You can do a '8 quart' atf change during a pan drop by first loosening the valve body bolts 6 turns, then turning each bolt a full turn at a time until the atf from the torque converter begins draining out too.

Check the FSM (official Chrysler Field Service Manual) for a drawing of the valve body bolt locations.

Don't loosen the bolts too much, or the little steel 'check valve *****' will fall out of the upper crack where the valve body seals to the transmission housing.

I just suck 4 quarts of atf out with a hand suction pump, put 4 quarts back in, then run the engine with the trans in neutral for 10 minutes. Repeat. This changes about 6.5 quarts, wastes about 1.5 quarts, but is easy, quick relatively cheap and safe.

 

I bought myself a case of the atf4+ at the dealership...
unhooked the line going to the tranny cooler at the rad...
started it up in neutral and filled it through the dipstick as fast
as it emptied out the return line...
first dropped the pan and changed filter though...

 

personally i would just turn the truck upside down and drain it that way!

 

I just changed the fluid and filter in my 2001 4.7l w/ 45RFE at 84,000. I'm the second owner and from the amount of metal in the pan on the magnet I think it was never changed. It took 7.5 quarts of fluid to fill it back up so it wasn't a flush but I have to tell you I can't believe how much better the truck is performing. Much better off the full stop and smooth shifting all around. It also stopped doing this annoying hard downshift sometimes. I have heard about adjusting bands when the pan is off but I haven't found any other information. My comment on the flush is that if your pan has a magnet there probably isn't much metal in the transmission passages and the only other reason I can think of to do a complete flush is if the fluid was contaminated with water or burnt fluid.

 

Oh yeah and I don't have any clunking but I did have some before the filter change. Also after changing tranny fluid you should move the gear selector through its full range before driving.

 

my dads 03 QC does this, maybe not as loud as yours, but it has done it since new, when you back it out of the garage then put it into drive, it clunks, not very loudly, but its there, and like shakes the truck forward, so i would say its normal, bc his has been doing ti for almos 60,000 miles. it was always that way, even when he bought it(he only buys his own vehicles new)

 

I have a similar vehicle - 2001 4.7L SLT but mine has a few more miles (106,000+). I just changed out the tranny fluid in mine. It took 7.5 quarts. There is noticeable improvement in the shifting, especially from 2nd to 3rd. I expected better fuel economy. The results are in - I'm still getting around 13 mpg around town. But the wife drove about half of that tank of gas and she undoubtedly skewed the results with her lead foot. I tell you, she drives with complete disregard for vehicle longevity. She drives it like she stole it. But I digress...

 

yea my tranny fluid still looks clean so im not going to bother with changing it at this point, but i tend to drive my truck like i stole it too, and yea im sure i could get better than 16 mpg out of it if i didnt, but i cant help it i like the power