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b&M tranny pan - any good?

wazzabie

wazzabie

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Hi,

Is B&M tranny pan any good? Does it have a location for a tranny temp sender? Is it made overseas or in the US?

I like that it is cast. So even if it does not have a hole for the tranny temp sender I could drill and tap one. It is much more difficult with the stock stamp pan
 
I can't answer your question as I would NEVER run a cast aluminum pan because if anything hits it it will crack rather than dent like a steel pan and therefor leave you stranded. Sure you could crack a steel pan as well but not anywhere as easy as a cast aluminum pan.
 
I like them. I have one on my K30 right now. I also have a brand spanking new one in the shop that I don't need. Its a 350 pan. If you're interested in it, PM me.
 
4X4HIGH said:
I can't answer your question as I would NEVER run a cast aluminum pan because if anything hits it it will crack rather than dent like a steel pan and therefor leave you stranded. Sure you could crack a steel pan as well but not anywhere as easy as a cast aluminum pan.
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People say the same thing about 205's and how because they are cast iron they won't break if you hit them on something, and sure, that's true. But you will break the adapter or the transmission tail housing.

The real solution is to make sure you won't hit the transmission pan or transfer case on anything, whether that's through careful driving or a skid plate.
 
38377k5 said:
People say the same thing about 205's and how because they are cast iron they won't break if you hit them on something, and sure, that's true. But you will break the adapter or the transmission tail housing.

The real solution is to make sure you won't hit the transmission pan or transfer case on anything, whether that's through careful driving or a skid plate.
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I'll bet that out of a hundred people who would buy an aluminum trans pan that 98 of them would not build a skid plate. So now let's just campare apples to apples.
 
4X4HIGH said:
I'll bet that out of a hundred people who would buy an aluminum trans pan that 98 of them would not build a skid plate. So now let's just campare apples to apples.
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On the other side, I'd think that 97 would never get the truck in a situation that they could hit the transmission pan.

All I'm saying is don't hit the transmission pan on anything. You don't necessarily need a skid plate to do that. And hell, throw your stock pan and a couple gallons of ATF in with your spares (which you should have anyway) and you'd never have to worry about it.
 
To answer the question asked:

I have a B&M pan on my V-3500's 4l80e. Great fit way better than some of the other alum pans I have installed. It has a drain plug but no temp sensor hole. Plenty thick to drill & tap though. It is a lot bigger than the stock pan so if your exhaust is close to it you ,may have to addresss that. Not sure were it is made.
 
boz42 said:
To answer the question asked:

I have a B&M pan on my V-3500's 4l80e. Great fit way better than some of the other alum pans I have installed. It has a drain plug but no temp sensor hole. Plenty thick to drill & tap though. It is a lot bigger than the stock pan so if your exhaust is close to it you ,may have to addresss that. Not sure were it is made.
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My main interest in these are that they are thick and I could drill and tap them.
 
wazzabie said:
My main interest in these are that they are thick and I could drill and tap them.
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Just weld a small square of steel to the pan then drill and tap it for a temp sender (that's what I did to mine). I also did the same to my engine oil pan for a engine oil temp gauge as well.
 
I plan on a cast aluminum pan for the AOD in my ford at some point this summer. I forget which ones have the hole tapped for the temp sender, but that is a simple enough fix

I also agree with Scotts point, if you will be mainly rock crawing in some extreme places, Id stick with the stock one.

My ford will never be wheeled at all so I dont have to worry about that aspect.
 
Contemplating this myself. I want a manual soooo bad but it's a way off. Might just install the drain plug kit that sweet mentioned. Used it before with great results.
 
AJMBLAZER said:
Contemplating this myself. I want a manual soooo bad but it's a way off. Might just install the drain plug kit that sweet mentioned. Used it before with great results.
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It would be better to just weld a piece of steel block to the pan and then drill and tap it for 1/2" NPT and use a pipe plug. The thing about those drain plug kits is that if you're not careful and you forget to hold the one nut/bolt while removing the 1/8" NPT plug you'll end up loosening the whole deal and have to drop the pan anyways in order to retighten the drain plug kit.
 
but if he taps it to 1/2" pipe then he will need a reducer to drop back to 1/8 pipe if he wants to ever install a temp sendor.

that kit i posted is drain plug or same as temp sendor thread = 1/8 pipe.

and if you dont get the weld perfect . you might just have a pin hole leak around the chunk of steel. unless you then add rtv sealent inside the pan and wait a day for proper cure time and reinstall the pan.
 
I run a cast trans. pan and love it..

I had some issues with the gasket leaking at first, but that turned out to just be the crappy pan gasket I bought...I run a remote cooler and remote filter on the trans lines and the filter head has a port for a temp sensor..

with the trans and T-case clock flat in the buggy along with the crossmember I built, I would have to work hard to get a rock up against the pan....not saying it can't happen....just unlikely....

hmmmm.... maybe a skidplate is a good idea.... damn,,,something else to do now....:D
 
sweetk30 said:
but if he taps it to 1/2" pipe then he will need a reducer to drop back to 1/8 pipe if he wants to ever install a temp sendor.

that kit i posted is drain plug or same as temp sendor thread = 1/8 pipe.

and if you dont get the weld perfect . you might just have a pin hole leak around the chunk of steel. unless you then add rtv sealent inside the pan and wait a day for proper cure time and reinstall the pan.
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When you buy an electric temp gauge they come with a 1/2" NPT to 1/8" NPT reducer. :deal:

I have several of them in my "brass" box.
 
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