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Transmission - not drawing fluid?

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Old Jun 17, 2014 | 03:43 PM
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Default Transmission - not drawing fluid?

Forgive me if this is topic has been touched, I couldn't find such using advanced search.

Here goes. I prepared to do a transmission pan-drop and DIY flush on a 2004 Dodge Ram 5.7 1500 4x4 with 105k on the clock.

Everything went according to plan. Using a MightyVac to draw fluid through the dipstick tube made the pan-drop a spill free dream. Here's my boggle. I buttoned everything up. Then, I fastened a 3/8" ID vinyl tube to the return line of the trans-cooler. The other end went to a five-gallon catch bucket. I was expecting to play a game of race the clock. Where I would fill the trans from dip-stick tube quickly as the pump pushed old fluid out in to the bucket. That didn't happen. I largely got nothing, maybe a trickle of fluid - 2 quarts tops. Does this sound right?

I drove the truck 4 miles around the block. The fresh fluid from the pan-drop seemed to improve the shift characteristics of the truck. The next morning, I when I went to use the truck to get me to work I got an unpleasant surprise. The truck wouldn't go in to gear. I was lucky to get the thing to catch so I could park it curbside.

Some info, the filters I'm using are from 2009. They were stored in a cool, dark place. Could my filters simply be expired? What's the shelf-life of these things?

Or, is something more serious wrong with my transmission?

I anxiously look forward to getting some good news here. Color me an unhappy camper at the moment.
 
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Old Jun 17, 2014 | 06:39 PM
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One hose to the bucket. Leave the other connected. Crank the truck and let the pump push out the old oil in the bucket. Do this only for a minute or so. Cut the engine off, refill the an checking the level with the stick. Crank it up and let it pump out. Cut it off and do it again until you run out of the 17qrts you should have bought.
 
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Old Jun 17, 2014 | 06:43 PM
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The pan has to fill, for the pump to pick it up.
 
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Old Jun 18, 2014 | 07:20 AM
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Originally Posted by weedahoe
One hose to the bucket. Leave the other connected. Crank the truck and let the pump push out the old oil in the bucket. Do this only for a minute or so. Cut the engine off, refill the an checking the level with the stick. Crank it up and let it pump out. Cut it off and do it again until you run out of the 17qrts you should have bought.
This is what I was truly hoping for. I didn't get any fluid out of the cooler return line. Not at first. I probably got 2-quarts to trickle out.

I put 7-quarts of fluid in after the pan-drop. Then as I cranked the engine I put in two more quarts. I checked the dipstick. It shows new fluid at proper level.

How much more can I safely put in for it to pick-up?
 
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Old Jun 18, 2014 | 07:24 AM
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Originally Posted by p38251
The pan has to fill, for the pump to pick it up.
This is what I was thinking myself. As I cannot see the pump being self-priming. How much fluid can I safely put in the pan?
 
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