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Does anyone know if the drain pan is sturdy enough on a 1998 Mazda Protégé w/automatic transmission to support most of the weight of the transmission using a transmission jack to lower the tranny? I’d rather avoid using the pan but the jack I have doesn’t give me much of a choice. I know the engine oil pan is stamped steel but haven’t been able to find info on the tranny pan. I’ll keep searching but hopefully someone on here knows. Thanks
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If it is steel you should be fine so long as you stick to only supporting the weight of the transmission.
Lowering and raising the tranny by the pan is how they do it at transmission shops (provided there even IS a removable pan). The pan is stronger than you think.
Just try to distribute the weight evenly over the bottom surface of the pan and yeah insulate the bottom with some plywood.
You won’t have any problems. If you are realy worried, just drain the fluid first. Messy hassle but will take some of the weight off.
Floor jack with a piece of 3/4 plywood will be fine . have used this method in the past to drop turbo 350 , 400 trans and torque flights. far heavier then what you have. no trans pan damage. if possible wrap a ratchet strap around the trans and attach it to the jack .
Exactly what these folks are tellin you, some plywood will do the trick to distribute the force more evenly rather than focused on one area of the pan cause remember force=pressure/area(F=P/A) so when adding the plywood you are dividing the pressure of the jack/tranmission over a greater area lessening the chance the pan will get damaged
I’ve got the transmission jack with wood sandwiched in between the jack and the tranny. Some of the wood is making contact with the tranny pan and some of the wood is supporting the transmission housing. I think I’ve got the jack positioned at the center of gravity but can’t tell for sure. I’ve also utilized the strap that came with the jack (Harbor Freight economy jack). I should be unbolting the transmission from the engine block tomorrow so I’ll let you guys know how it turns out. Worst case scenario since it’s an older car, if I screw it up to the point that it won’t be drivable I plan to donate it to Good will… or some place with a tow truck that comes to your house and gives a couple hundred bucks for ”junk” cars. I’m in a position that I could easily buy another car if it comes down to it. just love to maintain my vehicles and get the most out of them. I’m one of those people who actually gets excited when it comes time to working on my car. Maybe I should have been a mechanic but the idea of not being able to work at my own pace is enough to not make me want to be one.
Anyways thanks everyone for all your input. The info you guys provided may have a huge impact on the success of this repair. BTW, this is my first attempt at dropping a transmission so I might be coming back here with more questions.
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