mark970

Ok guys, so i was looking for advice on a trans fluid flush on my new-to-me convertible so that i could get the fluids done this year and then next year drop the x-brace and perform multiple tasks (trans filter, fuel filter and exhaust work) but I'm just going to get'r done...

In my previous thread people had mentioned adding a drain plug for the Vert to aid in a fluid flush in the future...what are the suggestions or is there a kit?
I can tig weld if a boss or nut is required...i assume tapping the pan is not a good idea as its too thin.

confab

Welding is preferred. The bolt on kits are junk. Magnetic drain plug is nice.

Some of the aftermarket pans come equipped with them already.

mark970

great advice, more things to research!!!

PLRX

I highly suggest you buy a new one with the whole thing built into it.

mark970

i like this idea...i will look into them!

confab

PS: Dunno what year we are talking about here, but if you decide to weld one on, be sure you have clearance inside.

Some of the kits protrude quite a ways into the pan and could potentially hit stuff in there when you put it back together.

mark970

it's a 92...im looking at pans with plugs in them and they are around $50 (mr. gasket b&M ect...) i'd rather buy that than take the chance of a cracked weld, or warping the pan or just boogering up the thin metal...for $50 it's worth my time and effort plus it will look nice
as much as i'd like to keep this a DIY project on the cheap...sometimes the risk vs. reward for just a few bucks is just one less thing i need to sink time into.

confab

Yeah, it's hard to beat for 50 bucks.. Your time is worth something too.

Bolt it on and go! Woot!

aklim

If it protrudes into the pan, doesn't that mean it won't drain the silt in the pan? In a perfect world, wouldn't we want the drain to be flush with the bottom and the pan bent slightly towards the center so the crap drains off?

This is one of the messy jobs I'd rather farm out to someone if you don't have a garage and live in an apartment. Let them take the trans oil bath. Better than having to clean it up on my "garage floor" aka the communal parking lot.

confab

Possibly, depending.. The E units have solenoids at the back that are very close to the pan. The filters are large. There's an accumulator housing back there.

Ideally, you'd put it in the angle in the rear of the pan so when you jack it up from the front everything would run that way, but some of that stuff is close. Especially in the E units.

There's an aux (I believe it's the forward, actually) accumulator body on some of them that might be close enough to cause problems.

Best to look before you cut because of this.

And yeah, you can mash a depression in them with a press if need be.

Put a bearing race or something under it and you get a nice, round depression for silt and whatnot.

johno504

i used the B&M drain plug kit on my Buick GN for years. set the pan through fitting with epoxy, never a hint of a problem.but... you wont get the last 1/4 inch of fluid out.

aklim

Isn't that the importance of the flush as well as getting new fluid? To see if the transmission is dying?

ex-x-fire

Why not extract the atf? make it less messy when dropping the pan. I made one for cheap & use it all the time to suck out oil, brake fluid, p/s fluid, ect. There's a picture of it on this thread. https://www.corvetteforum.com/forums...post1594909019

mark970

yeah all good feedback...i just finished my shopping...driving around, calling people and looking online and both Mr. Gasket and B&M have them for around the $50 mark...they are chrome (i really was hoping for a nice aluminum one) and more light weight than stock (this might actually turn me off to them) AND yes the boss/nipple for the thread sticks up into the pan and will get in the way of a fluid flush...or make it require more time to flush...


cant anything be simple? i could weld a boss that i drill and tap myself but thats a lot of work...maybe its worth it? or do i just do it the old fashioned way and pump it out?
I guess for now i will just re-use the factory pan and maybe as a winter project, i buy an OEM pan from ebay and weld a boss on it and install it next summer.

regardless, i'm going to perform the filter change...

THANKS to everybody for their input

WVZR-1

Use an O2 bung!! You'll have very little protrusion into the pan. I use an O2 bung and a Toyota drain plug.

*** Use the bung and plug with a NEW GM PAN!!

Joe C

summit racing has a nice, plug and play, stock replacement (w/ drain) for $33. nothing fancy, steel, cad plating/yellow di-chromate --

https://www.summitracing.com/parts/t...FUpNfgodkMkMRQ

aklim

Maybe make it so that I can drain the fluid enough to get the pan off without taking a bath in the fluid is all you can do?

mark970

thanks, more good info...I have decided I'm going to use the original pan this year and over the winter i will manufacture a threaded boss and weld it into a pan. this way i will not have anything protruding up into the pan which may affect how much fluid drains from it. i do much appreciate the link with the zinc plated pan, def a great option for what i'm looking for...but again the threaded boss goes up into pan. I'm a machinist so this project will cost me nothing but a small amount of my time...well i do need to rust-proof it after welding so i will have a little money in it.

THANKS to everybody that participated...i learned a lot today from this thread

confab

You could TIG an NPT pipe nipple to the back and grind it flush inside..

mark970

thats some thinking...but that would be outside threads? thus needing a cap and not a magnetic drain plug?