Mopar Trans Filter questions

[Ncostello]

I purchased a new Mopar auto trans filter for my A518 from my dealership. This filter is the open style and has no surrounding plastic body.



Is this the best style of filter to use (open filter media)? Also, the filter just has a "hole" that lines up with the valve body intake. Does the transmission pull fluid from all areas of this filter or just in the general vicinity of the "hole" in the filter? It seems odd the filter is so large if the whole filter won't be used to clean fluid where it actually gets pulled into the valve body.



Also, how snug or tight should the three attaching screws be? I just used the appropriate torx socket on my "screwdriver" socket drive. I tightened them up reasonably snug with one hand. I didn't want to strip anything. Yet it seems as if I could just keep turning them if I wanted to. They never seem to bottom out or become "tight".



This raises another question. In just tightening up that much, it seems to pull the filter media in the areas around the attachement bolt holes, which have a metal ring grommet. In other words it "smashes" the filter media in those areas. Is this normal? Seems like there should be spacers inside the media to prevent sandwiching the filter media together.

 

[Greenleaf]

The new style of filter. That is what is used in the new trucks. You can still get the older/original style from aftermarkets like, say, Baldwin and NAPA and BIG A etc.



I tighten the three torx heads screw to "snug" That is my opinion. My snug is tight to others and loose to some. I don't know what the manual spec is. I change my filters every year and so I don't desire to strip the threads out, so I make 'em "snug"



Yes, the screws "smash" the steel ring a round the holes. Never had one tear apart in all my years.



The problems I have are 1. leaking gasket and 2. leaking drain plug.



The rubber gaskets are junk. The fake cork stuff is nice. The dealer ($$$) steel/rubber filter is nice but why would you want to buy one? You get the gasket w/a new filter. I like Balwins fake cork stuff. Seals well.



The B&M drain plugs leak. I had to modify it to prevent drippage. The best drain plug is the "weld it in yourself" one. That is sure fire.



Them are my problems.

 

[LRutigliano]

I purchased a new Mopar auto trans filter for my A518 from my dealership. This filter is the open style and has no surrounding plastic body.



Is this the best style of filter to use (open filter media)? Also, the filter just has a "hole" that lines up with the valve body intake. Does the transmission pull fluid from all areas of this filter or just in the general vicinity of the "hole" in the filter? It seems odd the filter is so large if the whole filter won't be used to clean fluid where it actually gets pulled into the valve body.



Also, how snug or tight should the three attaching screws be? I just used the appropriate torx socket on my "screwdriver" socket drive. I tightened them up reasonably snug with one hand. I didn't want to strip anything. Yet it seems as if I could just keep turning them if I wanted to. They never seem to bottom out or become "tight".



This raises another question. In just tightening up that much, it seems to pull the filter media in the areas around the attachement bolt holes, which have a metal ring grommet. In other words it "smashes" the filter media in those areas. Is this normal? Seems like there should be spacers inside the media to prevent sandwiching the filter media together.

On the 42RE, 46RE and 48RE transmissions, the torque spec for the filter screws is 35 in-lbs. These all have "enclosed" filters with a plastic or thin alum body around the entire filter.



On my stock 48RE, the filter barely sits in the fluid of pan (its at the very top), so Dodge added the "enclosed" filters with a hole at the bottom to keep the filter from sucking air if the trans had low fluid or during hard cornering.



If you get a DD pan, they recommend using the "open" type filters because the filter is lowered approx 2" into the pan and thus you will theoretically get improved flow because the filter is allowed to pull fluid from all sides.



I would check the height of your dipstick level marks compared to where the filter actually sits in the pan to have a better idea if the open filter is ok.



Hope this helps.

 

[Ncostello]

My pan is the original A518 or 46RE pan for that era. It is considered "deep" to 727 people. I think its about 2. 5" deep or so as compared to the 1" deep 727 pan in car applications. At least thats how the two pans compare in my garage. I have a 727 pan from years past.



From looking at the filter and how its mounted to the valve body, and then at my dipstick... it appears as if the filter will be well submerged in fluid no matter what. The filter is near the bottom of the pan (more or less) and the dipstick protrudes into the case about 1". The full mark is up somewhere beyond what I can see sticking into the case or sump. So I'm good in that respect.



35inch/lbs is near the bottom of my 3/8" drive torque wrench. I don't think its too accurate down there. So I'm going to get the screwdriver type torque wrench for small values. I need one anyhow. So many excuses to buy tools!!



PS: When I had my pan off, I took it to a local machine shop. They tig welded me a round disk that is 3/4" thick and 1-1/4" diameter to the pan near the back. They then drilled and tapped it for M14x1. 5 thread so I could use an OEM Mopar oil drain plug from a 4. 7L Magnum engine. This plug has a wide flange head with a built in silicon rubber gasket deal on it. Good for nearly unlimited on/off cycles and only cost $4. 00 from my dealership.