a buddy came over and we started the 3x3 drain and fill.

we were using a breaker bar/ratchet to get the fill plug off.
we noticed the ratchet kept spinning. we concluded that the ratchet part of the breaker bar was broken. so we went to get a new breaker bar.

came home and got the fill bolt off.
drained 3 quarts, then filled it back up with 3 quarts.
only we couldnt get the fill bolt to go back on.

i then noticed a piece broken.
i fished it out with my hands, and saw that we broke off half of the threads to the fill bolt.

this is where we are stuck.
there is absolutely no way that the fill bolt will screw back on.

 

noob

Edit. How the fuck did you manage to do that?

 

i just posted something like this a day ago same situation happen to me i tried to unbolt it and it the process broke the fill bolt fluid started spashing out when i had the car on so i put jb welder stopped it temporary now i have to get a new transmission so yea lol

 

fooking brochacho breaks all my tools.
the ratchet/breaker bar was the culprit.

Luckily, I wasnt the one who was performing the fatal surgery.

 

the night started off great!

look, we're twins!!

 

Theres no pressure and very little splash at that point. You can stick one of the rubber oilpan repair plugs in there and it will be fine. Its like a rubber plug with a lever you flip once its in the hole to make it expand. Can usually be found in any autoparts store. Basically anything that will keep dust out is ok. It would be a good idea to file down any rough edges to prevent cracks from developing.

Fwiw I barely tighten this bolt every time, just barely more than hand tight and its still pretty hard to get loose.

 

Not certain of the size, but look into expandable rubber plugs.

As examples:

http://www.shawplugs.com/snap-tite-e...ugs-c-250.html

For 1" and larger:
http://www.dormanproducts.com/c-354-...al-rubber.aspx

 

Damn that sucks

truth!

 

one time when I went to loosen the fill bolt my ratchet broke.
The aluminum washer that sits in between, I must of forgotten to put back on. So that bolt is never going to come off.

I ended up buying a long funnel and put a small valve on it. I now fill up using the dipstick hole.

 

Steal the plug out of your neighbors boat.

 

I sent this link to my brother who knows quite a bit about cars. His response:


Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhh, that's a terrible one!


But it can be fixed, like anything. I think that bung needs to be filled down with an air grinder. Then it can be TIG welded by a pro. He'd have to cut and thread a pipe fitting out of aluminum (you can't weld steel to aluminum). Then a good TIG welder would be able to attach the pipe. Then a little grinding afterwards to clean it up a bit, and he'd be all set.


I assume the tranny would have to be removed to do this work, but I'm sure it would be a lot cheaper than replacing it.

Hopefully this helps.

 

So, I'm the one with the broken bolt....thanks to justn for postin this up last night!

Took it to the service guys at my job today. They didn't even wanna touch it or attempt a jb weld on it. So I think my current gameplan is to go ahead and find a way to just get this thing covered/sealed and finish the other 2 drain and fills (and all subsequent filling needs) by the dipstick. Now just comes the matter of finding the right plug. I'm currently checking out the ones you guys have been recommending.

 

That bolt is a mother fucker to open. I've changed my trams fluid 4 times and every single time it's ridiculously tight.

The first time I tried i broke two extensions before switching to a larger impact drive and extensions with the breaker bar I use for wheels AND a pipe for leverage.

GL!

 

Majofo's reaction to Justn's post:

 

Looks like I'm plugging that thing up for good.

 

Tig welding cast aluminum in that position to anything is going to be a bitch and probably will crack. Due to heat, the fact it's cast and lack of prep. Re-tap it and install a helicoil. Or oversize it and install a helicoil. That's what I would do just my 2 cents. Sorry more like 10 cents

 

1) I doubt there's enough area to apply an appropriate helicoil. 2) I'd be wary of introducing shavings into the case. Probably too insignificant to cause any issues but still.. plug it and leave it.

 

Situation went from bad to worse....new transmission on the way soon, looks like.

 

If you don't mind, how much was that?

 

Please explain what happened and the need for another trans.

 

Unless a crack developed (the reason I said to file down sharp edges), why would you need to replace the trans? This is just a simple fill hole. No splash, no pressure, you could probably get away with sticking a rag in the hole. Some people are making it out to be more difficult than it is.

 

Also Curious why a new trans is necessary.


This makes me too fuckib scared to open mine again lol. Although I just did a MT drain and fill the other day... Which btw was also tight as hell.

 

I believe Justin(lol, its weird saying my own name) came to me, asking to help with a 3x3 because his trans was slipping.

I dont know all the details, but we out for a test drive after a 1x3 and he said the trans felt a lot better.

I'm not sure if thats why he wants to replace.

in hindsight, justin; we rushed that job.
I shouldnt have taken you up on it, with that short of sunlight.

 

After rubber plugging the fill bolt, I had gone to get started on another drain and fill.



While attempting to unscrew the bolt, I appear to have pulled a little too hard, and.....crack.


2 pieces of the area where you thread the bolt broke off. Fluid drained out and couldn't get the bolt out or in. Shop said they couldn't fix it.

 

Justin, (you're right. feels weird saying my own name), it's cool. I rushed both parts in a desperate effort to fix things. My rushing on both ends led to the pretty crappy situation I'm in now.

 

WOW....so how did that night end ???

i agree with IHC here....i barely tighten that bolt but it is soooo damn tough to pop it off....i almost thought the tranny run under some pressure which IHC explained to me recently was not the case....

either way do share the fix !!!

 

Well, it ended with me wanting to down a bottle of Jack Daniels as I watched my car bleed out. I held on to my last few bottles of Redline and used those to at least get her to work in the morning. The servicepeople at my job said there was pretty much nothing THEY could do, so I called around and spoke to a few guys that do trans work for my dealership. After talking, talking, and more talking,one of the mechanics I know there agreed to rebuild my trans for an agreeable price.



They came and got her today. Stay tuned for updates, guys....alas, it looks like the first thing on my planned build for my car is gonna be trans work. :/

 

That sucks. You could have welded the drain plug section but it's always scary welding in that area. More than once I've seen an engine completely ruined by welding. The shop I worked at many years ago broke the starter pad off the engine block. They had someone weld it back on and the current went through the bottom end, arced from the crank to the main bearings and completely ruined the crankshaft and even the block on a new at the time LS1 Camaro. I've seen that happen a few times and with the trans being bolted to the engine I would suggest pulling it anyway.

 

 

Holy jeez!

Well, she's at the shop as I speak. Hopefully the rebuild goes all well. Any recommendations, IHC? I'm putting in some Type F, but are there any other things outside of a typical rebuild I should mention?

 

Put a higher stall converter in it or get the current one raised up. It will get off the line much quicker. Should be two to three hundred.

 

Wow, I hate when simple maintenance goes wrong...
you KNOW if you go the dealer route they don't have a fix for that in a book or online and therefore, won't want to touch it or think about how to fix it. I wish you luck in your fix.

Friggin Justin (the crabby one)...take a look at his unfinished car before deciding to have him pretend to be your master tech next time. You should see the "grill he made me at the swap shop" with his fake dentist license!

 

Is there a chance I could get that sort of thing done after the rebuild if need be? It's hittin me for cash at the moment as it is.


For example: If this trans rebuild went well, I was going to see about him installing a trans cooler at a later date. Maybe I could do the higher stall torque converter at that time?

 

Oh yeah. I know allll about dealers. See, I made the mistake of thinking "oh, yeah, I know these guys. I work with these guys everyday. Surely they can figure out something".


Nope. Dealer is a dealer is a dealer.

 

You can do it at any time but the trans has to come out to install it so it will go from a 2-$300 job to a $1k job. It's not a big deal but it's one of those things that you might as well do if you're in there anyway. The car will be much quicker off the line and it should even help with the 4th gear fall off when it falls out of vtec when it shifts to 4th. It's probably not worth it to do it by itself unless you're really into racing and need that extra kick off the line. I would never do it but when the trans needs rebuilding I'll definitely do it.

The other thing is to make sure the new switches get installed on the rebuilt trans. Probably the single most important thing you can do. A cooler is always a good idea but a little less important when running a synthetic fluid.

 

Just to clarify, are they rebuilding a different trans or are they transferring the guts of yours into a different case? If it was coming out of the car anyway and you were having no issues with it and the miles weren't too high I probably would have had the case repaired.

 

I believe they'll be repairing the case. It was towed to the shop yesterday and they just got it up on the lift today. Should be getting a call monday. My pressure switches should be fine I imagine, the new ones haven't even been in for even 3k yet.

 

Update: So far everything is rebuild, they raised the torque converter, and all is set. The only problem (big problem) is that they were unable to repair the case and are looking at a new one. Luckily I'm not being charged extra for it. (Thanks by the way, IHC. The guy was happy to help me out with the torque converter for an extra 200 on top)


So far they can't seem to find a new case anywhere for my car. However, I want to say that 04-06 should be the same, right? They said there were some very small differences that they were running into apparently....

 

Im sure someone else will chime in, but i am almost positive that the trans from 07-08 is different from the 04-06.

 

yup, different transmission....different case...