How do I replace the Transmission filter on 96 Olds Bravada?
Items you will need:
6 quarts of Dexron III or IV Automatic Transmission Fluid
Oil Drain Pan
2 Cans of Brake Cleaner
1 Roll of Paper Shop Towels
3/8 inch Ratchet Wrench
3/8 inch Ratchet Extender
10mm Ratchet Socket
9mm Ratchet Socket
9mm Open and Closed Wrench
Replacement Automatic Transmission Gasket
Replacement Automatic Transmission Filter
Rubber Mallet
Blade/Scrapper
Follows these Instructions, carefully:
1. Place the vehicle on a level area.
2. Jack up the vehicle and place it securely on jack stands. Make sure that you raise the vehicle to give you enough clearance to work. It also helps if you have a 'crawler' to lay on. Use of the 'crawler' makes it easier to move about while you are on your back.
3. The Automatic Transmission Pan is the large pan located directly under the transmission. Lay on the 'crawler' and look at the pan. Inspect it carefully. Use a rag and brake cleaner to clean the area around all the bolts that hold the pan in place. Any dirt that is around the bolts will make it difficult to attempt to remove the bolts. Also, inspect the pan for any gouges or cracks. This would be the best time to decide if you need to replace the entire pan, or not.
4. Get some cardboard. Draw a rough outline of the pan and show the placement of the bolts. Puncture the cardboard were you drew the bolts. This will be your reference point of where you took the bolts off. This will help you remember where they go. This is important, as you have two special bolts that you will need to deal with. The cardboard also helps you keep track of the bolts so they won't scatter anywhere.
5. On the back corner, driver-side, of the pan you will notice that there is a black bracket there. This bracket holds the gear select cable. There are two 9mm bolts that hold this bracket against the pan. Use the 9mm Socket to loosen the bolt that is in the corner, but do not remove it. Use the 9mm Wrench to loosen the bolt directly behind the cable. Loosen this one as far as you can. The head of the bolt will push against the cable. Loosen the other 9mm bolt, the one you used the Ratchet on, and loosen that bolt some more, but don't take it out, yet. The bracket should now lower, a bit, and this will give you more room to loosen the other 9mm bolt behind the cable. Once you know you have the bolt removed, then remove the other 9mm with the Ratchet. The bolt that is behind the cable, you will not be able to remove it, just leave it there. It won't fall out. Place the other 9mm bolt into the cardboard holder that you made earlier. Make sure you put it in the same spot in relation to the pan.
6. Use the 10mm Ratchet Socket, with the extender, and loosen all the bolts. Don't remove them, yet. The bolts may be loose, already. This is due to the vibrations that the transmission encounters because of use. If they are loose, great. This is normal. If they are tight, apply steady pressure to loosen them.
7. Once you have them all loose, then, starting on the front right, loosen the bolts in that area to the point that they are about ready to come out, but don't take them out. On the passenger side of the pan, loosen those bolts the same way and do the same to the front, toward the engine.
8. At this point, get your oil pan ready. Position it toward the front right. If the pan hasn't started to separate from the transmission, wait a bit. Start loosening the bolts on the driver side, but don't remove them.
9. Start to loosen the bolts that are located toward the rear, but don't remove them.
NOTICE: It is very important that you don't remove all the bolts at once. Here's why: There is more transmission fluid than you think there is. If you were to 'see' the fluid level it goes just above the gasket. This is why you need to loosen the bolts, but don't remove them, in the order I am describing to you. If you were to remove all the bolts at once, the fluid would spill from all four sides, and you don't have an oil pan big enough to cover that area. What you want to do is tilt the pan so that the fluid spills from one of the corners. The best corner to do this is the one toward the front passenger side.
10. Once you have the bolts loosened, the pan should just come loose. If not, use the Rubber Mallet to and give it a few good taps from both sides. The pan should come loose. Once it does, tilt it toward the direction of the oil pan and let it drain for a few minutes. After it has drained for a bit, start removing the bolts from the front right corner, and work your way back toward the back left corner, all the while keeping the pan at a tilt so that it drains into your oil pan.
11. When you can't drain the pan anymore, push it back towards the transmission, remove the rest of the bolts and then pull it out. Make sure you put the bolts into that cardboard that you made earlier.
12. Remove the transmission pan from under the vehicle, and move the oil pan under the exposed area of the transmission. At this point, you can remove the transmission filter. it is the thin flat black item that is hanging under the exposed area of the transmission. Pull it straight down and place it in the oil pan.
13. Take the transmission pan that you just removed and remove and gasket material from the edge. Use the brake cleaner and a rag. Clean off the old gasket. It should just come off in one piece. You just want to clean off the residual rubber off the gasket. You and use the scrapper, just don't make and deep gouges.
14. Under the vehicle, clean the edge of the transmission with a rag and brake fluid cleaner. Again, you can use a scrapper, just be careful to not create any gouges. Put the new Transmission Filter on.
15 Position the Automatic Transmission Gasket on top of the Transmission Pan. Make sure you have it aligned properly.
16. Place the Transmission pan back under the transmission and place the bolts from the cardboard back into the same spots that you removed them from. Hand tighten all the bolts that you can. The bolts in the rear of the pan you will have to use the 10mm Socket with the extender, but not the Ratchet Wrench, and put those bolts on.
17. Put the cable bracket back against the pan and put in the 9mm bolt but don't tighten it all the way down. Use the 9mm Wrench to put the bolt that is behind the cable. Get that bolt as far as you can, but don't tighten it. Work the other 9mm bolt with the Ratchet Wrench. Just get it snug, then work the other 9mm with the wrench, again just get it snug. With the 10mm start to tighten the other bolts. Don't go around the pan, but rather when you tighten one, tighten one on the opposite side. Keep doing this till each bolt is tightened. Then tighten the 9mm bolts.
18. Remove all items from under the vehicle.
19. Lower the vehicle.
20. Pour in the Automatic Transmission Fluid through the Transmission Dip Stick opening. Use a funnel.
21. Start the engine an drive it around for about 10 minutes.
22. Open the hood and check the Automatic Transmission Fluid. If it needs more, add more to the appropriate level.
Your done.
Time: 2 to 4 hours
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