Ok, I've been trying to remove the dipstick tube from my automatic transmission pan to drop it and change the filter.

I've used about a half a can of PB blaster and still can't get it loose. I'm so paranoid now about damaging the pan that I'm second guessing myself.

My question is, which of the two nuts should I be loosening and which is there for support? Is it the smaller nut closest to the dipstick tube, or the larger nut closer to the pan that should be loosened?

I think I've got the right one, but I want confirmation before I go to the torch.

TPL
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1991 740 B230F 135K miles

My advice is don't drop the pan. Past posts have said that Volvo no longer recommends doing it. And my personal experience on a few is that there is never anything on the filter screen anyway.

I believe the current concensus is that the flushing method in the FAQ (and marketed by IPD) is the way to go.
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Bruce Young
'93 940-NA (current) — 240s (one V8) — 140s — 122s — since '63.

i am new to volvos and have yet to take a good look at the pan and dipstick. but i wanted to get this straight. that in the event of me dropping the pan i have to remove the dipstick?

benjamin

Ah yes, the permanently corroded dipstick tube. My advice, based on the cost of the new pan I bought when this happened to me, is to give up on the nut. Instead, remove the tube fixing bolts around the starter and drop the whole shooting match. You'll have to get the car front up on jackstands but this works. Needless to say, you'll need a gasket. And make sure you can get ALL the pan bolts off before you do this: the rear bolts are often obscured by a mounting bracket which, to remove, requires dropping the crossmember and mount.

PL - You need to hold the big nut steady and try to turn the smaller nut. The big nut is actually not a nut at all. It is a threaded flange with hex sides. It does not turn. If it turns, you have ruined the pan.

THis is what I do. I place a relatively large crescent wrench (open end adjustable wrench) on the filler tube "flange nut," with the end of the wrench pointed toward the rear of the car. If you orient the wrench jaws correctly, you can brace its handle on the flange of the transmission pan (the flange where the gasket is located). It' a tight fit, but it works. I then use a smaller crescent wrench to turn the small nut ccw. The first wrench prevents excessive torque from being applied to the filler tube flange where it enters pan. I sometimes need to use a breaker bar (steel pipe with one end flattened to fit over the wrench handle) with the small wrench to generate some extra torque.

This method will loosen the most stubborn filler tube. One of my cars had a small nnt with stripped sides. I had to use a pipe wrench with that one, but it came loose, and because I braced the "flange nut" the pan wasn't damaged.

Good luck.

Glen
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'88 240GL, '90 240DL, '91 240

I used cheaters too and snapped the gland nut off about halfway into the stationary nut.

On mine the inboard "nut" is welded to the pan and the outboard one is the fitting on the end of the line if I remember right. I was doing this not too long ago. Here's the link:

http://www.brickboard.com/RWD/index.htm?id=769355

I never got it off. I ran out of time because I had to go out of town that day and ended up taking it to someone who fixed my problem without dropping the pan. There's some useful information in the posts linked above about removing the whole dipstick tube with the pan.
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92 745T 121K; 83 242Ti 188K - Brick on blocks for now.

thanks, I've already looked into dropping the dipstick. I'm going to give it one more try with removing it at the pan. It's a pretty tight fit to remove the upper bolt on the dipstick. At least I can get to the pan, even if I can't remove the nut yet.

Thanks
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1991 740 B230F 135K miles

Take it from me, just remove the two bolts from the starter and drop the whole thing. After you have it up on stands. I did exactly the same thing you did and ended up ruining the connection at the pan/fill tube. Believe me, dropping the whole thing (pan and tube together) is a whole lot less work and cheaper than buying another pan. Just my $0.02

Absolutely - I broke the gland nut holding the tube into the pan. Luckily by a lot of work I was able to save it, but I kicked myself for not taking the assembly off together. You can get the upper starter bolt with a 3/8" drive 19 mm or 3/4" socket, a 45 flex, and about 18" of extensions. May have to use a short cheater on the ratchet.