70monte

I have been doing some research trying to find a replacement tranny pan with drain plug for the 6R80 transmission. Performance Automatic of course makes a deep aluminum finned tranny pan with drain plug and I found that PML also makes one that looks a little better than the Performance Automatic one.

I had been talking to PML over email asking if their pan would work for the Mustangs and they wrote back saying no one to their knowledge has tried putting one of their pans on a Mustang. Their deep pan is 4 1/4" deep which after doing some measuring under my car, I'm not sure if I would be comfortable with it hanging down that far. I assume the Performance Automatic pan would hang down just as low because they both claim to hold 3 more qrts.

I asked them about the possibility of making a standard capacity aluminum finned pan with drain plug or one that just hung down about 3" which is how far the hump in the factory pan hangs down. They said if there was enough interest they would consider it.

So my question is for those of you that have automatic equipped cars, would you be interested in a pan like that. I'm just curious if there would be a market for a pan like that?

Does anyone know if anyone else makes a stock capacity aluminum or steel pan that has a drain plug built in because I would be interested in finding one. Thanks.

Wayne

Bucko

Anytime a pan could be added to allow for an additional amount of fluid is good, as long as it does not interfere with clearence. On another Mustang site, a person installed a pan on his automatic that gave him additional fluid, and a dipstick. However, his Mustang was lowered 1.5 inches, and he noticed the pan would bang against the speed bumps in his apartment complex. After a few weeks of this, he removed the pan and put the stock one back on.

My Mustang has the stock suspension, so I would not have this problem. Interested in the pan, as long as it's not in that $200.00 plus range. I flush my automatics every 30 to 35K mile range, and that costs me $165.00. Adding a pan to increase capacity would be good, but the prices for these pans are usually too much to gain two quarts IMO. The dip stick would be nice though, but not a reason alone to spend that much money. What are the prices he's quoting you? A group buy discount?

Ltngdrvr

All aftermarket pans are made with additional capacity as it aids cooling, more fluid has more capacity to absorb and dissipate the heat.

Put one on and then just be careful going over bumps.

70monte

PML already makes a deep 6R80 pan which they just recently came out with. According to them to their knowledge, no one has installed one on a mustang to see if it fits. They have a prototype program which allows you to buy the pan for $150 with free shipping as long as you take pictures of the install and send them to them and give your feedback on the product.

The pan hangs down a total of 4 1/4" which by my measurements on my stock 2014, bring it lower than pretty much everything under there. I don't know if I'm comfortable with that. Performance Automatic says their pan hangs down 3" lower than the stock pan so I'm unsure if both pans hang down about the same.

Performance Automatic also make a deep aluminum 6R80 pan but they have two different part numbers for the Mustangs vs the trucks and SUV's that use this transmission. I've never seen anything that says what those differences might be. I've seen their pan and dipstick kits go for between $249-259 online. I've read that the quality of the pans seemed to be lacking in some cases but I don't know that first hand.

Pans from both companies hold an additional 3 quarts, have drain plugs, and have the cooling fins on the bottom.

I was just asking PML if they were going to offer a tranny pan that is closer to stock capacity because of the possible clearance issues with their deep pan. I guess they have to have a certain number of people willing to purchase a certain configuration before they will produce it. I don't know what the price would be but I imagine it would initially be $150 or a little lower under the prototype program.

I just don't buy into the life long fluid concept and want to have an easier way to change transmission fluid because I hate changing fluid on something that doesn't have a drain plug.

I may try out their deep pan prototype and buy a Performance Automatic dip stick kit and see what happens.

Wayne

Bucko

Keep me posted; interested with your findings.

I'd also assume that you know draining the oil from the pan is not considered an automatic transmission fluid change. The torque converter holds more than half the total fluid, and it does not have a drain plug. You have to flush them to get it all out. I use the "double beep beep" folks to do it at $165.00, which includes the pan drop to change the filter. Ford will do it too, but wants more to drop the pan and change the filter (at least my local Ford does).

70monte

I do know that just draining the pan and changing the filter only gets a small percentage of the fluid out. I don't know who I would trust to do a flush on this transmission other than the dealer.

Bucko

I've been using a local AAMCO center for years. They have done 4 on my truck so far, and one on this current Mustang. No transmission issues on either. Only reason I went with them was because the Ford dealer wanted an extra $50.00 (almost $200.00 total) to remove the pan and replace the filter, whereas the AMMCO service center did it all for $165.00.

70monte

I just wish there was an easier way on these cars to do fluid changes and to check the level. I don't have a lift so trying to replace the fluid and check the fluid using the factory components is pretty much impossible. At the minimum I would have to buy the Performance Automatic dipstick kit so I could check the fluid level on level ground even if I retained the factory pan. I guess I could drill a hole in the pan and use one of those B&M drain plug kits but I really don't like them.

I just don't trust to put a deep tranny pan on unless I can see one installed to see how far it hangs down relative to everything else around it. I doubt that PML would build a stock capacity pan based on the little interest that this post has generated. From the looks of it here and on most of the other Mustang forums, most people have the manual transmission on their cars. It looks like automatic equipped cars are in the minority around here.

Wayne

Bucko

I never found a dipstick for the current automatics. One Ford mecanic said there was a small one already there (2011 and up), but you need a lift to get at it. I can't see it from the top, unless I'm not looking at the right locations for it.

70monte

There is a short one on the automatics but you have to be under the car to see it. It's located on the passenger side near the front of the transmission on top of the case. You have to take this cover off and the dipstick is inside. Unless you have a lift to put it up on that keeps the car level, you cannot check it. It's also right next to the exhaust so it's not in a very good place.

The Performance Automatic dipstick kit replaces the factory set up with a flexible dipstick and tube that runs up into the engine compartment like it should be from the factory. It's not cheap and retails for around $114 but I've seen it online for $86. I'm thinking about just getting it for now and waiting to see if anyone puts out a factory capacity pan with drain plug in the future.

Wayne