Worked in Chrysler Automatic Transmission Engineering for 36 years. We recommended running the RTV bead around the inward side of the bolt holes in the pan. This prevents oil from wicking through the bolt threads. Not a big deal, but stops what appears to be a leak around the pan rail.
A touch of grease helps those cross members slip into place. I've got into the habIt of using an old thin paint brush to apply thick grease to any threads and metal to metal contacts when reassembling, especially when they have been a bear to take apart, as it makes it much easier for the next guy which will most likely be me.
I recently picked up a 2011 Deep Cherry Red Crystal Pearlcoat Dodge Dakota Laramie 4x4 with dark slate gray Leather Trimmed Seating and with the 4.7L V8 and 545RFE 5-Speed Automatic. It had ever single option ordered, the optional 3.92 Axle Gearing, Trailer Tow Package, Engine Block heater, Chromed Wheels, Rear Window Defrost Package, and 40/20/40 Bench Seat. Picked her up at auction with 75,632 miles on her and basically stole the truck for $3,900 in perfect running driving condition. Someone took amazing care of it, very clean with no leaks. I am not a Crysler/Dodge fan what so ever, but this seems like a good little POS. Heck, the previous owner even put new LT31x10.5x18 All Terrains on it as well as all new pads and rotors. I am going to change all the Fluids and Filters, and turn around and sell it and make a couple grand. This will make someone happy. Only reason I picked it up was because it was the Final Year for the Dakota and had every single option on it and was in amazing condition with low mileage. It spent its entire life in Phoenix, AZ, so it has literally no rust and is spotless.
Great job. I have been working on Cars for years . One thing I have learned it's always harder then it looks. I did my intake on my 3.3 Caravan, you saved me 300 bucks, was easy I gave myself all day made it painless and no leaks . Thank You
Been watching for a while. Ur a good guy. U have a great familly. And the work u put into this filming is exhausting I'm sure. I hope u make it big. Ur a great mechanic. And u well deserve it
I have been binging SMA videos. This one really brings me back to high school when I worked at an oil change shop and did a TON of transmission fluid changes...I learned with a speed wrench and have several in my tool box still today (over 30 years later). Thanks for the entertaining and informative vids Eric!
Eric, I was a mechanic for a while, got burnt out now I fix appliances,your videos are a good refresher for me when I repair stuff for family and friends.I still wish I had all my awesome snap on and mac tools. You are a great mechanic honest and fair. Same as me!!!
Just a quick tip for getting those aggravating transmission filter seals out. Use the alignment bar you used to install the cross member with. That hook is amazing at pulling those out with super ease. Keep up the awesome videos. Always enjoy the information.
When you mentioned edge deformation, I immediately had a flashback to when I drained the transmission on my Grandfather's '55 Chevy so we could get at the shifter and see why it was shifting so poorly. I was pretty horrified that whoever put it together before we got at it had flattened the lip over and put the spacers on top of it instead of behind like they should have been(and how any normal person with some common sense would've deduced that it should be done) and completely botched the seal in the process, we did manage to get it pretty well straightened up and resealed. It ran beautifully last time I rode in it.
Great video. Couldn't have done it better myself... ;-) FelPro makes a gasket for this transmission pan too. I used it on my Durango during my last transmission fluid/filter change and it worked great. No leaks after almost a year. A lot quicker then having to deal with RTV too. I use a smallish open end wrench to pry that little gasket out. Provides the perfect leverage in my experience. Thanks for the vid...
Very good informative video. Your delivery of this video was exceptional. I particularly liked the fact that you did not feel the need to include unnecessary drama and that you did not use one cuss word. Very classy.
I did this on an 07 this weekend. I like the gloves -- nitrile are the best. Petroleum based products don’t effect them. Cheers. Keep up the great work
ANOTHER FUN VID and nice clean job. I do however have one suggestion for the crossmember re-install. If you use some scotch-brite with just a quick shot of WD-40 and use some back and forth motion maybe 6 or 7 times that rust will come off really quickly. Then use your BRAKE-CLEAN...TAa-DAa...to clean that ugly rusty solution off and then spray your favorite LUBE on both surfaces. Amasingly, That thing will just push back up with not more than good arm and hand pressure. It's a ton faster and less likely to bust a knuckle than trying to pound and pry it back up in there. Lining up is a snap after that as well. I've just been working on cars since 1971 and learned clean and lubed metal parts go together a lot easier. Since it appeared to take you more than just a little while and some extra help with your little screwdriver maybe give this suggestion a try next time. Just a suggestion to think about. Anyway, I do like watching your vids while in my semi-retirement...I can't just sit around and do nothing so I keep the hands and fingernails immersed in dirty, gritty and just the normal mixture of greasy junk at a friends shop 3 or 4 days a week. I never tire of a repair challenge and get bored stiff watching the BOOB-TUBE everyday. Keep up the entertaining VIDS and be safe...those fingers show some wear. I wasn't paying enough attention to a co-worker when I first started at a new shop and had my hand on the alternator snapping the plug wires back on a car and he turned the thing over...YEP, the middle finger got about tore clean off and is to this day as bent and crooked as yours...Brings a laugh or cringe, depends on the person hearing, when I tell the story but weren't no FUN-T-ALL at the time...LOL
My shift solenoid went so i came to YT to watch someone do the job before i attempted it myself. Found a handful of guys doing it, not many views and, kinda sketchy looking work. So i crack the pan open and go for it. Everything went fine. YT recommends me this video today, 3 weeks after i did the work. Ive been watching you for years. Wtf youtube?
Another great video. I bet that was stressful having the customer watching but its awesome that he was willing to bring it all the way to you to work on. Thanks again Eric O.
I forgot to seat my seal before installing the sump filter. All the gears are like neutral, no forward or reverse. Now I’m gonna have to do it all again, but this time I’ll remember to seat the seal. Thanks for the video. Now I know what I did wrong. Learning new things about transmissions all the time. You guys are great. By the way, I used a 1/4” drive and didn’t need to pull the transfer case support to access the rear bolts to the transmission pan.
Eric O, the man with every tool including a tube squeezer. There is an old TSB on those due to a bad filter, when cold the TC drains out and causes a no movement forward/reverse for like 20 seconds. And one last thing, Dodge should be ashamed to have designed a product where the cross member needs to be pulled to remove a trans pan.
I think you'll have more fans show up to have there vehicles worked on. I like the tube squeezer, I never saw one either. Neutral instead of park, that I didn't know. Nice work with customers watching. :)
I really enjoyed this one, good video. I used my speed wrench yesterday, I have had mine since High School auto shop class(1971) so I guess they are still out there. Thanks Eric, best to the Family, hope your holiday is a good one.
Excellent channel. You do an excellent job of editing, videoing, and narrating what you are doing. With so many people commenting positively to what you are doing, goes without saying you are top notch. Just wished you lived in Arkansas. Again great job!!!
Thank you very much for this awesome video. My Dodge Dakota is a 2005. The cross member came off pretty easily. The filter came with a rubberized gasket so I used that instead of silicone. The tips you gave were very helpful and I gained confidence by watching you work. "Preciate it!!!
Mr. O, I found that using a drill works well for tightening the pan screws. In my case it's a Ryobi with a ratchet/torque setting on the chuck. Before loosening I arbitrarily pick two or three screws and tighten to understand the present torque relative to the numbers on the chuck. I than consult the manual to know what the actual specification is. During reassembly I simply set the chuck's ratcheting mechanism to a number that translates to the desired torque value. i.e. 16 on a 18 volt ryobi translates to approximately 20nm. It works well for me under the car, on my back where speed is welcome. I'm a retired Marine Chief Engineer. Exxon/BP/Chevron. You are an very good at what you do, "old school" and your father is to be commended for developing his son! I was the guy that supervised the demobilization of the (Deep Water Horizon) post catastrophic failure of it's ocean floor quick closing valve. BTW "bees wax" is the desired wax for removal of broken bolts/screws. Also liquid nitrogen is employed for a rapid quenching of the surrounding metal. The old timers used to use an inverted bottle of Freon, but don't tell anyone.
Just wanna say you are awesome Eric. The way you show and explain everything makes it so easy to interpret and I really appreciate the time you take to make these vids for us thank you
I felt justified if it makes any sense but I just did the service on my dakota and damn that crossmember was the hardest part of the job trying to get it off. Once I had it removed though, I took a wire brush and cleaned it and the frame to get all that rusted metal off, sprayed it with primer and then was able to put it back on with less effort. One thing you got going for you was that awesome lift, I had to make do with jack stands and lots of cussing. Great video, always loved them and you are always thorough in your work. Thanks for sharing!!
Zac Cole: I use to live in fort Lauderdale. I use to drive to NYC to see my family. I sure wish I knew Eric O then, would've let him service my vehicle in a heartbeat.
Thanks for the awesome video. Necer done this service before on any car or truck I've owned. This video made the process a breeze. Since I did this in my driveway without a lift I used 2 boards and a scissor jack to line up my cross member. I used my drill with a wire wheel and cleaned up the inside and outside of both the member and frame. Shot it down with some WD-40 and cranked the jack and it went right into place. Used my "alignment" tool to help guide the bolt holes and job complete. Hope this trick helps save someone a whole lot of headache down the road.
When you brought up speed wrenches it reminds me of my dad and his giant speed wrench he had for his Farmall M tractors to take off the draw bar and put on the row cultivator or corn picker. It was almost four feet long and I think had a socket on the end that was either 1-1/4 or 1-3/8 inch. He called it "The Screw More" I actually have one that came with my Farmall 460 and I have the set of 1/4, 3/8 and 1/2 Screw Mores in my tool box that came with my Craftsman set back in the late '70s.
Very impressive having NYC dwellers traveling to you.. hopefully they didn't get scared by all the greenery they saw up here in upstate NY.. Never have seen an internal spin on filter on a trans before. Why not put it external so it can be changed routinely? Oh yea its a Chrysler product. Take Care..
In aviation we LOVE the speed wrench. Also, if you ever mess with the AN style fittings, it's the best tool I've ever used to put the fitting in the end of the hose.
Just did this job on my 2007 Grand Cherokee with the 5.7 and 545RFE trans. I was getting a P0944 code (loss of pump prime) and had no gear engagement in drive or reverse. This happened suddenly no warning like delayed engagment, shifting problems, etc. I had read that it could be clogged filters, or a loose spin on filter, or a split open main filter. Thought I'd change the filters instead of taking it to a shop. The pan was pretty clean for 120,000 miles and what I found was that the spin on filter was slightly loose, not tight like an oil filter usually is. The main filter looked OK. Cleaned everything up, installed the seal into the trans case using a 19mm socket on an extension (flat side facing up) and reinstalled pan with RTV. Let RTV cure over night, filled trans pan up with 8 qts of ATF+4, back to normal shifting. It took one more qt to get it full after completely warming it up. Tips to make it easier: used my vacuum oil changer (Topsider) to suck out about half of what was in the pan after cracking the pan loose, suck out as much of the rest as you can clean, clean, clean! the pan, the flange for the pan on the trans case, the bolt holes (compressed air) and the bolts, get all the old rtv and grit off of them. On the Jeep no need to lower the cross member but the cat converter and pipe is very close to the pan, so I used a 1/4" drive ratchet set with 8mm socket with a built in ujoint, this was the only way to get at the bolts that are shrouded by the cat converter in the front and the exhaust pipe on the passenger side. I used a drum brake spring removal tool to pull that seal out, this will grab the edge of the seal but not damage the case the spin on filter uses a stud with plastic threads so be careful loosening it, don't put any sideways pressure on it you don't want to break that stud off in the trans pan. the spin on gets about 120 in lbs, so just tighten it like an oil filter, the bolts, 105 in lbs so just snug, let the rtv set up for an hr and go back and just snug em up again. Not a hard job but not exactly fun laying on you back with the Jeep up on 4 jackstands when it's 35 degrees out! I know the big debate is how long to let the RTV set up, I used the Chrysler RTV for auto trans applications, but since there are no instructions on the tube Iet it set up overnight.
"Sardines.... to spam.... because mechanics put tools first..." Your kids will hate tools if they lead to that. LOL. " He's from out of town, so it doesn't matter..." You're on a roll, Eric! And, a speed wrench too! That reminded me of my dad too for sure. Good memory.
I always put rtv on the inside of the bolt hole to keep the atf from getting to the bolt and trying to seep out from under the head. I suppose it may not matter after you spread the bead.
Just did this maintenance on my '08 Dodge Durango. No cross-member to deal with so that was a plus. Everything else was just like in the video, including getting out that pesky o-ring with the minimal lip to grab for the screen. Thanks Dr. O! P.S. Does anyone else find themselves saying "Torque to spec" in their head every time they tighten a bolt? ;)
Another great video for my old Dodges (Durango and Dakota) Christmas 🎄 2022. I enjoyed the orchestral hit at the sight of brake cleaner. Reminded me of Rainman Ray 🔧
I have a Dodge Dakota crew cab four-door 4.7 paid and bought brand new 300,000 miles and still runs like a brand new one maintenance will save your vehicle forlife
The 8mm trans pan bolts that exist above the cross member can easily be accessed with a 1/4inch drive ratchet, and combinations of 1) small 8mm socket 2) 8mm deep drive socket and 3) 3 inch socket extension, so NO NEED TO DO EXTRA WORK REMOVING THE CROSS MEMBER.
This was the first video of yours I found. I serviced my trans last weekend. I have been watching the video on Dakota front CV axle. Both videos are very good, I have subscribed.
Eric you are the man. I don't blame anyone for taking a road trip to SMA. One question: The valve body never completely drains so emptying the pan usually only gets 50-75% of the fluid, what about the rest? Thanks for another entertaining vid.
I use speed wrenches all the time. Fell in love with them back in my quick lube days. Actually have one that has a 10mm welded on one side and an 8 on the other.
Something I really liked about a 1998 F-150 I used to have was it had a drain plug in the fluid pan and a drain plug in the torque converter. Then the bean counters at Ford decided to save 20 cents on each vehicle by eliminating both a few years after that.
That fluid coming out looks far better than the fluid that came out of my Subaru after the second change i did, its still recovering from the neglect from the last owners and mechanics.
I'm a big dodge mechanic but I got to say you're the first mechanic in all my years I've seen use gloves like that to protect what your fancy fingernails you don't want to break a finger nail now I don't know but it's hilarious I love your shows least you're thorough
Great job getting ready to do the same service to my 2001 Dodge Dakota 4 x 4 with a 4.7. You answered all the questions and is always give me some great chuckles. Maybe I can return the favor and send you some of that man fluid that you use to clean stuff up
You know the last piece of steel wire I had removed from my right eye the Dr. gave me the talk " wear the G/D safety glasses"! The time I lost doesn't equal = time saved. If I can wear them - YOU CAN TOO!
I could use a tube squeezer then I could retire my vise grips. I would have ground the rust off the contact area of the cross member I just don't have the patience any more!
That's pretty cool of you to do that for your customers/fans. It seemed awkward to see them standing there watching you like that though lol. Then again I guess you're pretty much a reality show star in a way??? Idk, just trying to make it seem less weird.
I Own a 2001 Dodge Dakota 4x4 with the 4.7 liter it needs some TLC but I love it and I love all your vids that deal with my truck keep up the great work Eric. Remember it you can do it I can do it
Wow, all these comments look pretty old, I hope you catch this, lol. Good videos brother. Reason being, about a week and a half ago I bought an '01 Dodge Dakota, it seems like a nightmare in the making! Highly overpaid, which I found out later, ran great first 4 or 5 days, then a plethora of problems started. Can't explain it a whole lot, but I REALLY needed this truck to work for me, trying to rebuild my life, on a Number of levels. Wish you were Closer brother! Lol.. -keep up the good work!😎👍..
Same here.. how has the last two years gone for you? A week after buying my 06 the oil pressure light is coming on, CEL going off, lower connector for trans line to trans cooler was stripped out and dumped trans fluid out and stranded me.. I'm about to go drive the truck through the sellers living room and leave the keys on his kitchen counter.
I had to tune this one in it being a Dodge if it is like their full size it will be a complete tranny rebuild if there is more than 15K on the clock. Good videos. Keep them coming. Take care. Doug
About 6 months ago I changed my fluid and replaced the trns. pan on my 96 ZJ as it was fairly rusted, also replaced the pan bolts with SS allen head from Lowes, no more rust and it looks cool, has a factory hard gasket that never leaks. Got a factory Mopar pan online for I think 45.00
Been watching y’all for about a year now. Love your videos, I live in Texas but I’m also a stickler for good auto repair when needed so maybe I’ll come up and pay a visit sometime. You do good work, keep it up. Thanks :)
tool box tour Eric after all they come first .Come on man we need a tool box tour your the only mechanic on YT whose not done one ( should say working mechanic) . Plus I need new ideas for a present for Fathers day . Why do you always seem to attract 2 dislikes within the 1st day of a new video, I wonder sometimes if they dislike for the fun of it because they've no idea.. Take care, mate respect to the family .. UK Darren
I did this service on my 06 Dakota last fall. The three rear pan bolts were a bit of a pain but I got it done. Also, I had to replace the pan because it rusted through on the passenger side. Got a Dorman trans pan with a drain plug so next fluid change will be real easy...Yeah, I know.....Dorman.
Every winter I keep a few cans of sardines in my toolbox so while I’m stuck working on plow trucks I have something to eat. Sardines and soda, breakfast of champions
Great video as always. Lucky viewer got to see the shop (can't wait till Im retired). Whats the point of a spin-on filter INSIDE the pan? External spin-on would make minor services much easier. Thanks again!
My wife and I both have Ram 1500's. I hate dealing with the silicone on the pans. Of course laying in the driveway doing it is a bit different than on a lift. The first pan drop I got gaskets, cleaned everything up good, put hylomar on the pan to hold the gasket and haven't had any problems.
Its doing exactly what you described.... Ive gone and spent close to 300 $ trying to get this durango to go into gear..first code was P0700, and no other code. I went and replaced solenoid shift pack, both speed sesnors, pressure sensor, flat filter and didnt replace the cooler line filter. But now I am getting a P0944 code.. Loss of filter prime.. Well dropping the pan again and changing the filters. Then clear the codes. Cross my wrenches
