Tranny fluid mystery bolts???

[nfpgasmask]

UGHHHHH
didn't even notice that there are wires attached to the crossmember, I'm sure it's not too hard but man, something ELSE to think about
Hey thanks Bart-man!

Its not that hard, its just annoying, dirty, heavy and upside-down.

Bart

[Joe Isuzu]

**Quick update**
Got the crossmember off (acted like it had never come off before), got the transmission pan off, got the little pan in front of the transmission pan off, disconnected the lines in the front near the radiator (see Joe Black's "How to" list on changing tranny fluid). Jumped in, got ready to turn it on and go through the gears and the shiftlock feature is inoperative. i.e., I can't get it out of park. Now, in the "how to" article the tranny pan wasn't removed. I had to remove it b/c I wanted to change the filter as well as get those da*n mystery bolts out. Am I unable to shift out of park until the new filter and transmission pan are back on? Did I inadvertently disconnect something and fail to realize it? Help guys, I'm hoping to make some headway this weekend.

[rocket man]

I know this might be a little remedial but your description dosn't mention that you actually inserted the ignition key and twisted it...Only that you "got ready " to turn it on... also be sure to put your foot on the brake too. You need to do both...then see if you can get it out of park or be able to turn the steering wheel for that matter..

Other than that I can't imagine you did anything to the lockout mechanism on the shift linkage

Good luck

John

[Ldub]

**Quick update**
Got the crossmember off (acted like it had never come off before), got the transmission pan off, got the little pan in front of the transmission pan off, disconnected the lines in the front near the radiator (see Joe Black's "How to" list on changing tranny fluid). Jumped in, got ready to turn it on and go through the gears and the shiftlock feature is inoperative. i.e., I can't get it out of park. Now, in the "how to" article the tranny pan wasn't removed. I had to remove it b/c I wanted to change the filter as well as get those da*n mystery bolts out. Am I unable to shift out of park until the new filter and transmission pan are back on? Did I inadvertently disconnect something and fail to realize it? Help guys, I'm hoping to make some headway this weekend.

You DON'T do Joe Blacks tranny flush with the pan off...EVER!
Re-read his how to, you are mis-understanding some aspect of this procedure...

[nfpgasmask]

Dude, take the pan off. Remove old filter and dispose of properly. Remove magnet. Clean magnet off with shop towel. Clean out pan with shop towel. Replace magnet in bottom of pan. Replace tranny filter. Place new gasket on top of tranny pan. Replace tranny pan. Fill tranny with at least 3-4 quarts of fluid. Then run through the checking procedures as per the manual.

Joe's Black's tranny flush DOES NOT include dropping the pan. I would not start my VX and run through the gears without the pan, and filter on, and some fluid in the tranny.

PM me if you are having more trouble.

Bart

[Joe_Black]

I'll have to edit the "how to" to indicate the issue with dropping the pan. When you don't drop the pan there is still some fluid available for the transmission to pressurize the system allowing you to run through the gears, otherwise it's just sucking air. Do as Bart says and once the pan is back on with a bit of fluid in it then you can continue. It's not absolutely critical to get every last ounce out of the system, especially if you're using Mobil-1.

As for the bolts, I believe those are "security plugs" that some places like Jiffy Lube use to keep you coming back and/or prevent you from doing it yourself. A local mechanic friend was cursing up a storm one day when I stopped to visit and he couldn't find the specific tool for these plugs as he had one on the lift. Apparently they're not terribly common as people like my mechanic friend tend to beat the crap out of the installers when they can find them! Take a picture to your local NAPA and they should have a tool on the wall to fit.

[Joe Isuzu]

ok, yes I feel like an idiot now
I implied by reading Joe Black's article that I could run through the gears w/o the pans simply b/c in his article you could run through the gears w/o the drain plug or I guess the little hoses up near the radiator unhooked.
I will happily reinstall the pans and continue the process. I still need to get those dang bolts out of the main pan though. I took them by Advance and Autozone and a tranny shop. None of them knew what the heck they were. I'm perfectly willing to have someone drill the miserable things out and put "normal" bolts in.
Thanks for the info from everyone!!
Joe "amateur mechanic" Isuzu

[Joe Isuzu]

project complete, no issues thus far (fingers crossed), had to pay a mechanic to get the bolts out, I spat on them when they were out (j/k)
I'm so relieved that I won't have to deal with that crap the next time I do this job.
Also, just like the first time you do a brake job and learn your way around it, the next time I do a tranny job it should be like half the time! Thanks to all who tried to help on this