Any way to Empty the Torque Convertor??

[Petersubaru]

I have changed the Auto tranny fluid severals times now..when draining I lift up the other side of the car...would I get more fluid out if I momentarily started the car (without driving it of course) or leave it running a few seconds while it is draining...or even lifting the front end up a foot or so after the pan is emptied

Edited December 7, 2008 by Petersubaru

[nipper]

DO NOT START THE CAR while drining out tranny fluid unless you want to buy a new transmission.

 

You will wipe out the front pump, and unless you have fresh fluid to push out the old, it wont just come out. The front pump is not designed to pump air.

 

The process is to drain fill drive the car around the block and repeat. Do this 4 times and you will get 90% of the fluid out. Hydraulic fluid gets refreshed by adding fresh fluid (when you add enough of it), so that last 10% doesnt mean a thing.

 

nipper

[Gloyale]

Just disconnect the trans cooler hose from the radiator and connect a tube to it to drain into a pan.

 

Start the car and watch t fluid come out. AS SOON as it stops or even starts to be sputtery, turn off the car. Reconnect everything and refill. This will empty about 80 percent of you're fluid. Most of what's in the TC.

[mountaingoatgruff]

for what its worth, i tried seeing if i could put the outlet cooler line into an empty bucket and the inlet into a bucket of fresh atf in the hope that it would simply circulate the fluid by normal pump operation and it doesn't work. there wasn't enough pumping action to draw the new atf up the line from the bucket at all.

 

i did get an unintended chance to try Gloyale's method though, and it ended up working out well enough.

[Petersubaru]

for what its worth, i tried seeing if i could put the outlet cooler line into an empty bucket and the inlet into a bucket of fresh atf in the hope that it would simply circulate the fluid by normal pump operation and it doesn't work. there wasn't enough pumping action to draw the new atf up the line from the bucket at all.

 

i did get an unintended chance to try Gloyale's method though, and it ended up working out well enough.

I think trying this method would involve the fluid to be added thru the dip stick opening plus one extra person..

[Petersubaru]

Just disconnect the trans cooler hose from the radiator and connect a tube to it to drain into a pan.

 

Start the car and watch t fluid come out. AS SOON as it stops or even starts to be sputtery, turn off the car. Reconnect everything and refill. This will empty about 80 percent of you're fluid. Most of what's in the TC.

..if 80% or close to it can be removed...this would be an exellent way to make this almost a "one step" method to changing the fluid...perhaps those percentages can be slightly increased by adding 1 qt of extra fluid to the system just before starting the car and draining the system

[bheinen74]

hmm, drill hole in side.....drain. weld shut. i dunno, there are clutches and crap in there but anyone know if that would work.

[lostinthe202]

for what its worth, i tried seeing if i could put the outlet cooler line into an empty bucket and the inlet into a bucket of fresh atf in the hope that it would simply circulate the fluid by normal pump operation and it doesn't work. there wasn't enough pumping action to draw the new atf up the line from the bucket at all.

 

Just out of curiosity, did you have the container higher then the trans and prime the inlet side hose like you would if you were siphoning gas? If so, I'm surprised it didn't work.

[3eyedwagon]

hmm, drill hole in side.....drain. weld shut. i dunno, there are clutches and crap in there but anyone know if that would work.

 

That's actually the method used on the lockup tc's in 9c1 Caprices.

 

You can either drill a hole, tap it, and use a flush mount plug, or weld it.

 

The remanufactured ones are often drilled, and rewelded so I doubt it would be much of a problem.

 

This guy sounds like he's doing it in car though, so I'd probably tap it, and use a flush mount plug.

[screwbaru2]

Years ago I remember watching my father drain a TC in a OLD car by takeing a small plug out of the TC. There was a time when some TC came with plugs. There's nothing in there except a bunch of vanes. Drilling a hole and tapping would be a great thing to do with the TC out of the tranny and drilled overhead to prevent metal from falling in. I use the return hose in the bucket method while pouring ATF down the fill pipe. Works well.

[johnceggleston]

but we digress, rumor has it if you elivate the front of your car when draining the atf you will get slightly more fluid out. but you will still need to do it multiple times.

 

i've already replaced one trans because i ran it low on fluid, i'm not willing to risk that again. i'll drain and fill with the engine OFF. or pay a shop.

Edited December 9, 2008 by johnceggleston

[wfoote]

While there isn't really any way to completely empty the TC, if you are willing to remove the pan you there is one more thing you can do to remove a fair bit more fluid.

 

With the pan off, you will see the strainer attached to the valve body. You will also see a tube crossing over the strainer that would prevent removing the strainer. There are two black 10mm bolts holding the tube in place. Remove those two bolts and slowly wiggle the pipe loose being careful not to bend the pipe. When this pipe pops loose, a SIGNIFICANT amount of fluid will drain from the TC. I believe this will empty about half the fluid from the TC.

 

You can then change the strainer if you so desire, it isn't really necessary as this isn't a filter as much as a strainer screen. Torque on all bolts inside the transmission are 8Nm or 70inlb. Pan bolt torque is 4Nm or 36inlb.

 

Good luck

[Bserk]

I hesitate to add my 2 cents here, because Im afraid I could cause more harm than good. You DO NOT want to run the car with low ATF, period. And if you have maintained the car and have kept the ATF clean, a simple drain and refill is my advice. But years ago, probably around the late 80's, Nissan actually had a service bulletin that advocated a procedure similar to what some have said. They advised us to disconnect the 'output' line at the trans cooler, and while running the car at idle, let that fluid drain into a pan while adding a close amount of fluid into the fill tube. It works. And IF you are careful, you can get a close to complete fluid change. We used to do it all the time. Getting the full level correct at the end was a little tough, but we would add/drain as needed. I wouldnt recommend this now, maybe only as a 'last ditch' measure. As maintenance, drain and refill, and do it more often. Thats the key in my opinion.

[nipper]

As maintenance, drain and refill, and do it more often. Thats the key in my opinion.

 

Exactly. If it makes you feel better do a drain and fill with every other oil change.

 

nipper