Aftermarket Tranny Pans

[BBCB]

Question to those out there than have been there, done that.

I plan on upgrading the Tranny pan in preparation for guages - I've seen alot of signature lines with this and that pans listed - but is the Mag-HYTEC pan at $300 that much better than the cast PML @ $180 (or powder coated at $205)? What about the JET or B&M brands?

From the web, the Mag-HYTEC actually shows an internal view (http://www.mag-hytec.com/Transmission_pans.htm) - with ribs to assist w/ surface area. I can find no other "real" internal views on the web - PML (http://www.yourcovers.com/tp_9437.shtml) does not, nor do the others. I did find this one from Derale Cooling Products (http://www.derale.com/transmissionpans.shtml) that seems to have a strange gimick (air cooling tubes).

Likewise, the what about filters, it looks like some use stands to use the standard filter, whereas others (Mag-Hytec) suggest you use a deep pan model.

Ideas? Suggestions? Caveats?

Thanks for any input,

BBCB

[DA BIG ONE]

More fluid= running cooler which you already know.

Deep pan is a +, however, will it be exposed to damage with your type of driving?

Tranny coolers w/fan & thermo switch are great for keeping temps down, B&M super cooler comes to mind here. But, there is limited space for it with your grill, so, grill mods are necessary for proper install up front. Some members have installed it under their trucks w/good results.

This B&M super cooler may verywell be my last tranny mod which will be installed behind the grill.

I have dumped BIG $$,$$$.00 into my Burb in aftermarket mods, and simply cannot justify the $300. ++ for the deep tranny pan because of potential damage offroad. The ++ would be fabricating some type of skidplate which would require another custom x-member for best protection.

Just my $ .02 on this subject!

Good luck w/whatever you decide.....

[GMC Hauler]

I have thought about the dep pan, but was concerned about damage due to off road use. What I realized is that the stock pan has a land on it where some factory pans have a drain plug. It is on the driver's side of the pan. What I have done is drill and weld a bung there and put my trans sensor there. It doubles as a drain plug, therefore minimizing the amount of penetrations and leaks. I discovered when putting in my EGT probe is that the weld bung for the pyrometer works also for the trans temp sensor. I got mine from US Diesel.

An aluminum pan cannot reuse the stock magnet.

Most of those new aluminum pans have a magnetic drain plug.

You could also add a little capacity by using an external transmission filter setup.

Hope this helps....

[Mainous]

I installed a Hughes Performance pan on my truck. It adds about a gallon of extra fluid but is no lower than the crossmember. That Mag-Hi-Tec pan is deeep! Price is about $170 off of Ebay. The seller is a performance trans shop out of Oregon.

[Turbine Doc]

I run the PML pan IIRC it's smooth inside I just don't remember, call their tech line they will tell you, I also run a Deraile 25K rated cooler with themostatic fan set to come on @ 170 retrun oil temp I generally stay 150 or less.

does not extend below cross memeber, adds 3.25 qt
aluminum casting and finned ribs external supposed to help dissipate heat.

I will add this if doing the PML request them to tap the pan for a probe if that is where you are going to monitor temp, some prefer monitoring return oil.

I let a tranny shop tap mine when they installed the pan when I had HD clutches put in the tranny, finished threads weren't up to par and I develped a weep that could only be remidied with JB weld, I did not find this until after they went bust of course, bad on me.

[ 02-23-2005, 01:42 PM: Message edited by: tbogemirep ]

[BBCB]

I left an email w/ PML - here's a pic of the inside view: http://home.houston.rr.com/thebrochus/images/9427filtersupports.jpg

Brent was very helpful:
------------------------------------------------
On a 97, either pan will mount to the transmission. The problem comes with hardware on the outside of the transmission that is close to the pan. The area of concern is at the back. Does the frame cross member holding the rear transmission mount run underneath the back of the pan? Would you have to move the pan forward as you pull it down to clear the cross member? Could you unbolt the pan and drop it straight down without hitting anything? If you can answer yes to the last question, the 9167 would be the one to buy as it holds a bit more oil while hanging down less than the 9437.

Both pans are designed to use the stock filter. Filter supports that are part of the floor of the pan rise up to the height of the stock pan to hold the filter up. See the picture for details (this is a diferent pan but the same idea). If you find a deeper filter that you want to use, it's fairly easy to remove some material from the filter supports to set them up for a deeper filter.

The sloped end of the 9437 goes to the back. Your stock pan will likely have a similar design if you need to get under the cross member.
------------------------------------------------

As you can see - it does not need a deep filter, the stands allow it to use the "normal" filter. For what it's worth, I seem to have an "early" 97 w/ respect to cross member...

Thanks for the replies - I'm looking for a stepped approach, pan 1st, then additional req's as warranted.

[Dvldog 8793]

I have the Maghytech on my truck. I am metal fabricator and a shade tree mech. THIS PAN IS HEAVY DUTY!!!!! I have used many different pans in different applications and handled almost every aftermarket pan and the Maghytech is by far the best pan I have ever seen. IIRC they use a epoxied in magnet and a magnet drain plug. The BEST feature of the maghytech is the O-ring seal. NO LEAKS EVER, PERIOD. The last time I dropped the pan I thought the O-ring looked a little flat so I called them, they fedexed a new Oring and bolt kit, no charge. I also have the Maghytech dif cover and it is also a fantastic product. They ain't cheap, but I think they are worth it :D
Hope this helps
Lr8
Conley

[DA BIG ONE]

Originally posted by Dvldog 8793:
I have the Maghytech on my truck. I am metal fabricator and a shade tree mech. THIS PAN IS HEAVY DUTY!!!!! I have used many different pans in different applications and handled almost every aftermarket pan and the Maghytech is by far the best pan I have ever seen. IIRC they use a epoxied in magnet and a magnet drain plug. The BEST feature of the maghytech is the O-ring seal. NO LEAKS EVER, PERIOD. The last time I dropped the pan I thought the O-ring looked a little flat so I called them, they fedexed a new Oring and bolt kit, no charge. I also have the Maghytech dif cover and it is also a fantastic product. They ain't cheap, but I think they are worth it :D
Hope this helps
Lr8
Conley With your hands on, perhaps, you can give some input as too how much this pan protrudes below x-member, then how much fabrication you think it might take "real world" to build a skid plate to protect it?

My rig is 4wd with auto trac.

[Dvldog 8793]

The Maghytech pan does not extend past the crossmember in the back or the crossover pipe to the front. A skid-plate would be easy enough to build, however I think you would have to add a crossmember of some type in front of the pan for it to be effective and not "just-for-looks" as so many "skid plates" are. given the location and that it does not extend down I don't know hop much a skid plate is needed. I am not a 4wheel-drive-rock-climber-bury-it-in-the-mud person so some of you guys might know better.
The one bad thing about cast aluminum is that if you do hit something hard enough to hurt it you will most likely punch a hole/knock out a chunk rather than bend/dent it(as with steel). Also it is harder to repair. Cast Aluminum can be welded if it is of a good casting quality, but even then it normally wont be welded at your average back woods shop.
One thing about the Maghytech pan, and any extended large pan, is that a modification of said crossmember is needed. The Front lip of the crossmember has to be cut off to give access to the bolts. The maghytech uses 6mm allen head bolts that allow the use of a ball type allen wrench, and that makes it easier, but I still would cut the lip from the crossmember. After I did this then I boxed in the bottom of the crossmember to make up for the lost rigidity. Even with this small hassle I still think that the quality of the maghytech products is TOP SHELF. I hate to really endorse anything that strongly but that's the way I see it. It would really depend on what the bank dictates as to if it is a viable product for for everyone. Like I said before, They ain't cheap!
L8r
Conley Janssen
USMC 87-93

[Bill Voitel]

Check out yourcovers.com pricing looks to be pretty good.......Just a tip from the Dark Side :eek:

[Kidd]

Anyone know where I can get a deep pan for a 98
K3500 DRW? The trans pan on mine has a different bolt pattern. Have one for a K2500, but not even close. :confused:
K.D.

[Dvldog 8793]

KD-
Need to know what kind of trany you have???

[damork]

Not everyone may agree with this approach, but I'm showing the drain plug version of the OEM 4L80E pan at this link with an added temp sensor.

http://community.webshots.com/photo/42727688/225313442tISjHx

While many aftermarket pans increase the volume, there is a great deal of focus in the hydraulics industry on conditioning (cooling/filtering) the oil you have instead of adding more. I invested in a super large plate type cooler instead and my total investment with pan, sender, and cooler is under $125.00. The pan temp has never exceeded 180F, before adding the cooler I was hitting 220-225F. The OEM gasket with the rubber seal has never leaked since the vehicle was new.

Save some cash.

[ 02-25-2005, 09:44 PM: Message edited by: damork ]

[Kidd]

DVLDOG

I have the 4L80E auto trans in a 98 GM K3500 DRW.
The pan on this one is about 8 inches longer than the others I have seen and the bolt pattern is not rectangular, but almost an "L" pattern.
I know the DRW 4X4 trucks have a different transfer case than the SRW, wondering if it has a different tranny as well.

GM parts is no help.. all they say is "hmm, we only list the regular one and the hi-capacity one.." neither fits. :confused:

K.D.

[Dvldog 8793]

KD
If nothing that the dealer shows fits your truck when checked against the RPO for the truck then something must have been changed along the way sometime. It doesn't sound like any 4L80E that I have seen. Have you ever service this trans?There are MANY people one this board that know more than I do, you should post this as a question on it's own.
L8r
Conley

[Kidd]

Dvldog-

Yes, I change the filter and fluid every 6 months. Uses the standard 4L80 filter. Another difference I noticed is it came with a drain plug, which others I looked at do not.

Thanks, K.D. :cool:

[Dvldog 8793]

KD-
what gasket does this Trans use when you change the filter? If it has a drain plug then it could be a factory deep pan or some other optional pan from the factory. but the bolt patern on all the 4l80e's should be the same.
L8r
Conley