Transmission Pan Trouble

[Jwhitman]

I have a 1999 Explorer with a 5R55E automatic trans. I bought a aftermarket Dorman transmission pan with a drain plug from Rockauto. It was a nice looking pan and was painted on the inside and outside of the pan with a powder coating. I shot the inside of the pan with a blast of braklean, wiped it out and then blew it out with air. The install went smooth no leaks.
Now to the problem, My final checks on the dip stick revealed some black paint chips. Maybe I am being a little paranoid, but this seems odd. I only noticed them on a white paper towel I wiped the stick off with. My thoughts are to pull the drain plug and take a good look at the oil ( Look for paint chips) If only a few are present then it can be assumed they are not clogging up the filter. Should I just drop the pan and thoroughly check it out? Has anyone ever had this problem before? Open for ideas.

Thanks,
J

 

[96eb96]

I have a 1999 Explorer with a 5R55E automatic trans. I bought a aftermarket Dorman transmission pan with a drain plug from Rockauto. It was a nice looking pan and was painted on the inside and outside of the pan with a powder coating. I shot the inside of the pan with a blast of braklean, wiped it out and then blew it out with air. The install went smooth no leaks.
Now to the problem, My final checks on the dip stick revealed some black paint chips. Maybe I am being a little paranoid, but this seems odd. I only noticed them on a white paper towel I wiped the stick off with. My thoughts are to pull the drain plug and take a good look at the oil ( Look for paint chips) If only a few are present then it can be assumed they are not clogging up the filter. Should I just drop the pan and thoroughly check it out? Has anyone ever had this problem before? Open for ideas.

Thanks,
J

That does sound weird.
I also installed this pan because of the old rusty pan and better maintenance with a plug. I appreciated the powder coat(if it lasts) because i had rust extending across the gasket and leaks. The price was right too, driving hours to a pick and pull and laying in mud or a used pan on ebay for almost the same price weren't great options.

I did not use anything but a damp towel to clean the pan, I didn't have brake cleaner. Maybe hit the outside of the pan with brake cleaner and see if it takes it off? I don't have brake cleaner handy, I would try. Brake cleaner CAN remove paint, but powdercoat, I don't know. People will clean trans pans with brake cleaner, hopefully they were aware of it.

How large were the paint chips? Was the entire fluid flushed?

It is really hard to say but I would probably drain the fluid (so easy with this setup) and inspect, and put it back. I guess the paint would float to the top? I don't know on the SOHCs if it is a big deal to remove the pan with the cats.

 

[96eb96]

Also, did you use Chlorinated brake cleaner ? Or the acetone/hexane/alcohol solvent type?

 

[Jwhitman]

That does sound weird.
I also installed this pan because of the old rusty pan and better maintenance with a plug. I appreciated the powder coat(if it lasts) because i had rust extending across the gasket and leaks. The price was right too, driving hours to a pick and pull and laying in mud or a used pan on ebay for almost the same price weren't great options.

I did not use anything but a damp towel to clean the pan, I didn't have brake cleaner. Maybe hit the outside of the pan with brake cleaner and see if it takes it off? I don't have brake cleaner handy, I would try. Brake cleaner CAN remove paint, but powdercoat, I don't know. People will clean trans pans with brake cleaner, hopefully they were aware of it.

How large were the paint chips? Was the entire fluid flushed?

It is really hard to say but I would probably drain the fluid (so easy with this setup) and inspect, and put it back. I guess the paint would float to the top? I don't know on the SOHCs if it is a big deal to remove the pan with the cats.

They were pretty small chips. I've used braklean for years doing just this type of job without incident. Think I'll drop the fluid and see how many chips appear. If there are a lot I will drop the pan and make sure the paint is good. Thanks for comment.I'm happy to hear of someone using this type of pan and not having a problem with the paint.

 

[Jwhitman]

They were pretty small chips. I've used braklean for years doing just this type of job without incident. Think I'll drop the fluid and see how many chips appear. If there are a lot I will drop the pan and make sure the paint is good. Thanks for comment.I'm happy to hear of someone using this type of pan and not having a problem with the paint.

 

[Jwhitman]

Also, did you use Chlorinated brake cleaner ? Or the acetone/hexane/alcohol solvent type?

The braklean was non-chlorinated and could not find anywhere where it listed if it was acetone /hexane/alcohol solvent type.Starting think maybe i banged the pan on the cross member when installing it and the paint was kinda peeling up from the cleaner then. I wiped the other surface with bracklean and the paint did not come off. So I drop the oil look at it. If it's excessive I pull the pan and check. Thanks for the help all.

 

[96eb96]

The braklean was non-chlorinated and could not find anywhere where it listed if it was acetone /hexane/alcohol solvent type.Starting think maybe i banged the pan on the cross member when installing it and the paint was kinda peeling up from the cleaner then. I wiped the other surface with bracklean and the paint did not come off. So I drop the oil look at it. If it's excessive I pull the pan and check. Thanks for the help all.

Ok, thanks, keep us posted on the outcome. I have these pans for other vehicles too, got some non-chlorinated brake cleaner and it does not seem to remove the paint. I talked to someone who powdercoats and was told some strong solvents may attack powdercoat though - maybe it is best to clean these with simple green or purple power and a rag. The surface is not porous and that may be a better alternative. There are many different ways to powdercoat, heat, products, etc.and that can affect resilience YMMV.