Adding drain plug to transmission pan

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SZR48207

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Due for a transmission fluid change in my F150 soon. I'm thinking of either getting an aftermarket pan that has a drain plug installed, or buying one of those kits where you drill a 1/2" hole and install one.

The cost difference is probably about $60. Is there anything wrong with getting the universal drain plug kit?
 
If you can have a nut welded in that might be better. I put one of those kits on a vehicle and it wouldnt stop leaking. Not enough that it needed top up but still made a mess of the underside.
 
It might be possible to find a larger pan with a drain plug, that would be two improvements.

I'm not a big fan of those kits, I've read about several that leaked. I'd rather see you weld a nut to the outside and use a bolt with a washer, that way nothing sticks up inside the tank allowing more to come out when you drain it.
 
I have always drilled a hold and installed a drain plug on every vehicle I have owned. I've never had a problem with leaking. Only cost as much as the drain plug.
 
Originally Posted By: rewote500
http://www.mag-hytec.com/
Originally Posted By: Colt45ws
Originally Posted By: rewote500
http://www.mag-hytec.com/

He didnt specify, but if its a 4R70W:
http://www.lpwracing.com/p_tranpans.asp


Trust me, if my truck weren't almost 8 years old, I would consider this option but that's a lot of money to drop.

I'm just going to price an OEM transmission pan and if its cheap enough, I'll get the DIY B&M kit. I need an order filler to get free shipping from Amazon, anyway.
 
Originally Posted By: Colt45ws
You going to order a OE pan to weld it?


Well, I priced some and it seems like I'm right back into a price range where I should just cough up ~$60 for the OEM pan that has a drain plug. Apparently Ford designed an identical pan with a drain plug that was used on U-Haul trucks.
 
I put the Ford "U-Haul" pan on the Marauder I bought new to preserve the warranty and put a NAPA (B&M) universal drain plug on my other one that I bought used. No problem at all with the B&M plug. No drips, nothing.
 
I've used the $10 B&M drain plug on a few of my vehicles w/o any leaks. I put a small bead of RTV around the plug just to be sure.
I think the people that have had problems with leaks have overtightened the inner nut and deformed the nylon gasket.
 
I want to install a transmission drain plug and don't have access to welding or brazing. I want to use the B&M Racing plug kit leaving out the nylon washers, sandg the paint off on both sides of the pan around the hole and use slow set JB Weld to seal everything up ? I would think that he the JB would provide a better seal than the nylon washers. Would this be a good choice ? (ie- will the JB Weld hold up to the ATF ?)
 
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Originally Posted By: Colt45ws
If you can have a nut welded in that might be better. I put one of those kits on a vehicle and it wouldnt stop leaking. Not enough that it needed top up but still made a mess of the underside.

This is my experience also. I never could stop the weeping from the B&M kit, even with copper washers. Aftermarket pan or welding is the sure way.
 
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Dorman 265813 is a pan for the 4R70W that includes a drain plug and is about $21 at RockAuto. I have one on my 2004 Crown Victoria. It looks much nicer (it's painted black) than the beat up corroded pan that was on there before. Not much else to say about it.
 
I just had a drain plug welded into a new Ford 6R80 transmission pan that I'm going to use for my 2014 Mustang GT. Dorman doesn't make a pan for mine or I would have went that route.

The new pan was $43, the drain plug was around $7 and to have it welded in cost me $20

Wayne
 
Better and easier to just get an aftermarket pan with the drain plug already on, if one is available for your car.

The add-on drain plug kits always leak.

Too bad nobody makes one for the TH125/3T40
 
Originally Posted By: slacktide_bitog
Better and easier to just get an aftermarket pan with the drain plug already on, if one is available for your car.

The add-on drain plug kits always leak.

Too bad nobody makes one for the TH125/3T40


I was going to go that route on my car but both aftermarket pans I could find held more fluid and hung down further than the stock pan. I was worried about clearance as this car already sits low as it is. Plus both pans were almost $300 and I didn't want to spend that much.
 
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