Can't get loose transmission pan off!

I was unable to remove the bracket in the left rear of the pan. It seems to be attached with torx drive bolts from above (how would you ever access these?). I have all the pan bolts removed and I removed the filter. I can move the pan around, but I can't get it off that corner and the exhaust crossover pipe doesn't let me get it down in back.

What do I do?

I was unable to remove the bracket in the left rear of the pan. It seems to be attached with torx drive bolts from above (how would you ever access these?). I have all the pan bolts removed and I removed the filter. I can move the pan around, but I can't get it off that corner and the exhaust crossover pipe doesn't let me get it down in back.

What do I do?


I have stock exhaust and I have no problem dropping the tranny pan. however some have had issues with the exhaust pipe in the way.

on the shift bracket driver side . these are torx studs. I use 1/4inch ratchet with torx bits. clean out the heads good then use steady force to unscrew to avoid socket damage.torx bits that fit into the socket of the rachet.


if the pan with this removed is unable to be removed because of the exhaust unbolt the tranny mount and jack up on the tranny little .


be carefull of the tranny rear solenoid wires. many have disconnected these on doing this work.

use anti seize on the bracket studs when installing.

I have stock exhaust and I have no problem dropping the tranny pan. however some have had issues with the exhaust pipe in the way.

on the shift bracket driver side . these are torx studs. I use 1/4inch ratchet with torx bits. clean out the heads good then use steady force to unscrew to avoid socket damage.torx bits that fit into the socket of the rachet.


if the pan with this removed is unable to be removed because of the exhaust unbolt the tranny mount and jack up on the tranny little .


be carefull of the tranny rear solenoid wires. many have disconnected these on doing this work.

use anti seize on the bracket studs when installing.

Getting the bracket off is the hard part. The torx screws are all rusted. I can't clean out the heads becuse I can't really get to them.

I work for a chevy dealership and it is actually quite easy to do. Take the shift cable completely out of it's holder. There should be a U-shaped slide clip in it. Take that out and squeeze the two locking tabs and push the shift cable towards the back of the vehicle and then take it out. Get a pair of pliers or channel locks and bend the bracket just above the round part towards the driver's side. Then take off the bolt to the the tranny mount, should be in the crossmember and life the tranny up by the tailshaft. This should give you more than enough clearance room to pull pan off with no problems. Have any questions just let me know

I work for a chevy dealership and it is actually quite easy to do. Take the shift cable completely out of it's holder. There should be a U-shaped slide clip in it. Take that out and squeeze the two locking tabs and push the shift cable towards the back of the vehicle and then take it out. Get a pair of pliers or channel locks and bend the bracket just above the round part towards the driver's side. Then take off the bolt to the the tranny mount, should be in the crossmember and life the tranny up by the tailshaft. This should give you more than enough clearance room to pull pan off with no problems. Have any questions just let me know

Thanks for the suggestion. I did this already without dropping the pan completely. I changed the filter and cleaned the inside of the pan. I did reuse the gasket, but I have no leaks.