Transmission smoother after fluid exchange?

[Ruger]

ALL: Chris, as always, is a world of help. I was tempted to slightly enlarge the few bolt holes that do not seem to line up, but Chris waived me off. Not gonna do it - not at this juncture.

So the first cheap experiment, and I love cheap experiments, is to put the factory aluminum gasket on the mounting surface of the aFe pan, run the bolts through the holes and see if indeed the holes don't line up. Look carefully at the picture, especially the open holes at the 4 o'clock and 9 o'clock positions, although several of the others also do not line up particularly well. This, and the aFe installation booklet says to reuse the factory gasket.

But I'm going to try again following Chris's informed advice. After lunch. I'm pooped.

 

[Ruger]

Following Chris's advice, I have managed to install the pan. THERE IS DEFINITE BINDING. I had trouble with the same two fasteners both times, and the techniques I used were completely different. I am convinced that those two holes on the forward edge of the pan are misaligned.

There is little chance of getting uniform 8 ft-lb (96 inch-lb) readings on all 21 of the fasteners for at least two reasons:
- The binding side forces between the pan and the fasteners, and
- The fasteners on the rear edge of the pan are so close to the exhaust cross-over tube that it's impossible to get a straight shot at them with a torque wrench.

I'm just going to have to use my exquisitely calibrated fingers and a 5mm metric allen key, and then check for leaks. It's not scientific, but it is mechanic-ing.

My recommendations to aFe are as follows:
- Open up the interior diameter of the filter extension tube so that it will fit most filters. The metal-to-metal tolerance doesn't have to be that close because it's the o-ring that makes the seal.
- Recheck the accuracy of your jig to correct any even minor inaccuracies in the position of the bolt holes. The thickness of the pan's mounting flange makes the placement of the holes much more critical than if this was a thin sheet steel pan.
- Standardize the bolts you provide, and consider going to hex heads like the factory bolts. Hex heads may make it more likely to get a good torque reading and won't require special tools. At the very least you could get an end wrench on them, and even that would be better than a hex key.

Photos of the installed pan to follow.

 

[Ruger]

Interesting results. The sheet steel factory pan has 14 1/4 inches of ground clearance, whereas the aFe pan has 12 inches. It's still higher than the skid plate in front of it and the exhaust cross-over tube behind it, but that's the price you pay for 7 extra quarts of transmission fluid capacity.

 

[Ruger]

Somebody help me out. The dipstick has two crosshatched areas, one labeled "A" and the other "B", and says to consult the factory repair manual. What does the repair manual say about "A" and "B", please? If someone could scan and upload that page here or indicate what it says, it would be a great help. Thanks!

And boy, you weren't kidding, MCR! The manual says that the transmission must be heated up to operating temperature to check the fluid level, and there is no way to do that without burning yourself on the right side exhaust. Doesn't matter who you are, if you have knuckles you'll burn them. What were they thinking???

 

[Ruger]

Somebody with a factory repair manual PLEASE tell me what the crosshatched "A" and "B" areas signify on the transmission dipstick.

 

[Red]

A= Min, B= Max

This is how it is labeled on the oil dipstick. The manual does not say specifically for the trans.

 

[Ruger]

Are you looking at the owner's manual, Red, or the repair manual?

 

[Red]

Owners

 

[Ruger]

I've been thinking about the alignment of the bolt holes on the aFe transmission pan, and I think I understand why they don't quite line up. I think they might have designed their jig using the factory transmission pan rather than the transmission housing itself. Hole placement is a lot less critical on a thin sheet metal pan than it is on a casting with a thickness of at least 1/4 inch, so the factory pan didn't have to be spot-on like a cast pan has to be. I am betting that aFe would find some errors if they rechecked their jig against a 6R80 transmission housing.

 

[Ruger]

Short Youtube vid on checking the transmission fluid level on an EcoBoost truck. The transmission pan looks the same and the dipstick is the same as that of the 6R80 on the Raptors, so I think this is directly applicable.

checking the F150 EcoBoost transmission fluid-JoeTheAutoGuy - YouTube