[brosmar1]

I consider myself fairly mechanically competent, but this was my first time ever servicing a transmission and I was surprised at the lack of information out there on how to do this job, especially for SS’s. So, I am writing up my experience for anyone out there looking to do the same, and also so I can come back to it when I have to do this job again.

According to the manual, the A10 tranny needs new fluid and filter every 45k miles, or after 15 track hours. But, all Chevy gives you is: "There is a special procedure for checking and changing the transmission fluid. Because this procedure is difficult, this should be done at the dealer." Cool, thanks. Not gonna do that.

Parts needed are as follows:

ACDelco DEXRON ULV Automatic Transmission Fluid, Part no. 19352619
I got 8qts just to be safe but you could probably get it done with 7 if you are careful.

ACDelco Gold Automatic Transmission Fluid Filters, Part no. 24294355
I have seen other part numbers for the filter, they all look to be the same.

ACDelco GM Genuine Parts Transmission Pan Gaskets, Part no. 24297886
This can be reused if it is still in good condition, but $47 for some extra peace of mind is well worth it to me. It appears some older part nos. are black, the one I got is green.

ACDelco Valve Body Replacement Components, Part no. 24050764
This comes as a kit with 6 bolts, but we only need the two 85mm aluminum bolts for the filter, more on this below.

First things first, if you have access to a lift, this job gets 100x easier. I did it in my driveway on jackstands, and while not terrible, it would have taken far less time and made far less mess if it were on a lift. Plan accordingly.

Get the car as level as possible. If doing it on the ground try to account for driveway slope as best you can. The tranny does not need to be warm, and it will be more enjoyable when you are not getting showered with hot oil.

Start by removing the 10mm level check plug. You will only get a bit of fluid out of this hole. Once it stops dripping, move onto the 10mm pan bolts. Remove in any way you see fit. No matter how you do this, be prepared for a mess. Once the pan comes off take care in preserving the gasket if reusing. Then you will see the filter and the two E10 torx bolts that hold it in. Remove them and the filter should fall right out with another splash of oil.

Clean the pan with brake clean and a rag and inspect the gasket if reusing. For some reason, there are two different types of pan magnets in use. One is a solid disk that is glued or taped on (my example) and the other looks like a donut that apparently can be removed and reinstalled. Do not try to remove the disk ones, just clean around the best you can with a small brush. Also take some time to clean around the mating surface on both parts.

For reinstallation, first make sure you install the (new) cylindrical orange seal on the new filter the same way it is on the old part. Slide the filter into place and bolt it up. In the Haynes repair manual I was using, it said to reuse the bolts and torque one to 93in-lb, and the other to 80in-lb. I was skeptical about this as the bolts are exactly the same. One bolt went in fine, the other broke before it got to 93in-lb (thankfully it left behind a nice valley that I was able to get a flathead screwdriver into to turn it out). After investigating a bit, another user posted something from GM (supposedly) that said these bolts must be replaced once removed and shall be torqued to 44in-lb + 128deg for reinstallation. I bought the bolt kit mentioned earlier and ended up just going hand tight plus about a half turn. Next time, I will be buying new bolts from the start.

A word of caution about the bolts: they are aluminum and very fragile, as I learned. Make sure there is no residual oil or dirt on the threads as this will produce an inaccurate torque reading. The uncertainty about what value to torque the bolts to is not very confidence inspiring. When it comes down to it, trust your gut, not the torque wrench.

Once the filter is in place seat the new or reused gasket on the pan, there are 2 alignment holes in opposite corners that match up to protrusions on the gasket. Get the pan in place and hand snug the bolts. Haynes says to torque the bolts to 89in-lb, the thread from before says 93in-lb. The bolts are steel and the female threads are aluminum, so no matter what you torque them to, be very careful. I set my wrench to 80in-lb and was fine. Refer to the picture for proper tightening sequence, it is for a ZL1 but should be the same for us. Just make sure you are going in a somewhat star pattern.

Keep the car in the air for the rest of the filling and level setting. You will need a transfer pump, and something to get the fluid into the pan through the plug hole. I have seen people fuss with syringes and other makeshift solutions, but the CTA Tools 7431 ATF Filler Adapter I bought a while ago in anticipation of doing this job works very well. I pumped all 8 quarts, maybe you can get it done with only 7, but with the amount I lost from moving between bottles and having to unscrew the adapter I am satisfied with the 8. Once it is filled, put the level setting plug back in the pan. If the car is not already level with the ground, do this now.

Turn on the engine and give it a minute to saturate the new filter. While holding down the brake, start shifting through reverse, neutral, and drive. Do this for a while, GM says the transmission needs to be at full operating temperature to correctly set the level. Realistically this would take forever, the cooling system is just too efficient. I did this job in 40 degree weather and after about 30 mins of shifting through gears the gauge cluster was still showing <100deg when I decided enough was enough. If it is overfilled it will blow out the PRV anyway.

WITH THE ENGINE RUNNING get back under the car and remove the level setting plug. Keep it open until the stream turns into a slow drip. It is a small hole, be patient. Bolt it back up and congratulations! You just performed a “special procedure” that Chevy says is “difficult and should be done at the dealer”! Hopefully this saves you some of the headaches I went through.