8 Speed transmission fluid change - only 4.5 quarts?

[Maximus Gladius]

Do we have any examples of people measuring how much they drained when doing this job? That’s just a basic step for any fluid service but it seems to never be mentioned.

There’s definitely some members that have commented on how many bottles they buy and what goes in. I personally have done a few of these and not commented on what came out. I’ve only made a mental note and then when I’ve topped back up I’ve said, ‘well that’s about right’ and it’s been a 1/4 bottle difference.

My opinion is that if someone is doing their first pan drop, to “aim” for the same amount to go back in but there’s other variables to suggest the “amount” they’ve captured could be wrong.

For example, wrong fill level at the factory. One of my several transmissions was overfilled by at least 1/2 bottle. How did I know? Practice is, when cold, start the engine and get underneath and pull the plug, …nothing should come out, if oil does while engine is running, transmission is overfilled. I had 1/2 bottle come out at this point which suggests when factory “oil fill guy” was supposed to be doing his job, he/she put too much in and called it good.

But on the other hand, if you pull the pan and 5.5-6 quarts comes out, you’re good. Running the steps and capping off the fill plug on the cool side of the temp window, will see 5.5 - 6 quarts go back in.

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[Maximus Gladius]

8 foot pounds of torque for the pan and I followed the instructions for the filter which was "snug" and then a half rotation to loosen. 8 foot pounds is not a lot. I noticed that with the new gasket (the rubber one) that the pan sits a little closer to the transmission block, and I think the bolt wat hitting the block (drivers side rear on the corner of the pa). Either that or the bolt was doomed from the beginning. I don't know, but I am very careful to not over torquing things because I've made that mistake before. (I got new tires a few years back and the tire guys over torqued the lug nuts and I've had those break on me).

Did you happen to notice factory locktite on those bolts especially the one that broke?

For all the pan drops I’ve done on my 21 JTR, the first initial loosening of the bolts was all normal, I didn’t hear a “snap/crack” when loosening.

Now fast forward to my 23, @16k miles, pulling the pan here, all the bolts had that sound when loosening. I noticed the threads were full of factory locktite and had to pick out the thread sealant. One bolt had it right on the very end which suggests the end of the thread hole was blocked up but going back in was ok. I would now suggest anyone attempting their first pan drop should use a heat gun on the bolts first but also keep in mind the gasket is rubber if they are reusing it, don’t cook it.

 

[Rebel.Matt]

No loctite. And now that I'm looking at it, there was no rubbing or gouge on top of the bolt either, maybe causing it to snap. It's really weird. See photo below.

 

[JTGuy]

It's better to snap the bolt than strip the threads in the trans case.

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