Cadillac Owners Forum banner
118K views 46 replies 24 participants last post by  Tree11 
#1 ·
Alright, changing the transmission fluid in an Escalade...

Again, these photos are from a 2004 Escalade, AWD, 6.0 Liter V8, Vin N Engine. If you're not sure on the engine, the 8th letter of your Vin is the Engine code.

Right up front, I'm gonna tell you, this may not be "according to Hoyle", okay.... This method is sort of "borrowed" from what I picked up from some guys who used this method on Eldorados and Sevilles.... I did this to my Eldorado Touring Coupe, and it worked great. I just did the Escalade a month ago, and it worked out great, I have no issues whatsoever.

This is not flushing. This is merely pumping out the old, and filling it with new. No dropping of the pan is required. I'm very suspicious that this is what they do at dealers, maybe, because the dealers near me don't stock filters, you have to order it. So, I get the impression they don't drop the pan either.

Whatever. Ideally, in a perfect world, you would drop the pan, change the filters and gasket, replaced the pan, refill with fluid, and THEN do the procedure you are about to read.

I admit, all I did was what you are about to read. The truck only had upper 40's on it, so....

Okay, first, you are going to need an assistant to do this. The assistant will sit in the truck, and will start the engine when told to do so, and will shut off the engine when told to do so. I am very fortunate to have my GF, "The Doc", as my assistant.... You'd think a University Professor and Research Scientist at a Hospital would be smart enough not to associate with people like me.... what can I say.

Alright, with the hood up, standing on the passneger side of the engine bay, looking in at the backside of the radiator area, you should see something like this:

Reduced: 64% of original size [ 800 x 600 ] - Click to view full image


See that little silver line, with the rag under it?? That's a return line from the transmission cooler. In that photo, I have pulled back a black plastic thing over the fitting. The fitting is now exposed.

That line is held in place by a tiny circlip, or "C" clip. Use a little pick, or a real small screwdriver, and pull that out of it's little channel. Be careful, it likes to go flying when it comes loose...

Once that is off, you should be able to simply pull the line out. Pulling to the left, as seen here... This apparently is just a tapered fitting...

Reduced: 64% of original size [ 800 x 600 ] - Click to view full image


You can see there, I have pulled off the line. Some will probably drip. That's what the rag is for.

Now, you are going to have to purchase (or find in your garage) some line... I used a 3/4 inch inside diameter by 1" outside diameter piece of plastic line, like so.

Reduced: 64% of original size [ 800 x 600 ] - Click to view full image


That is the line, forced over the entire fitting area.

Reduced: 64% of original size [ 800 x 600 ] - Click to view full image


In case this picture is a little better, another look.

Now, you need an assistant because you are going to have to stand there and hold the line in place.

The other end of the line should be routed into a large drain pain. I used a big yellow radiator style pan, and it was barely big enough. Also, it would really help if fluid didn't "back up" in the line, so route the line DOWN through the engine compartment, into your pan. I used like about a 5 or 6 foot piece of that line.

What's going to happen is this:

Step 1: Assistant will start the truck. Transmission Fluid will start flowing STRONGLY out of that fitting, into your hose, and down into the pan. It comes out HARD. Keep holding that hose! There is no need to rev the engine. Just start it and let it idle.

Step 2: It will only take a few seconds, and the flow will start to sputter. 7 or 8 seconds maybe??? Not real long.

Step 3: IMMEDIATELY when you see sputtering, signal your assistant to shut off the truck. Roughly 2 or 3 quarts will have come out.

Step 4: Add 2 or 3 quarts of Dexron VI (thats dexron six) through the dipstick tube, thus replacing what you just pumped out.

Step 5: Go back to step One.

You will do that a few times. I ended up pumping out about 15-16 quarts, roughly....

You are looking for bright clean red Dexron to come out into your line. If you use a clear line, like I did, it will be quite apparent when you are no longer pumping out scuzzy brown fluid, and are now pumping bright ruby red fluid....

When bright red fluid comes out, you could stop.... or you could do ONE more cycle, for laughs, just to be sure....

When you've had enough, get your clear plastic line out of there.

Replace the circlip in the fitting, and then press the silver line back into the hole. The line will "click" back into place when the fitting on the line passes through the circlip.

It doesn't seem like the greatest setup, but I must say, I have no seeping, no leaking, nothing. Total bone dryness.

Then do the last refill, put like 2 quarts in through the dipstick tube. To sum up, basically you are using the engine to pump out, and you are replacing with fresh. Just keep repeating that until fresh stuff makes it all the way back to you, and your tube.

Tranny fluid on this truck should be checked with the truck on level ground, engine warm, engine on and idling.

Because the dipstick tube is so long, and at such a "flat" angle, I tended to get a "false full" reading. It was close, however. But if you wait a day, drive it somewhere, and check it, that's a better reading.

Over the course of 3 or 4 days, I added maybe another quart, in 1/2 quart increments. You don't want to over fill this!!

Also, let me note:

Reduced: 64% of original size [ 800 x 600 ] - Click to view full image


I used this stuff. There's a service bulletin out there somewhere that says going forward, all tranny fluid should be Dexron VI. It's apparently backwards compatible with anything that ever used Dexron III. Now, the GM Dex 6 has an amazing price, at least around here. This stuff I found at Advance Auto Parts for about $4 a quart. I have also seen at Wal-Mart, there is a "Super-Tech" brand Dexron 6 that is even more reasonable.

That's what I did, and it worked for me. Admittedly, this is a little "quick and dirty", but it's probably WAY better than the "nothing" that most people do....

Good luck.
 
See less See more
10
#3 ·
Nice post Patrick. Does anyone have any comments about how to utilize this method AND drop the pan/change the filter? After dropping the pan and replacing the filter, I'm guessing that most of the fluid will not come out so I suppose I could do the pan first, refill whatever fluid drains out, then use this method until the fluid coming through the system is clean.

Or I could do this first to replace the fluid, drop the pan while collecting all the new fluid that comes out, button things back up and then pour the new fluid back in again. Does anyone think that one method is better than the other? It seems like it would take the same amount of time either way since you're doing the same amount of work, just in a different order.

Maybe dropping the pan first would allow me to clean junk off the magnets, etc. first so it would not get stuck in the new fluid so maybe that's the way to go.

I dunno...what do you guys think?
 
#5 ·
This is a great idea and thank you for the pics. I tried a similar tactic with my jeep...by accident. I forgot to tighten the hose clamp for the tranny cooler and it came off and shot fluid everywhere. :-(
But then I got the same idea listed here on how to drain the tranny using a similar method.

I think changing the fluid first, then dropping pan makes more sense. This way the filter you put in is 100% clean. You can still chemically clean the pan and magnets before putting back on.

Anyone here use lucas when doing a tranny oil change???
 
#6 ·
Great post! I decided to drop the pan on mine, after reading there's a magnet in there, I just had to take a peek on how bad (or good) a condition the tranny is. And also replace the filter. Proper filter for the pan you see pictured is the shallow model. I found on another site that the deep pan measures closer than 6" in depth. Mine is under 4".

The job started rather bad... I was praising the GM engineers (that doesn't happen often) for adding a drainplug to the pan! Great idea. Unfortunately, some moron tightened it so hard that I wasn't able to remove it! I didn't try with an air impact, not wanting to break anything. The clip for the shift lever just slides off, then squeeze both sides of the cable to release it from the bracket. The end just pops off the lever easily. Removing all 16 13mm screws was easy, all were properly and evenly tightened. I let the fluid drip by loosening the bolts a little and waiting. Then I realized the pan cannot come off unless the cable holder, which is sitting very close to the tranny, comes off. It's held in place by 2 T40 screws that are very hard to access on top of the tranny. I managed to get a ratchet on em, but those were stuck there for good! Plan B; bend the upper tab on the bracket and pry it with a long prybar while negotiating the pan downwards (while trying not to get soaked by the oil still in there!) End result shown here:



The magnet was covered in metallic goo, but no big chuncks of metal. Good! Since I picked the wrong filter, I had to let the thing drip down all weekend in the garage. Pic of the pan before and after cleanup.



Since the pan was off, I tried to remove the drain plug and coat it with anti-seize for the next oil change. Niet! It's stuck there for good!



I also cut a small notch in the pan to help reinstall it. I find it hard to believe nobody at GM has ever bothered to remove that pan while the tranny is still attached to the engine to realize what a poor design that cable bracket is!



Added 4 litres of regular Dexron III ATF, went for a test drive, had to add another 2 liters to bring the level up to the correct spot. Pan bolts torque is 12 N-M. No leaks, tranny doesnt shift any differently, but I did notice a slightly lower operating temperature.
 
#7 ·
I have a 2003 EXT with 52K on it. It's time for a tranny service. Anyhow, I'll do it myself either dropping the pan or doing it the pumping out method. I'm confused on what oil to use. I see people talking about Dextron III and VI. 88861003 and 88861045

Which one do I use? Also, is there an all inclusive thread describing all oils used in my truck and where?

Thanks!
 
#9 ·
Today I did mine:

I drove my EXT up onto car ramps and also secured it with jack stands to make sure it wouldn't fall off. OK, what I did was removed the drain plug. It was MONDO tight. I first tried to remove it with my Snap on flank drive box end wrench but it wanted to round off. I couldn't believe it. But, how I ended up getting it off was with a Snap-on impact socket and my 1/2 in air drive impact. I figured that if I ruined it, I'd just take it to Jiffy Lube or do the "remove the cooler line method". Using the impact wrench and holding the socket tightly with my hand so it didn't spin off super fast, I hit the gun a few times and low and behold she started to turn. I guess it was the impact force or something.

So, what I did do with the oil? I drained it down, exactly 2.5 quarts(I measured it) came out, it didn't smell burnt much. So, I put the the drain plug back in and added 2.5 quarts of Castrol Dextron VI through the dipstick hole. Drove it around for 25 mins, going from reverse to forward, etc. Then I went back up onto the car ramps, and removed the trans oil again. Once drained for the 2nd time, I re-added the 2.5 quarts one more time.

Hopefully by doing this, I did a proper flush and change.
 
#10 · (Edited)
I couldn't remove the drain plug when the pan was on the car, but did end up getting it off after I had the pan off. (I tried to remove by using a 1/2" impact wrench but only had a 15mm 12 pt socket and it just rounded the bolt head) The gentleman on the post above me had the right idea by using a 6 pt impact socket.

About 5 qts drained from the tranny and lines (I blew out the cooler lines which allowed some more to drain down). Now at least I can remove the drain plug and change 2.5 qts each time. Used a Purolator filter and Amsoil ATF. Dealer wants $50 for the AC Delco filter, I paid $30. Originally bought both WIX filters from RockAuto (deep pan & shallow pan types) and they were both wrong. Got the Purolator filter kit (P1267) from Pep Boys.

Also did the transfer case which took 1.5 qts Amsoil ATF.

Here is how I had to get that damn drain plug off:

 
#11 ·
Update to above post. After running the car and warming up the tranny, I needed to add another quart to get the level to the top of the hashmarks on the dipstick. So a total of 6 quarts was actually drained from the tranny when I removed the pan & let the lines drain down by removing the line going to the radiator and letting the tranny drip a few days. This was on an 03 EXT.
 
#15 ·
Thanks for the good write up. We purchased a 2003 Escalade last Saturday with 102K miles. Checking with the servicing dealer the vavle body was replaced at 40K miles because of hard shift complains and that was all the dealership knew about transmission service so I am sure it is very overdue.

I got the hose and a clamp at Lowes last night and 13 quarts of Tech Dexron IV fluid at WM for $3.77 a quart. The dealer said before it was machine flushed they would change the oil in the pan and add conditioners. I have added a pint of Sea Foam while it is not a 'conditioner' it does help clean up the varnish build up created by the fluid over time.

This write up helped because I did not know how to make the connection. I have done this bucket flush with the motorhome but it has an add on cooler so making the connection was simple because the hose just clamped on.
 
#16 ·
The job mentioned is done after a 200 mile Sea Foam flush! :)

60K miles after the only known pan drop change since new the ATF was very dark but did not smell strong. We followed the write-up for the most part and it worked out well. We added a hose claim to the 3/4" ID (1" OD) clear tubing due to my physical limitations so we did not have to hold it on. We pumped into a clean 5 gallon bucket and put it into one gallon jugs.

I put in a 16 oz. can of regular Sea Foam (did not have the same stuff except for the red dye with me on Thursday) and drove it for 200 miles over three days. 10 trips of 20 miles should much more effective than one 200 mile trip. Before pumping out the old I did see a piece of trash come out on the dip stick that looked like some internal build up that was floating on top the way it came out on the stick.

Since pushing 16 quarts of new ATF through the system we have driven it 60 miles on some local trips. The shifting it hard to notice in a normal take-off but did several WOT red line take offs in Tow Mode to build as much pressure as possible on the slip connection at the radiator. The 5.3 will keep your back against the seat for sure in WOT take offs but we are running 93 Shell grain free fuel.

I did remember to blow out the return line before the first pump down. That took some effort by mouth indicating there was several ounces in the return line.

Tuesday we have to make a sales call in Nashville so that will be a fast 300 mile trip and I really wanted new ATF before that trip which will be the only trip before I turn the SUV over to the wife on her birthday. The new Cooper Discoverer CTS tires are awesome in all ways and Monday I take it in for a front end alignment.

Now I did not drop the plan the pan at this time since that is called for every 100K if no towing, etc is involved. Basically I wanted the old oil out and the Sea Foam flush had made it even more dirty and I have the trip coming up.

We went with Dexron VI which was $3.77 a quart but we did start with push of four quarts of DEX III/MER at $9.95 per gallon ($2.67 per quart). I am not sure if there is much gain from Dexron VI in our case but I wanted the best. I have purchased the $9.95 per gallon to do the 2002 Blazer/2000 Towncar bucket flushes in part because WM only stocks small amounts of Dexron VI but have the Dex/Mer in gallons which makes returning the old easier.
 
#17 ·
As an update I am noticing my transmission now requires more braking to hold it back at stop lights since running the can of Sea Foam in the transmission for 200 miles over 3 days then doing the total bucket flush per the above write-up. Also stopping on a steep grade if it tries to roll backwards the transmission seems to go into a "hold" mode all on its own. The idle speed still is about 650 RPM because that was my first thought.

Any thoughts on why the transmission wants to pull harder at the same idle speed with all temps at normal operating range?
 
#18 ·
I used Patrick's bucket flush write up to do the Blazer this evening and other than finding the connection VERY hard to seperate it worked as describled.

As with the Escalade I added a pint of Sea Foam to the transmission a few days before but I only drove the Blazer 120 miles instead of 200 that I did on the Escalade. When we poured the 5 gallon bucket into the gallon containers there were some fine solids in the very bottom of the bucket that we pumped into.

The output had less pressure when pumping down the Blazer than the Escalade. I am not sure why unless the Blazer has some ATF cooler restriction. It was a forceful stream but not like the Escalade. The transmission before this Jasper was eaten alive and I have wondered if maybe it loaded the cooler with junk that did not get flushed well by the shop.
 
#21 ·
From what transmission shop owners tell me (shop owners) is that they have never seen a transmission filter that needed changing UNLESS the transmisssion had already failed and needed to be rebuilt.

I never plan to pull another pan but just do this process about every 30K miles. I did pull the pan on the 4L80-e in the MH just because it was new to me and there was room for a fat man to fit. :)

It had some mud in the bottom that was not going anywhere and the filter looked fine but after 20K miles/5 years the oil did not smell/look fine in a 5 gallon bucket BUT it did look/smell OK on the dipstick.

From the one 4L80-e and two 4L60-e's that I have used this process on it has worked great. The 'new' Escalade had 102K miles on it and I did not pull the pan.

If you are going to worry about it then pull the pan. If not then don't.

Today I turned 60 and it seems like all my transmission issues came from running the ATF too long so with the bucket flush not requiring to get down on the ground I will just do it about every 30K and hope of the best.

Let us know what you decide to do.
 
#22 ·
You turned 60 yesterday? Wow - Happy Birthday! Oh and I know what you mean about not wanting to get on the ground hehe. Yeah I think I'm gonna just do the oil flush procedure from this thread. I am probably gonna use the Castrol Dexron VI as well - Thank you for taking the time to respond!
 
#23 ·
UPDATE : I did Patrick's method today and wow it was easier than it looks. I used up about 13 Qts before I saw the bright clear fluid coming out in the clear hose. I then ran one more just to be sure. So 14 Qts in all. I noticed smoother shifting now especially from 1 to 2nd gear. Btw, I got Castrol Dexron VI on sale at Advance Auto Parts for $3.99 a Qt. not bad at all compared to $6.99 everywhere else! Woohoo finally done with all the maint on my truck :)
 
#25 ·
I just performed this method of changing the transmission fluid and it seems to have gone very well. I would say 6' of the tubing is a minimum to direct the flow away from the car into a bucket, and a hose clamp on the 1" hose connected to the cooler is a good safety precaution. I'm not sure how much came out, but I've put 15 quarts in and I'm still below the hatchmarks for "hot" readings. I will let it settle over night, and keep checking the level and adding until appropriate level is reached.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
#26 ·
I'll add this from AllData


Automatic Transmission Fluid/Filter Replacement

Removal Procedure




Caution: When the transmission is at operating temperatures, take necessary precautions when removing the drain plug, to avoid being burned by draining fluid.

Raise and suitably support the vehicle. Refer to Vehicle Lifting
Place a drain pan under the transmission oil pan.
Remove the oil pan drain plug, if equipped.
If necessary, remove the bolts and position aside the range selector cable bracket for clearance while lowering the pan. It is not necessary to remove the cable from the lever or bracket.
Remove the oil pan bolts from the front and sides of the pan only.
Loosen the rear oil pan bolts approximately 4 turns.
Lightly tap the oil pan with a rubber mallet in order to loosen the pan to allow the fluid to drain.




Remove the remaining oil pan bolts.




Remove the oil pan and the gasket.




Grasp firmly while pulling down with a twisting motion in order to remove the filter.




Remove and discard the filter seal. The filter seal may be stuck in the pump; if necessary, carefully use pliers or another suitable tool to remove the seal.
Inspect the fluid color.
Inspect the filter. Pry the metal crimping away from the top of the filter and pull apart. The filter may contain the following evidence for root cause diagnosis:

Clutch material
Bronze slivers indicating bushing wear
Steel particles

Clean the transmission case and the oil pan gasket surfaces with solvent, and air dry. You must remove all traces of the old gasket material.

Installation Procedure




Coat the NEW filter seal with automatic transmission fluid.
Install the NEW filter seal into the transmission case. Tap the seal into place using a suitable size socket.
Install the NEW filter.




Install the oil pan and NEW gasket.




Notice: Refer to Fastener Notice in Service Precautions.

Install the oil pan bolts.

Tighten the bolts alternately and evenly to 11 Nm (97 inch lbs.) .

If previously removed, install the range selector cable bracket and bolts.

Tighten the bolts to 25 Nm (18 ft. lbs.) .

Apply a small amount of sealant GM P/N 12346004 (Canadian P/N 10953480), or equivalent to the threads of the oil pan drain plug, if equipped.
Install the oil pan drain plug, if equipped.

Tighten the plug to 18 Nm (13 ft. lbs.) .

Lower the vehicle.
Fill the transmission to the proper level with DEXRON(R) III transmission fluid. Refer to Transmission Fluid Checking Procedure and Fluid Capacity Specifications.
Check the COLD fluid level reading for initial fill only.
Inspect the oil pan gasket for leaks.
 
#28 ·
I followed the suggested method of removing the trans pan and had to use a pry bar to move the bracket out of the way. Thanks for the tips. I have another question though, if you fill the trans with too much fluid what is the easiest way to remove some fluid i.e remove the drain plug or is there a better way? Thanks again for the help.:hmm:
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top