New Transmission Pan Gasket

[Notar61]

Hello,

I have a 61 with a 2 speed automatic. The transmission pan seems to be leaking as of late. Thought I would pull it off, drain it, clean the filter, slap a new gasket on, and then refill. Does anyone have any tips and tricks for this? Never done a new gasket on a transmission pan, thought I would ask the forum for any advice. Thanks!

-Andrew

[redfalken]

First try to determine if it's really the pan gasket. Wind under the car as you drive can make leaky fluids go all over the place. You could get under the car with some Simple Green, a parts brush, and a hose to clean things up a bit. Then go for a long slow cruise around the neighborhood so the tranny gets a chance to warm up. Then get under the car with a flashlight after you park and see if you can detect the source of the leak.

It never hurts to clean a filter though but I don't have any experience with a Ford-o-Matic 2-speed. That tranny was on my `62 when I got it but I swapped to a C4 before I did any work on it. But here are some basics:

If it's a stamped metal pan, take a ball-peen hammer and lightly tap where the bolt holes are. Tap on the side that mates to the trans body so it concaves just a bit. Don't get too aggressive. When you torque the bolts, it usually pulls the metal in just a bit so you want to restore that to it's original shape.

Make sure both surfaces are squeaky clean. Use a razor blade if needed to get rid of gasket material that is stuck but don't gouge the surface. The body is probably aluminum so it's a fairly soft material. Use acetone or gasket remover to clean any residue.

And I'm not sure about using a gasket sealer. You should try to find some info from a manual and see what Ford recommended. If you do use a sealer, take it easy and apply a light film. You don't want excess squishing to the inside and then possibly coming loose later to clog a fluid path somewhere.

Also consider mounting a magnet inside with some epoxy to catch any metal bits that may be in the system. I like to put them in the end of the plug bolt but I'm not sure if the pan has one. Most just require you to drop the pan to get the fluid out since you don't change it too often.

These Ford-o-Matics are getting hard to find and many shops around here don't really have experience working on them or doing a rebuild. Depending on your weather, you may want to consider adding an inline tranny cooler to help extend it's life. Transmissions don't like overheating so anything you can do to help keep it cool is a good thing.

Hopefully we will have someone else chime in who has actually worked on one before. If you don't have a repair manual let me know and I will did mine out to see if there is any info on the 2-speed.

[redfalken]

And have a torque wrench handy when you put it back on. I imagine it's just a foot pound or two but the manual should say. You need nice even pressure or you can easily distort the metal rim of the pan and cause a leak.

[Notar61]

Kenny,

Thanks for all the tips. I do have access to a manual for my year of car, and it looks like it doesn't mention using any kind of sealant when putting on a new gasket. It does say to "thoroughly clean the pan and the filter screen" though. I really appreciate all the info!

thanks,
Andrew

[Luva65wagon]

Keep in mind back in '61 they didn't have much available more than good old tar-like Permatex. I would not hesitate to use a thin coating of silicone-based sealer on a pan gasket (engine or transmission).

And as Kenny indicated I think the biggest mistake made is to not flatten the pan near the bolt holes - and then to over-tighten the bolts. A little hammer/dolly action and a flat-edge to make sure the pan is flat.

Not sure there is a torque setting for these, but generally I just grip the ratchet like a t-handle and apply even torque slowly to each bolt trying to "feel the force" of the gasket resisting my tightening. The bolts should never get to the place of being "tight" - only "tension" should be felt.

Have fun!

[SmithKid]

Inexpensive, add-in drain plugs are also readily available for the pan. But with the number of miles you are likely to put on your Falcon, this is probably not cost effective.

[dhbfaster]

Hummm....I'm definitely a "while you're at it guy" (obviously) but I'm seeing those plugs out there for $5 to $7. I bet they have them at the parts store. A nice ounce of prevention if it pops right in with no extra work.
http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=ford+transmission+drain+pan+plug+magnetic

[Jeff W]

In 45 years when it needs it's next fluid change, you would want to drop the pan anyway to replace the filter screen. I would forego the plug. But I am more of "if it's not broke, don't fix it" kinda of guy.

[SmithKid]

I also am a "if it's not broke, don't fix it" kinda guy. But... I guess I'm also a sucker for making it easier next time. The last automatic I had out was a C-6 going into a 69 Ranchero many years ago. I have to confess to succumbing to the later because I was pulling a pretty hefty RV with it, though I never actually made use of it.

[Luva65wagon]

Having popped a lot of these over the years - I've thought many times about adding a plug, but never have. You do run some risk if it is on the lower plane to getting caught on something. Having seen my share of "scraped" pans, all would have caught and ripped anything that was facing down. If put on they edge somewhere, you'll still have a lot of fluid left in they pan.

The best way, without adding something that may itself leak, if not a welded-on part, is to loosen and remove all the bolts on three edges - rear and both sides - and then slowly loosen the last end to let the pan start to drop. If you do this well you will probably not even get oily... much.

One other benefit not mentioned is the trap left of all the heavy metal that may have settled on the bottom of the pan. You don't want to flush those out because they can, often, help define the condition of the transmission.

[Notar61]

Lots of good info here! Thanks so much! I will try and tackle this project this weekend.

-Andrew

[Notar61]

Got this done! Everything went pretty smooth. Thanks for the pointers!

-Andrew

[Nanana12]

Thanks so much!
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