Guide ATF Drain/Fill

[GoodGuyDudu]

I nearly got those as well before I changed my mind and went with wooden chopsticks. Good luck and good find.

Oh so that's where I read about the Dowel rods, I think it was your post!! I'm just curious how you used them to align/guide your pan with the rods holding and not falling?

 

[ruthrj]

Oh so that's where I read about the Dowel rods, I think it was your post!! I'm just curious how you used them to align/guide your pan with the rods holding and not falling?

I cut them to be about two and half inches long, and I stuck them in the bolt holes. I got the part of the chopsticks where the diameter was a snug fit for the holes. I applied the RTV to the pan and used those chopsticks in the four corners to guide the pan into place.

I gently held the pan flush against the transmission with one hand, and with the other hand I carefully removed one chopstick and replaced it with a pan bolt. It’s a bit of a balancing act but not terribly difficult, just don’t want to smush the pan completely flush. I tightened that one bolt some but not all the way. I then removed the opposite corner stick and replaced it with a pan bolt. By the time 2 bolts in opposite corners were in place, I gave my arms a brief break and was ready to do the remainder with the pan held up by those two bolts.

 

[GoodGuyDudu]

I cut them to be about two and half inches long, and I stuck them in the bolt holes. I got the part of the chopsticks where the diameter was a snug fit for the holes. I applied the RTV to the pan and used those chopsticks in the four corners to guide the pan into place.

I gently held the pan flush against the transmission with one hand, and with the other hand I carefully removed one chopstick and replaced it with a pan bolt. It’s a bit of a balancing act but not terribly difficult, just don’t want to smush the pan completely flush. I tightened that one bolt some but not all the way. I then removed the opposite corner stick and replaced it with a pan bolt. By the time 2 bolts in opposite corners were in place, I gave my arms a brief break and was ready to do the remainder with the pan held up by those two bolts.

That's really smart, thanks for this!

 

[yrwei52]

Something I found online that I thought might be helpful when re-installing the pan: snap ups by Fel-Pro. They screw in the corners and hold the pan and help with the alignment. I will buy them to test.

Video tutorial: How to Install an Oil Pan Gasket with SnapUps Installation Aid | Fel-Pro Gaskets

@PatrickGSR94 had used the same oil pan “snapups” too:

⋯
I recall the Felpro Permadry gasket I installed on my Integra oil pan a couple years ago. The gasket came with several plastic threaded studs with little clips, which would go into the cylinder block, and the oil pan could be pushed up into place and temporarily held by those clips on the plastic studs. Pretty ingenious idea. I might still have some of those around, it would be amazing if the thread was the same size on the Skyactiv ATF pan.

Here's the product, and this size should work with the CX5 ATF drain pan.

https://www.autozone.com/shop-and-garage-tools/oil-pan-tool/fel-pro-6mm-bolt-oil-pan-snapups/155048_0_0?rrec=true

2014 CX5 Tune-Up items to replace?

 

[weitau]

What a great idea! I would've bought some long bolts from the hardware store and cut off the heads.