Transmission Drain Plug - Add On - Anyone done this

I put a $10 B&M tranny drain plug on all my auto-tranny vehicles. The auto tranny on my old '96 F250 diesel is still going strong after 20 years.

I've never had one leak.

I change the oil every 40K miles or so by draining the pan. Every other oil change I put in a new filter. This process keeps the oil fresh and viable, which is very important for heavily worked trannies that are used strictly for towing, like mine.

Added one to my E4OD almost 250,000 miles ago, about the best upgrade for maintenance that I have done. I change my fluid and filter every year and have almost 300,000 miles on original tranny.

I never put a trans pan back on without a drain. Make sure you pick the spot for the plug BEFORE you take the old filter out. I even put a drain plug in my NV5600! Craig

Fulltimer50 wrote:

smkettner wrote:
I swapped on an aluminum pan at the first change.

Changing a transmission filter is way overrated. It is more of a screen. Just not the same as an engine filter with combustion byproducts etc.

I agree. Guys should realize that most of the fluid is not in the pan, but in the converter, cooler and lines.

Not so with all vehicles, the RFE68 in my truck has two filters, the sump filter and a internal cooler spin on type filter, I simply drilled a hole and stabbed in a drain plug. Drain and change out filters every 60,000 km... I'm towing heavy/light every month about 24,000km.
Pull the plug let it drain till it stops, pull the pan and the filters and let it drain again, till it stops. Install fresh filters clean up tranny and pan mating surfaces add bead of RTV and bolt back on, add tranny fluid about 12 quarts (never get all the fluid out, but enough) better then flushing all that **** back through the internals.

I think my truck is about the last model year with a torque converter drain plug :B

smkettner wrote:
I swapped on an aluminum pan at the first change.

Changing a transmission filter is way overrated. It is more of a screen. Just not the same as an engine filter with combustion byproducts etc.

I agree. Guys should realize that most of the fluid is not in the pan, but in the converter, cooler and lines.

I swapped on an aluminum pan at the first change.

Changing a transmission filter is way overrated. It is more of a screen. Just not the same as an engine filter with combustion byproducts etc.

I have the transmission oil changed at 40K intervals in my 2005 Dodge 2500.
they just drain the oil, change the filters and adjust the bands as necessary

so far at 95K it still runs good and shifts good,
guess I will continue that schedule as long as I own the truck,

pulling that trailer gives the transmission oil a work out, it needs to be changed as you would any hard working oil.

new oil and filters are much cheaper than a new transmission, if I can avoid it.

OP, Depends how many more fluid changes you plan on. I change my transmission oil on most of all the vehicles I have owned at 40K to 50K intervals and like I have said I only tried two self installs and both leaked from the crappy teflon or plastic gasket that comes with it.
So to answer your question,, it does sorta help with the mess, but if you use the self install you will still have oil in the pan, so yeah you will not get that immediate gush of oil when you start to tip the pan down, but you will still wind up having to catch whats left in the pan.
I have seen others used the pump out method thru the dip stick hole,, but still you will not get all of it out and have some slop.

I changed the trans oil and filter at about 125,000 miles and the oil went in a drain pan. I will most likely change it again around 200,000. I don't think I need a drain plug for one use and I don't think I will still have the X at 300,000.