- 1). Warm the vehicle up for three minutes or so to expand the transmission fluid.
- 2). Raise the vehicle up on a vehicle hoist so it's level. While this procedure can be done by lifting it on ramps and or jack stands, you'll lose leverage and stability of the transmission pan when trying to drain it if it does not feature a drain plug. In addition, lifting it with a car jack or a ramp can compromise the vehicle's levelness.
- 3). Place the safety glass on and walk under the vehicle with the catch pan/drain bucket. Place the bucket beneath the transmission pan or the transmission drain plug.
- 4). Put on a pair of late gloves and then use a ratchet and suitable socket to remove the drain plug (if equipped). Transmission pans that feature drain plugs often employ hex-key sockets or Torx-head sockets. Turn the drain plug counterclockwise until you can finish removing the plug by hand. For pans without drain plugs, skip this step and proceed to Step 5.
- 5). Remove all but one of the transmission pan bolts with a ratchet, extension and suitable sized socket. Loosen the last bolt half way so you can remove it by hand, but it will still have the ability to hold the pan once dropped.
- 6). Gently pry the pan away from the bottom of the transmission with a small pry bar. It will be stuck on the permatex or transmission pan gasket. Be aware that once it breaks loose from the bottom of the transmission, the transmission fluid will purge from the pan quickly.
- 7). Steady the pan with one hand while removing the last bolt from the transmission pan. Be careful since transmission fluid is a petroleum based fluid. It will make the pan slippery and hard to hold with latex gloves on.
- 8). Drop the pan and drain it into the catch pan/drain bucket.
- 9). Allow several minutes to pass so the fluid from the transmission drains thoroughly into the catch pan/drain bucket.
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