4L60E Fluid and Filter Refresh

**Bgw70** · 07-31-2014, 02:37 PM

Well I dropped the tranny pan and changed the filter and some of the fluid today. It was certainly due and I wanted to share some pictures with you.
This is a 2000 T/A with 66k on her and I believe this was the first time the filter and fluid have been changed. See the Old and New fluid side by side.
You will also see a couple of pictures of the pan before and after I cleaned it up. The magnet did it's job very well and I had great ease and success removing the old gasket with a razor blade and Brillo steel wool pads for the final cleanup.

The filter is AC Delco and the ATF is Valvoline MaxLife. I replaced 3.5 quarts.

Comments are always welcome and encouraged!

**pajeff02** · 07-31-2014, 05:59 PM

Good work. Transmission service is often overlooked on cars it seems. I thought I was able to pull almost 5 quarts out of mine when I changed it the first time. If I recall, that was about half of the transmission's (incl. the torque converter) total capacity.

**Bgw70** · 07-31-2014, 06:21 PM

Originally Posted by pajeff02

Good work. Transmission service is often overlooked on cars it seems. I thought I was able to pull almost 5 quarts out of mine when I changed it the first time. If I recall, that was about half of the transmission's (incl. the torque converter) total capacity.

You may certainly be correct Jeff! Others have commented that they too used 5qts to refill their transmission. I checked mine twice and plan to check it again in the morning.

My next and last "Catch Up Maintenance" on this car will be the rear differential oil to include the posi additive.

It is important to note that although the mileage is only 66k, the car is over 14yrs old. Be sure to change those fluids! ;-)

**pajeff02** · 08-01-2014, 02:12 AM

I presume you already know this, but check it on a level surface, with the fluid warmed up after at least a several mile ride. With the engine running, pull the shifter back slowly and engage each gear for a few seconds, then place it back in Park. Check the fluid level with the engine still running and do not overfill.

**Bgw70** · 08-01-2014, 03:21 AM

Those are great tips on how to properly check the tranny fluid and I certainly appreciate you taking the time to share them.
I was wondering if you or anyone else has ever installed a transmission drain plug? I want to do it and plan to weld the nut into the pan. If you have done it, did you install the drain in the bottom or the side?

**pajeff02** · 08-01-2014, 11:50 AM

A bottom mount drain plug will allow more fluid out, provided it is flush. Honestly, for around $100 you can grab a deeper pan with aluminum ribs for heat dissipation and add about 2-3 more quarts to your total capacity.

**2002ssslp** · 08-01-2014, 03:14 PM

Originally Posted by pajeff02

A bottom mount drain plug will allow more fluid out, provided it is flush. Honestly, for around $100 you can grab a deeper pan with aluminum ribs for heat dissipation and add about 2-3 more quarts to your total capacity.

^^^ What Jeff said. I like the B&M deep pan. Under 200 dollars, adds 3 quarts and cools better than a stock pan.

**2002ssslp** · 08-01-2014, 03:17 PM

Originally Posted by Bgw70

You may certainly be correct Jeff! Others have commented that they too used 5qts to refill their transmission. I checked mine twice and plan to check it again in the morning.

My next and last "Catch Up Maintenance" on this car will be the rear differential oil to include the posi additive.

It is important to note that although the mileage is only 66k, the car is over 14yrs old. Be sure to change those fluids! ;-)

BW, Do not use synthetic oil in the rear, use a good quality dyno oil like Castrol or Mobil. Also, spend the extra money and use the GM additive to prevent "Rusty Screw Noise" from the rear. Good luck and don't forget your power steering system. It needs love too.

**pajeff02** · 08-01-2014, 06:09 PM

B&M -- exactly what I have:

**Bgw70** · 08-02-2014, 04:32 AM

Originally Posted by pajeff02

B&M -- exactly what I have:

Your information is very much appreciated!!!

You have the cleanest looking undercarriage, if you take it to shows you should put a mirror under your car!

I located this pan, B&M 70260, on the JCWhitney site for around $140. Is this the pan you are using? I was able to get the price down that low with a 20% coupon.

With the added capacity, does the pan hang below the crossmember? Does the new pan become the lowest point to the road?

Does the drain plug have a magnet?

My plan was to purchase a drain plug with a magnet, then match that with a nut or nut plate and weld the nut plate to the outside of the pan. Welding it to the outside will minimal intrusion into the internal pan area.

I included a picture of the drain plug I was going to use. the plug magnet is dirty in the picture and you use a 3/8 drive to remove it or tighten it. The drain plug is 18mm with a 1.5 thread pitch and yes, it is made for a Honda. Please don't shoot me! LoL My daily driver is a Honda Civic. The T/A is my weekend Toy.

**Bgw70** · 08-02-2014, 04:35 AM

Originally Posted by 2002ssslp

BW, Do not use synthetic oil in the rear, use a good quality dyno oil like Castrol or Mobil. Also, spend the extra money and use the GM additive to prevent "Rusty Screw Noise" from the rear. Good luck and don't forget your power steering system. It needs love too.

Thank you for the tips!

I certainly plan to use the posi additive. Were you advising me to use the additive from GM and purchased from a dealer? Asking for clarification.

Also, please tell me why I should not use synthetic? Just want to educate myself. TY

**pajeff02** · 08-02-2014, 05:12 PM

Thanks!

Trans pan tucks up nicely as shown below. I believe the drain plug is magnetic, but honestly do not recall for certain. As long as that is the part number for a 4L60E, it'll work just fine.

**Bgw70** · 08-02-2014, 06:12 PM

Originally Posted by pajeff02

Thanks!

Trans pan tucks up nicely as shown below. I believe the drain plug is magnetic, but honestly do not recall for certain. As long as that is the part number for a 4L60E, it'll work just fine.

Jeff,
You are killing me with your clean ride! Do you drive this car? LoL

Seriously, it looks like your tranny pan is closer to the ground than the crossmember. Is that correct or an I looking at the picture wrong?

Either way, your ride totally rocks and I certainly appreciate all of the information you are sharing with me!

BW

**pajeff02** · 08-03-2014, 07:39 AM

That is a tubular K-member, which probably tucks up more than the stock one. The pan is essentially at the same height as the headers.

**2002ssslp** · 08-03-2014, 02:12 PM

Originally Posted by Bgw70

Thank you for the tips!

I certainly plan to use the posi additive. Were you advising me to use the additive from GM and purchased from a dealer? Asking for clarification.

Also, please tell me why I should not use synthetic? Just want to educate myself. TY

Get the GM posi additive, it is the only one I know of that will prevent that nasty "rusty screw" noise we get in out 10 bolt rears. Regular oil works just as well as synthetic in these rears so don't waste the extra money.

**2002ssslp** · 08-04-2014, 05:22 AM

Originally Posted by pajeff02

B&M -- exactly what I have:

The underneath of your car is cleaner then the upside of my car. How do you do it Jeff ? You must have a team of people who take the car from you after a ride and detail every inch while you figure out your next modification. I envy you. With a dollar and a dream some day I will live the Jeff lifestyle.

**pajeff02** · 08-04-2014, 06:12 PM

The underside of the car was clean when we bought it, and I try to keep it that way. Honestly, Preston's car is about 3 magnitudes of clean better than our car. That's the car I am envious of!

**35th-ANV-SS** · 08-04-2014, 06:28 PM

Preston only puts like 43 miles a year on his though.

**pajeff02** · 08-05-2014, 05:21 PM

That's probably more than our car has gone this year.

**Bgw70** · 08-06-2014, 05:41 PM

Originally Posted by 2002ssslp

BW, Do not use synthetic oil in the rear, use a good quality dyno oil like Castrol or Mobil. Also, spend the extra money and use the GM additive to prevent "Rusty Screw Noise" from the rear. Good luck and don't forget your power steering system. It needs love too.

I have been meaning to address your other comment about power steering fluid. I do not believe this car ever had the PS fluid changed and when I first purchased this car in March 2014, I noticed that the steering was a little tight. I just thought it was this type of car...NOTE: the car had 64k miles. Anyway, I first changed the PS fluid in March and the fluid was very dark brown. I only drained the resovior and knew that was not all of the system fluid. I then drained the resovior again the other day and have really noticed a difference in the amount of effort used to turn the wheel. The fluid is light brown now and it will be changed again at the next oil change.
Thank you SLP for your comments!