ATF change procedure for 2001 2500HD

Hi all,

Looking for instructions on changing the automatic transmission fluid (& filter) in my 2001 2500HD (4-speed automatic, with 6.0L). I can easily drain and refill. What about the filter? Any specific procedure (such as going through each gear)? Haven't been able to find it in any service manual.

(This is my first vehicle with an automatic transmission. I do all my own maintenance on all my vehicles, and suddenly find myself stumped at a seemingly easy procedure.)

Thanks,
David

In My 1500 I drained the fluid, dropped the pan pulled out the filter, used a sanding disc to clean old gasket off the old pan and installed the new one, once the new pan and gasket is on tight I added 4.5 quarts of fluid and started the truck and slowly shifted through each of the gears stopping for a couple secs in each one, finally letting the truck idle in Park.. check the fluid and add to the full mark, take it for a test drive and check level again, My Mistake was Hitting the Plug on one of the Selonoids which required me to drop the pan again to fix.(easy) Im not sure where your selonoids are located just be careful when moving the pan by the exhaust not to bump anything!! it helps if you use a jack to lift the transmission up a bit.. I hope this helps you..
-Jimmy

forgot to mention... clean the magnet in the pan and make sure the pan is free of debris.. Very Important... Do not overfill, add the fluid slowly you can run through the gears a few times.

Hey Jimmi.......... when you jack up the tranny a little to help with the removal of the pan, do you have to loosen any bolts or is there enough give to gain an inch or two??

i've found that on most there is enough clearence to get the pan out but if there isn't it's usually easier to drop the exhaust a little bit where the pipes join the manifolds. your tranny should have a reusable gasket so no scraping required. you should also have a drain plug in the tranny this saves a lot of mess i think it takes a 15mm socket. on some trucks you need to remove the shifter bracket it is held on by 2 torx t-35 bolts on top of the tranny the cable just pops off the shifter arm. if you try to jack up the tranny you do need to loosen the rear mount bolts. it's possible you don't need to take anything off except for the pan bolts Gm has a lot of variations with short or deep pans. the filter just pulls straight down might require a little bit of wiggling. good luck!!

The Gasket came with the filter for $7 and the one on the pan looked like crap so I changed mine.. The reason I tell you to jack the tranny is so that you have the extra 1/2 inch to squeeze the pan by the exhaust. I jacked up mine about 1" and the pan slid right out. the only reason i did this is because the first time I didnt have the clearance and ended up bumping the selonoid, Amac209 was right about the different pans, My truck has the step top pan which probably didnt help with clearing the exhaust.
-Jimmy