Transmission pan won't come off: 1997 Ford Escort

[Mr_Accord]

I have a 97 Ford Escort Wagon that was in need of a transmission fluid change so I thought I might as well change the filter while I'm at it. In my Ford workshop manual it looked like a straight forward job, but so far it has been anything but that. The fasteners were pretty corroded so it took awhile to get all those out and now I have pulled the pan away from the housing and let the fluid drain out , but I can't get the pan to slide past the support beam. It looks like its about to slide away and then one of the corners gets wedged in between the support beam and the filter inside the housing. In the ford manual it mentions nothing about this. Anyone else have this problem?

Thanks

 

[jsnyder49090]

I am sure someone may have a better answer but you could always take a mount lose and use the jackstand under it. Let the car down a little to gain some clearance

 

[Mr_Accord]

Originally Posted By: jsnyder49090
I am sure someone may have a better answer but you could always take a mount lose and use the jackstand under it. Let the car down a little to gain some clearance


I was actually thinking the same thing. One of the front mounts bolts onto the support bean in question and I was thinking about loosening the fasteners and trying to jack the tranny up an inch. I'm soaking the bolts in pblaster right now. I might try later, but I was hoping maybe there was something I was missing?

 

[jsnyder49090]

I am not sure without looking at it to be honest.

 

[Mr_Accord]

I will try and take some pics.

 

[eljefino]

Is it possible the mounts are sagging from where they're supposed to be?

 

[doitmyself]

Mr. Accord,

I looked in my kid's Haynes manual and it says (with picture) to put a block of wood under the transaxle, just left of the frame cross member and gently jack up on the tranny to gain clearance to remove the pan.

I did an Escort about 5 years ago and don't remember anything tbese days doing anything too difficult to remove the pan.....except one of the bolts stripped out.

This link mentions the use of a jack also: http://wiki.answers.com/Q/How_would_one_change_the_transmission_fluid_on_a_1998_Ford_Escort

 

[doitmyself]

Here's a picture. A floor jack is suitable too. www.feoa.net/modules.php?name=Forums&file=viewtopic&t=53237 I WOULD JACK THE LEAST AMOUNT POSSIBLE TO REMOVE THE PAN.

 

[KB2008X]

Great photo doitmyself. Yep, do what doitmyself suggests. Be sure to put a wood block between the jack and whatever you're jacking up. This is normal for those years of Escorts. It's not a big deal. There is no need to remove any mounts or anything else. You'll need less than two inches of clearance.

Keith

 

[mechtech2]

teamzx2.com and search
But as I recall, simply lower or remove the fore/aft crossmember.
Use loose juice first, and give it a chance to penetrate.
You don't want to break off a stud!

 

[DrDusty86]

Yes, my Zx2 had this issue until I replaced the motor mounts. They are the problem..Replace them and all will be well. The lowering/removing of things WILL NOT FIX THE ISSUE. THAT IS JUST A FORM OF JERRY RIGGING FIX IT RIGHT MAN

 

[PandaBear]

I have the same problem on my 93 Corolla, anyone know if this jack-wood block method would work too?

 

[mechtech2]

Originally Posted By: DrDusty86
Yes, my Zx2 had this issue until I replaced the motor mounts. They are the problem..Replace them and all will be well. The lowering/removing of things WILL NOT FIX THE ISSUE. THAT IS JUST A FORM OF JERRY RIGGING FIX IT RIGHT MAN

Jerry rig what?
He want to access his trans pan.
What are you talking about?

 

[KB2008X]

After giving it some more thought, mechtech2 just might be right about loosening those two motor mount stud nuts that you can see at the upper center/left of the photo. That's a job I did many times for a few years, but it has been quite awhile since I've done one. I can't recall needing to loosen them, because the motor mount has a little give to it, but...

DrDusty86, I do know for sure bad motor mounts are not the reason that the engine needs to be raised slightly to slip the pan out. Ford simply didn't leave enough room to pull the pan without raising the engine. It's just a design oversight.

Keith

 

[KB2008X]

Originally Posted By: PandaBear
I have the same problem on my 93 Corolla, anyone know if this jack-wood block method would work too?


Hey PandaBear,

Can you get a couple of good photos of the Corolla trans pan ? Perhaps that'll jog my memory of that job.

Keith

 

[MarkM66]

So something has to be removed, to access something else. Wow, that's never happened to me when working on cars,

.

 

[DrDusty86]

Mech, The problem is SAGGY motor mounts. He can jack up the trans 4", but that pull not solve the ROOT of the problem, the SAGGY MOTOR MOUNTS THAT IS ALLOWING THE TRANS TO REST ON THE CROSS MEMBER.
When I put new mounts on my ZX2, The pan now has 4" of clearance. It is not a "lack of design oversight" Pardon me if I come across as harsh, but if you don't see that when looking at the car, you lack the visual comprehension on how things work together as a unit and you don't have the knowledge to fix the car.

 

[KB2008X]

DrDusty86, I'm not disputing what worked for you with your ZX2, nor am I speaking for Mech, but as someone who changed the fluid and filter on many '90s Escorts, every single one required the engine/trans to be raised an inch or two to get clearance to slip the trans pan out. It's just the way Ford designed it, in their infinite wisdom.

Some of those Escorts were nearly new at 25,000 miles and some had over 100,000 miles. They were all the same and not one of them had the trans resting on the crossmember.

Cheers, Keith

 

[Mr_Accord]

Hey guys,

Thanks for all the good tips. The motor mounts in fact have sagged over the years, and I did the jack and wood method between the tranny and was able to get the clearance I needed to remove and re- install the new pan and gasket. Only thing now is after changing fluid the tranny isn't going into 3rd gear and slips sometimes. Don't know what that is about... I checked the levels and it was down a bit, but I added the right amount and its not shifting that well. Hopefully it will go away after driving it around a bit. I don't know if because the previous owner drove it so long with bad fluid that the new ATF has "Shocked" that transmission

 

[doitmyself]

Well, shoot, that's not good.

I imagine you used the correct fluid?

Does that filter have an o-ring seal on a tube (can't remember). Sometimes the old one sticks up in the orifice.

Maybe check around real well for any loose wires. There is a speed sensor that sits on top of the transaxle that could be the culprit, but I would think that a code would be thrown for it.

While I hate this idea, as a last resort, maybe throw in a bottle of Lubegard Red. Maybe a solenoid or something is just stuck a bit.

Good luck.