Dropping the pan for the first time (for me..)

[gblues]

My '93 Explorer XLT is exhibiting the classic delayed engagement problem, so tomorrow I'm planning on dropping the pan to replace the low/reverse servo. I bought it used last month, so this will be my first time venturing into the land of the A4LD.

I haven't touched anything automotive since my high school shop class, so I have some very newbie questions to ask:

1) What's the best workflow for removing the pan without making a huge mess? I'll be working in a borrowed space, so cleanliness is somewhat important. I'm less concerned about my personal cleanliness and more concerned with finishing the job without staining the driveway with transmission fluid/crud.

2) Will I need anything beyond a socket wrench, vaseline, and a new seal? Are the servo or pan bolts torqued?

What I'm really afraid of is finding floaties in the fluid.. which is a very real possibility since the truck has at least 250K miles on it. But I don't know if the transmission has had any work done on it. I'm under the assumption that if there's floaties in the pan, it's time for a rebuild. I'd like to do it myself. Where do I get the rebuild guides, and how much do they cost?

Thanks!

 

[j602]

umm, first of all, you haven't worked on a car since high school and you want to rebuild an automatic transmission? that's one of the hardest mechanical tasks out there.

as far as dropping the pan goes, get a huge drain pan or something like a garbage can lid with a hole in it to catch all the fluid. loosen and remove all the bolts on one end of the pan, working your way toward the other end. as in, take all the bolts out of one end so it drops down and dumps the fluid out. then take the rest of the bolts out and lower pan and dump the rest. you won't need anything besides a socket wrench. not sure what the vaseline is for besides a celebratory lube session. and as far as i know the bolts aren't torqued, or at least i've never torqued them. just give them alternating even pressure. also, there won't be anything floating in the pan. if there is anything in there, it will be at the bottom because it's metal. and yes, that means it's time for a rebuild.

 

[gblues]

umm, first of all, you haven't worked on a car since high school and you want to rebuild an automatic transmission? that's one of the hardest mechanical tasks out there.

Well, I don't WANT to rebuild it, and I'm certainly hoping that I don't have to. But, I'm confident in my ability to handle mechanical stuff; said shop class involved tearing down an old V8 engine to the block and reassembling it. Just 'cuz I'm out of practice doesn't mean I can't do it.

 

[Jack Flash]

good information on this site....read and re-read sections related to what you're doing.

before attempting anything really technical, I'd recommend buying an ATSG manual for your tranny. lots of good info there and it'll make more sense after reading the info on this forum.....much easier to flip a page than remember which thread or post the info is located. (and your computer won't have grease and tranny fluid all over it )

...jjf