 speen Aisin
with the side mounted pan. I've finally broken loose the fill bolt, however I'm rounding out
the bottom drain 10mm hex. I'll destroy it if neccessary to remove but I'm wondering,
can't find, the size and thread pitch for a new bolt to remove with typical socket. It appears
that someone overtorqued the bolts all over the vehicle, lugs too! It appears that they used
soft pot metal to make these.

 

[michaelluscher]

I'm having a little diff problem with my used 2019 Toy Highlander with the 8 speen Aisin
with the side mounted pan. I've finally broken loose the fill bolt, however I'm rounding out
the bottom drain 10mm hex. I'll destroy it if neccessary to remove but I'm wondering,
can't find, the size and thread pitch for a new bolt to remove with typical socket. It appears
that someone overtorqued the bolts all over the vehicle, lugs too! It appears that they used
soft pot metal to make these.

I was taught that if you've got a diff/trans drain plug (hex head) that's stuck
A good whack or two with a hammer will loosen it up and help avoid stripping
If it was cross threaded in, all bets are off

 

[Kiwi_ME]

I was taught that if you've got a diff/trans drain plug (hex head) that's stuck
A good whack or two with a hammer will loosen it up

That's because the metals at the thread interface bond together over time and pressure and are difficult to shift under only a shear force. The direct impact puts a momentary tensile force on that same interface and can break the bond allowing an easier removal.