M/T trans fill/inspection plug replacement

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NWMO
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M/T trans fill/inspection plug replacement

Post by NWMO »

Hey all,

Nothing ground breaking here, but wanted to share a simple reminder. As we get cars motivating that may have set for extended periods of time, we need to check fluids, particularly in the transmission. Getting the fill plug broke free the first time is often a chore, but needs done. Once you’ve won the battle, replace the frustrating, odd-sized, thin plug with a nice new plug that happens to be 19mm. You’ll thank yourself every time you check or change the transmission fluid in the future.

Chris
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Psalm 37:4 "Delight yourself in the Lord and he will give you the desires of your heart"

In remembrance of my friend ARCHINSTL:

T4WD augury?
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Re: M/T trans fill/inspection plug replacement

Post by The Professor »

Not a bad idea, honestly. How's the clearance with the taller plug to the transmission tunnel?
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NWMO
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Re: M/T trans fill/inspection plug replacement

Post by NWMO »

Professor,

No clearance issue at all, plenty of room for the better plug. I changed mine on Terc2 this weekend.

Chris
Psalm 37:4 "Delight yourself in the Lord and he will give you the desires of your heart"

In remembrance of my friend ARCHINSTL:

T4WD augury?
"Oh, do not ask, 'What is it?' Let us go and make our visit."
T.S. Eliot - "The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock"

"Now and then we had a hope that, if we lived and were good, God would permit us to be pirates."
Mark Twain
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Petros
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Re: M/T trans fill/inspection plug replacement

Post by Petros »

the lower plug has a magnet in it to collect metal particles, I doubt the replacement plugs come with a built in magnet. of course, the lower plug is not so difficult to reach, as outlined in the maintenance section, best to grind off the socket lead-in (taper on the flates) so you get more of the flat engaged.
'87 Tercel 4wd SR5 (current engine swap project)
'84 Tercel 4wd (daily driver, with on going mods)
'92 Mazda MPV 4wd (wife's daily driver)
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NWMO
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Re: M/T trans fill/inspection plug replacement

Post by NWMO »

Thanks Peter,

That makes sense. What size are these plugs, 23mm?? It seems I usually end up with a 15/16", but I will keep an eye out for a flea-market, six sided socket I can grind on a little. Concerning the magnet, that is a good point to keep in mind. I've not changed the lower plugs as they are easier to get to and don't get removed as often.

Chris
Psalm 37:4 "Delight yourself in the Lord and he will give you the desires of your heart"

In remembrance of my friend ARCHINSTL:

T4WD augury?
"Oh, do not ask, 'What is it?' Let us go and make our visit."
T.S. Eliot - "The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock"

"Now and then we had a hope that, if we lived and were good, God would permit us to be pirates."
Mark Twain
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splatterdog
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Re: M/T trans fill/inspection plug replacement

Post by splatterdog »

NWMO wrote: Wed May 27, 2020 7:49 am Thanks Peter,

That makes sense. What size are these plugs, 23mm?? It seems I usually end up with a 15/16", but I will keep an eye out for a flea-market, six sided socket I can grind on a little. Concerning the magnet, that is a good point to keep in mind. I've not changed the lower plugs as they are easier to get to and don't get removed as often.

Chris
24mm. Plenty places to get a single socket size..

Definitely keep the magnet plug. If the old ones are getting rounded off chances are OE plugs are still available as 24mm head plugs are still in use.
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dlb
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Re: M/T trans fill/inspection plug replacement

Post by dlb »

splatterdog wrote: Thu May 28, 2020 8:22 am Definitely keep the magnet plug.
I kept a few spare magnet plugs kicking around and am glad I did because when I replaced the gear oil on both my 4wd corolla and now my 2wd corolla, I found that neither have magnetic plugs. They have regular drain plugs, and the magnet is mounted inside the trans case so you can only clean it off by removing and disassembling the whole dang transmission. What terrible step backwards in engineering that was but man, was I glad I had a few spare magnet plugs to replace the crappy ones then.
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NWMO
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Re: M/T trans fill/inspection plug replacement

Post by NWMO »

Thanks fellas.

Chris
Psalm 37:4 "Delight yourself in the Lord and he will give you the desires of your heart"

In remembrance of my friend ARCHINSTL:

T4WD augury?
"Oh, do not ask, 'What is it?' Let us go and make our visit."
T.S. Eliot - "The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock"

"Now and then we had a hope that, if we lived and were good, God would permit us to be pirates."
Mark Twain
The Professor
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Re: M/T trans fill/inspection plug replacement

Post by The Professor »

dlb wrote: Thu May 28, 2020 9:03 am
splatterdog wrote: Thu May 28, 2020 8:22 am Definitely keep the magnet plug.
I kept a few spare magnet plugs kicking around and am glad I did because when I replaced the gear oil on both my 4wd corolla and now my 2wd corolla, I found that neither have magnetic plugs. They have regular drain plugs, and the magnet is mounted inside the trans case so you can only clean it off by removing and disassembling the whole dang transmission. What terrible step backwards in engineering that was but man, was I glad I had a few spare magnet plugs to replace the crappy ones then.
As someone who has a heavy workload in new vehicle development, I can assure you it was a cost savings measure. It's cheaper to mount a magnet internally during assembly and reduce the overall cost of each drain plug, reducing the overall cost of each transmission.
1975 Subaru SuperStar wagon
1984 Subaru Turbo-Traction wagon & hardtop
1987 Subaru RX 3-door
1987 Subaru RX Type-RA 3-door
1987 Toyota Tercel SR5 wagon
1999 Subaru Forester S
2002 Subaru WRX sedan
2019 Subaru Outback 2.5i Limited
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MrWrench
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Re: M/T trans fill/inspection plug replacement

Post by MrWrench »

Looks like a well worthwhile upgrade. Especially if previous owners or mechanics have slightly rounded them off.

Thank you for this tip! Definitely going to find and order one for the front fill plug by the CV shaft.
1984 SR5. Lifted offroader with a snorkel. Aka "Thunderbucket"
1985 SR5. Daily driver. Aka "Spud"
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NWMO
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Re: M/T trans fill/inspection plug replacement

Post by NWMO »

Hey Luke,

O'Reilly's usually keeps one on hand down here. Good luck.

Chris
Psalm 37:4 "Delight yourself in the Lord and he will give you the desires of your heart"

In remembrance of my friend ARCHINSTL:

T4WD augury?
"Oh, do not ask, 'What is it?' Let us go and make our visit."
T.S. Eliot - "The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock"

"Now and then we had a hope that, if we lived and were good, God would permit us to be pirates."
Mark Twain
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