sevenhelmet
Full Access Member
So, in the spirit of scheduled preventive maintenance, I took it upon myself to change the transmission fluid in my 5-speed KJ yesterday right before lunch. I only have 2 jackstands, but there is just enough room to wiggle underneath and drain and refill the ****** oil while keeping the Jeep level. Simple, right?
WRONG. I drained the old fluid out, but (oops!) did not remove the transmission fill plug first. When it came time to add the fresh Royal Purple Synchromax, I discovered the fill plug was partially stripped- D'oh!
:wtf2:
2 hours and several applications of penetrating oil later, no luck. Limited space, can't keep the allen socket seated properly, and it's tight quarters under there. I couldn't move the fill plug, and since I didn't want to risk damage to the transmission case, I called a mechanic for a consult.
He suggested filling the ****** through the shift tower as long as I knew exactly how much fluid it needed. Brilliant! 45 minutes later I was done, and I did it without having to crawl around underneath the Jeep any more. I'm back on the road!
:driver:
Lesson learned: Don't ever drain a fluid without knowing you can fill it back up again! Always loosen or remove the fill cap first... don't be a dummy like me. This could have been an expensive tow and fix if I hadn't had a different way to fill the transmission. Even then, the guy I talked to said he wasn't sure he could get the fill plug out without damaging the transmission case, so I will be going through the shift tower to fill it from now on... thank God it's only once every couple of years.
2nd Lesson learned: Use 4 jackstands, or a lift (or lift your suspension!) 2 more jackstands would make crawling around underneath MUCH easier! Payday here I come...
WRONG. I drained the old fluid out, but (oops!) did not remove the transmission fill plug first. When it came time to add the fresh Royal Purple Synchromax, I discovered the fill plug was partially stripped- D'oh!
:wtf2:
2 hours and several applications of penetrating oil later, no luck. Limited space, can't keep the allen socket seated properly, and it's tight quarters under there. I couldn't move the fill plug, and since I didn't want to risk damage to the transmission case, I called a mechanic for a consult.
He suggested filling the ****** through the shift tower as long as I knew exactly how much fluid it needed. Brilliant! 45 minutes later I was done, and I did it without having to crawl around underneath the Jeep any more. I'm back on the road!
:driver:
Lesson learned: Don't ever drain a fluid without knowing you can fill it back up again! Always loosen or remove the fill cap first... don't be a dummy like me. This could have been an expensive tow and fix if I hadn't had a different way to fill the transmission. Even then, the guy I talked to said he wasn't sure he could get the fill plug out without damaging the transmission case, so I will be going through the shift tower to fill it from now on... thank God it's only once every couple of years.
2nd Lesson learned: Use 4 jackstands, or a lift (or lift your suspension!) 2 more jackstands would make crawling around underneath MUCH easier! Payday here I come...
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