This thread should probably be pinned to the top of the forum. Lots of good information that I imagine gets answered repeatedly. I know I've read this thread more than once.
I changed my fluid this weekend and replaced the oil pan with the double deep mag hytec.
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I also replaced the
solenoid that causes the 1-2 stutter shift. Since the oil pan was off, this was easy to do and took only a few minutes with two #25 torx pan-heads and IIRC 4 3/4 bolts.
I also adjusted the bands both back and front. You can adjust the front band without the pan off, but I did them both at the same time. (32000 miles)
I went to the Dodge service department in McKinney Texas to ask a few questions about the service I was about to do. One of the service managers recommended I talk with "Mike". Mike suggested that I did not need a torq wrench for the bands but tighten so that there was about 1/4" movement left in the arms. I was skeptical so I checked with a inch-pound wrench and sure enough, this was correct on both bands. Mike also said that I was unlikely to have to adjust them again
but that if they were not set at 30,000, it could cause a transmission failure later on.
I did not do a flush, only a drain since I was adding so much new fluid with the new pan. The pan went on well and the adapter for the filter which lowers it to the bottom half of the deeper pan was simple to install. although the directions were not very accurate for my model. The plastic gasket was EASY to put back in and there was no leaking or crimping like could be done to a cork gasket with all that mass of a pan and so many bolts holes to line up. The transmission oil pan was also small enough in diameter that a large oil drain pan (I used a black plastic cement/mortar mixing tray from home depot) can be used to catch most of the fluid.
USE eye protection! You don't wan fluid in your eyes. It takes about 24 hours to recover if you're lucky. (don't ask).
There will be splatter from working under the dripping hole so you will need a mat the area of about a square that fits between the front wheels to catch incidental drops of fluid. A creeper is both good and bad, you can scoot around easily, but it can make some required maneuvering cramped. A few cuss-words helped when this happened. #@$%! A good work light is also needed to see well. Maybe some reading glasses too if you cant lift the truck high enough away.
There was no prying to get the stock pan off. As soon as the bolts became loose, the oils started dripping and the pan and the gasket came off with no fuss at all. Since I did more than just a drain, the fluid dripped longer and I had to replace more than the 6 quarts +4 that the new pan held. 12 quarts total. It took a few miles driving and rechecking to completely fill the system and get it hot enough. Even though the gasket is reusable I replaced it because the service people at the Dodge dealership said they did and the $16 cost simply does not justify the risk IMO especially with the cost of AT+4.
The front and rear bands were LOOSE. About an inch of play. The truck shifts much quicker now and the shuttle shifting that had gotten to the point it was almost consistent is gone. Oo. The magnet in the stock pan had about an 1/8" sludge on it. Don't pick this magnet up without gloved hands. It will take a few rounds of hand washing to clean off that stuff
I also replaced this adapter
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on the cooler line with an inline hose that was built with a sensor adapter built-in. There has been no real difference seen as of yet in temperature. (Empty, I never get above 120 degrees).