• ebutka
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  • Registered: 2022-03-31
  • Posts: 11

Topic: Leaking A/T Fluid Pan Help

Long story short, I changed the transmission fluid in my 2002 PT Cruiser. I cleaned all the residue on the casing, got a new gasket, however I stripped  3 of the 14 screws. There’s thread at the beginning but the threads at the end are gone. Now there’s a small leak.

My thoughts are,

1. It’s all aluminum casing with steel bolts, could I use slightly longer bolts?

2. The bolts are M8 1.25, retap and thread to 5/16-24?

3. Is there some sort of substance I could put on the outside of the transmission seal to help seal it?

Any thing is helpful, thanks!

  • From: Columbus, Oh
  • Registered: 2020-05-19
  • Posts: 403

Re: Leaking A/T Fluid Pan Help

Probably unpopular opinion, but lets be honest, it's a PT cruiser.

Try heli-coil inserts.

I'm assuming you scraped off the old gasket and cleaned the mating surfaces, and your leak is coming from just not having enough clamping pressure applied to the cover plate?

Aluminum is soft, so inserts easily dig in. They are easy, cheap, and readily available in any size.

Tapping the hole to a slightly larger one is an option, but only if the case has enough meat on the sides for the extra diameter. It would be much worse to crack your case open permanently from tapping too wide/deep.

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  • From: WPB Fl.
  • Registered: 2010-10-27
  • Posts: 1,572

Re: Leaking A/T Fluid Pan Help

Look @ the trans and see if its a blind hole or goes through, if it goes through, a longer bolt sally works to catch a couple extra threads, tapping is next, if you are a purest, tap and helicoil as mentioned above.

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  • Jimmy
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  • From: Collegeville, Pa
  • Registered: 2019-06-19
  • Posts: 164

Re: Leaking A/T Fluid Pan Help

It would not work with the pan already installed but...If you do have to pull the pan back down,  I suggest using Permatex grey silicone sealer .I love that stuff.  That's what use on my tranny pans / Valve covers, oil pans, intake manifold, etc...  . Put it on both sides of the gasket and what ever squishes out smear it smooth with your finger.   It seals great and gets pretty hard when it dries so it will help keep that pan from moving..   

I have also been know to strip a tranny pan bolt or two -   The suggestion above should work just fine

Cordoba
  • From: Columbus, Oh
  • Registered: 2020-05-19
  • Posts: 403

Re: Leaking A/T Fluid Pan Help

Jimmy wrote:

It would not work with the pan already installed but...If you do have to pull the pan back down,  I suggest using Permatex grey silicone sealer .I love that stuff.  That's what use on my tranny pans / Valve covers, oil pans, intake manifold, etc...  . Put it on both sides of the gasket and what ever squishes out smear it smooth with your finger.   It seals great and gets pretty hard when it dries so it will help keep that pan from moving..   

I have also been know to strip a tranny pan bolt or two -   The suggestion above should work just fine

I'm a ToyotaSeal guy myself (toyota FIPG). Have used it to seal diff housing and transmission on our race car and it has never leaked. Best ~$20/tube sealer I've ever used. Part Number 00295-00103

1989 Merkur XR4Ti: Project Merkur Space Program - Wins: Class C - Colonel and the Sinkhole 2023 | "Heroic Fix" The Pitt Maneuver 2023 | "Halloween Meets Gasoline" The Pitt Maneuver 2022
1980 Dodge Challenger: Most Extreme eLemonAtion Challenger (Rust Belt Ramble 2021 Dishonorable Mention)
  • From: Queens, NY
  • Registered: 2014-05-17
  • Posts: 645

Re: Leaking A/T Fluid Pan Help

Permatex Ultra black or blue. or just RTV gasket maker. follow instructions they provide and you should be good.
the stripped bolts you can use this https://www.mcmaster.com/90096A622/ or what ever proper length you need. the size is close to M8, so they should thread in with no drilling. Or use R bit to clear the hole to make it better.

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