After 6 years, my pan gasket had bit the dust and was squeezed out (had sealent on both sides from the trans builder) and caused a massive leak. I pulled the pan and removed the filter. I went to Napa and picked up a ATP parts filter and gasket kit for a TH350. The filer looks very different than my removed one (see pic). I dont know what direction it goes in and whether the yellow faces down or not?

Also, when I pulled the filter off the valve body, I noticed underneath it that one of the bolts in the valve body was extremely loose and about to likely fall out of the threads. Is it supposed to be tight, or is it a bolt that is used to adjust some setting? (see pic). I messed with it so I hope its just supposed to be tighted snug.

The pan i have is a stamped steel pan. THe bolt holes are raised a bit from overtightening. I know you are supposed to tap them down with a ball peen hammer and flatten out the mounting surface. How would I best do this? Sorry for the dumb question.

THanks for the help! Being that I have never done this, and the parts dont look the same, I am having a rough time making decisions.

 

In the first pic with the yellow part of the filter showing, I was thinking that this is how I should mount them if the front of the car is to the left of the picture. I was going to mount the filter with the yellow toward the ground.

THe filter came with an o-ring and a small flat gasket. I dont think I need the o-ring, correct?

Here is the pan that I am working with.

 

The area with the bolt holes can be flattened out with a body hammer and body dolly. Hammer on top, dolly underneath.

One tip, while you have the pan off get a drain plug put in it. Get someone (or yourself if you can) to drill a hole, weld a nut that will take a drain plug, install said drain plug. You will be glad you did when it comes time for the next fluid change.

 

Take the pan and place it on the edge of the bench. Now take a small ball peen hammer and place it on the pan bolt hole and wack it with another hammer so that the raised area is now on the opposite side of the pan (where the bolt goes in). Now when you install the bolts it will pull the pan rails back to being flat. Add a couple of pan magnets to botton of the pan where they will be under the parking pawl area. Put the gasket between the filter and valve body. The filter element should be facing you when it is installed correctly. You could add the drain plug as mentioned. The valve body bolts should be at 85 - 95 inch pounds. Do them all while you are in there. The pan gasket should be the "Duraprene" type, if you use the the cork & rubber type, tighten "once" to 65 inch pounds, and no more. Over tightening pan gaskets is the fastest way to a leak and stripped out bolt holes. DO NOT re-tighten cork & rubber pan gaskets as you will ruin them by doing so, once only. No sealant is needed here on the pan gasket, just very clean surfaces where the gasket will seal.

 

Thanks Pro Built for the pan straightening description. I used what I think is a duraprene type of gasket and evenly torqued the bolts to 85inlb then to 100inlb, putting blue loctite on them.

Another question: Can I remove the speedo bullet when the trans is full without spilling out much fluid? I dont want to replace if its not leaking bad (th350 adapter bracket makes it a pain), but it might be as there is a drip coming out of it. I havent filled the trans back up yet, so I could swap it now if it will be an issue when the trans is full.