Don't use Brake Cleaner on Transmission Pan?

[nate379]

Lint from towels or paper products can hang a valve in the valve body. Seen it happen more than once after a “trans service”.

You forget to install the trans filter?
Lint would just endup in the filter, no big deal. Would take a ton left in a valve body to jam a valve up.

 

[PontiacHO]

That’s laughable! After overhauling transmissions while working as a technician at a dealership for years I’ll challenge anyone’s real life experience at seeing the effects of using cloths and towels for transmission parts. Small dust like lint can pass into and through transmission filters. It collects at points that can hang a valve in the valve body. The Aamco shop several miles from us kept using them and customers would get frustrated because of repeated issues and end up at the dealership for corrections. Clump of very fine lint collecting around a valve causing issues. Keep using rags, cloths, towels, and paper products.

 

[Jetronic]

Probably generic instructions that also covers situations where the inside of the pan was painted.

I do find often parts of repair manuals are recycled from older manuals, specifically warnings and sometimes even drawings.

 

[Jetronic]

That’s laughable! After overhauling transmissions while working as a technician at a dealership for years I’ll challenge anyone’s real life experience at seeing the effects of using cloths and towels for transmission parts. Small dust like lint can pass into and through transmission filters. It collects at points that can hang a valve in the valve body. The Aamco shop several miles from us kept using them and customers would get frustrated because of repeated issues and end up at the dealership for corrections. Clump of very fine lint collecting around a valve causing issues. Keep using rags, cloths, towels, and paper products.

Right, the whole point of cleaning the pan out is to remove debris that could be sticking in the oil, and possibly dust that gets in after opening the tansmission. So why remove that oil and debris, only to replace with lint and fibres.

 

[BMW Dom]

I’m pretty sure I’m fine - no worries

I used a brand spanking new microfiber towel and brake cleaner for the last step

 

[Exhaustgases]

What is in JetA other than kerosene?

 

[priler]

Normally, mineral spirits and a brush are used for this, then the pan placed upside down and allowed to dry, but there's a number of ways you can do it as long as you know what your doing.

 

[priler]

I just ended up wiping it with a blue towel then using brake cleaner and a microfiber towel. Seems fine

I would say it's highly likely it will be fine. The new pan gasket should only make contact with a perfectly clean and dry pan and case(not even trans fluid).

On this particular transmission you probably didn't even have to use a scraper(or perhaps just a little bit) on the pan to take the gasket off. Some people are animals and leave gouges which is not good.

 

[BMW Dom]

I would say it's highly likely it will be fine. The new pan gasket should only make contact with a perfectly clean and dry pan and case(not even trans fluid).

On this particular transmission you probably didn't even have to use a scraper(or perhaps just a little bit) on the pan to take the gasket off. Some people are animals and leave gouges which is not good.

The old gasket stained some of the pan surface, but it was nothing major at all.

The trans is shifting great! I can't even feel it shift; it's so smooth!

 

[KrisZ]

Why would you ant to degrease something that will get oil in it anyways? Just wipe it clean with rags and re-assemble.

 

[BMW Dom]

Why would you ant to degrease something that will get oil in it anyways? Just wipe it clean with rags and re-assemble.

Right, it was not necessary- but I think it’s fine

 

[nthach]

That’s laughable! After overhauling transmissions while working as a technician at a dealership for years I’ll challenge anyone’s real life experience at seeing the effects of using cloths and towels for transmission parts. Small dust like lint can pass into and through transmission filters. It collects at points that can hang a valve in the valve body. The Aamco shop several miles from us kept using them and customers would get frustrated because of repeated issues and end up at the dealership for corrections. Clump of very fine lint collecting around a valve causing issues. Keep using rags, cloths, towels, and paper products.

Mercedes did warn about not using rags or towels to check transmission fluid levels or during service. Oddly enough, the Japanese don’t have the same warning and they for a long time used a simple screen.

I hose pans down in brake clean, followed by a wipe with paper towels. If I still see paper fibers, another hose down with brake clean in a way to wash off the loose fibers and then an air dry.