Cool... Found a Deal on Amazon... Got the correct new GM Pan which comes with a new Gasket and a New Magnet. I ordered a add on drain plug from Summit Racing for about $8.00. So when I get the pan I'll drill a 1/2 hole in the correct spot and insert it and tighten it up against the nylon washer it comes with. There's a Brass Plug that screws into that . I'm only 30K away from 100K service again.

I talked to my Mechanic today and he's up for the work at the shop he works at. He's done many GM tranny services. We'll be jacking the tranny tail up to clear the X over pipe. I have battery operated fluid transfer pump that I can stick in the pan before we drop it and pump the juice into a clean 5 gallon bucket so I can reuse it as it was just installed 2 weeks ago,

 

sounds like a solid plan, let us know how it works out,

make sure to check the clearance on the drain, things are tight on the inside of the pan, I almost messed up on my vette when I swapped in the OD tranny and added a drain plug, another 1/4" over and I would have been buying another pan.

Neal

 

just a little encouragement : I did my '09 6l80e from a creeper while it was on jack stands. Not pleasant, but no issue with access. Worst part was the seal removal. The tranny case is pretty soft metal- so take care not to scratch the seal area. The pipe nipple trick is the way to go. That and a hooked pick and it will come out. My seal was to far up in the tranny to get a straight pick under-like in the video. Seems like I remember finding the assembly plug in the pan-I was shocked to hear it was normal to find it.

Good Luck with it.

 

The ferrule on the seal has a lip on it, which prevents inserting in too far. The filter has a lip on it for the same reason. If minimal scoring was caused with seal removal, the new seal would still seal the port, since its larger diameter to the ferrule, and higher than the the area needed to peel and pull. I've always removed the seal directed at the lip, with a chisel/flat blade, horizontal to the trans, to prevent any damage to the port, to get a grip on & pull it out! Tap-tap,bend ferrule, grab pliers, pull it out!

 

Here is what u need to know to do this properly on the H2

Super easy.
No hoist required. No jack required. Just crawl underneath. There is enough clearance.

STOP RIGHT HERE. Ponder what u r really doing! Change OEM pan to pan with drain plug. Dorman brand, and cheap. Don’t mess with trying to drill a hole in your old one, and adding something that can come loose. Never a good idea. The new pan was cheap.
Buy a new gasket from GM

Only have to loosen left heat shield. There is no right heat shield.
Pry heat shield gently back with screwdriver as u slip pan out. Not difficult, no need to remove cats or anything crazy like that.

Old filter seal can be reused if OK condition. i.e. you do Not have to remove it. Just slip in new filter after twisting out old one. 30-second job.

Clean off trany pan magnet and reuse on new pan.
Use white thread sealer on Dorman pan drain bolt, or it will leak.

You are only pulling out 4-5 quarts with a drain, but system holds 11 quarts (Liters). So one oil change IS NOT ENOUGH! You are only pulling out less than 40% of the old fluid. People always forget this little fact.

You need to flush 3 times in a row just to remove 75% of your old fluid. Read that last line AGAIN.

Do this each time after driving at least 20 miles and shifting thru ALL the gears.

Next service, within 1-2 years, is just to triple drain trany fluid via drain, and replace. Since you still have 25% or more old fluid in there from years ago.

 

That seal is IMPORTANT to allow max fluid flow!
Same reason to replace filter, to allow max fluid flow!
Btw, Trans Flush machines call for 1.5x fluid capacity(16+qts on the 4l60e) when done right!

 

Sure. But assuminng one does not have that machine in their backyard garage, then 3 flushes are important.
Doing a 4th would not change the net amount of fresh fluid in the system significantly, so no point. >Law of diminishing returns.

Unless there is something wrong with the seal, or it is somehow so deteriorated that it leaks fluid, no need to change it.

 

Exactly, how do you check that seal for leaks? U can't see it with the pan on!
FYI, Thermal degradation: High temperatures can cause the seal material to decompose, leading to loss of elasticity and mechanical strength.

 

My 2 cents on the whole thing if it’s worth it to anyone.

-I service every 50k miles
-The pan will not drop with the exhaust in place.
-the pan gasket is reusable
-the filter seal is always stuck in the hole and needs to be pulled out
-make sure to get the 4wd filter. The 2wd filter isn’t long enough and starves the transmission.
-aftermarket drain pan with plug is nice to reduce the mess when dropping the pan but the filter should always be replaced with a fluid change.

 

If you're in SoCal then go to Inglewood Transmission in Fullerton, I have an '09 H2 too, I put in a new L9H 6.2 liter & Magnuson supercharger and Kryptonite suspension etc and messed up the tranny clutches at first due to excessive horsepower, had the trans rebuilt (mistake) and then blew it again and then had Inglewood Trans rebuild it with heavy duty hi performance parts and now it shifts like new and handles the power perfectly, anyway, I tried changing the trans fluid & filter before, and then just trans fluid & not the filter, its better if the fluid & filter are both changed