I know theres a lot of info on this here, didn t see a specific write up with pics on this fairly easy

procedure, so here goes. * This procedure was done on a 1996 Ram 1500, may or may not be similar or ident ical for other years/models. Tools needed: 7/16 socket, T-25 torx bit, needle nose pliers Preparations: You ll of course want to have the parts on hand. Prices can vary dra stically, so shop around. You can sometimes find them on ebay reasonably priced, but your best bet is call around to local tranny shops, look in the yellow pages under transmission , not th e auto parts section. I found mine here http://tinyurl.com/p7t4vg for $110 for both [I doubt if they d o mail order, call em and see if you can't find anything in your area], glad I c alled because I was considering NAPA, the only parts store that seemed to stock these, and they wanted $114 for the pressure sensor and $98 for the solenoid. I didn't jack my truck up at all for pan removal, as I prefer it somewhat level for this unavoidably messy procedure. After I had the pan out, I did jack in up on the frame rail just for a few extra inches, after knocking my head on the tranny mount a few times. Wheels not off the ground, just a lift off the suspension is enough. You ll need to drop the pan of course, I let mine drip dry for a couple hours, but if you don t mind getting a coat of tranny fluid on your arms, you don t need to wa it that long. Remove filter. Both sensors are contained in an aluminum block, this whole block drops right do wn with the sensors once the bolts are removed. First you ll need to disconnect them from the harness, these connections use the t ypical snap in style, where you have to pry up a little plastic lip to free the connection. Take out the 2 torx screws using the T25 bit [same one that drops the filter scr ews]. Then loosen up all 4 7/16 bolts, then remove them. You may have to jiggle the block around a bit to break any suction, but once the bolts are removed, there is nothing holding it in. This pics shows the space where the aluminum block housing the sensors was. I would have snapped a pic with the housing in place, but it did not strike me t o do a DIY write-up until after I had it out. You can see the two hanging connectors, and the gasket for the block. I opted not to replace the gasket, as it looked perfectly good, but use your dis cretion, and definitely replace if you notice any cracks or signs of wear.

Here we have the solenoid on top, with a formed housing that locks it in when th e bolts are in. It is free to be set aside with the bolts out.

Here it is again without the housing, new parts ready to install.

Old on top, new on bottom. Removal is simple, with the solenoid on top, once its housing is removed there i

s nothing holding it in but suction from the O-ring, just twist and pull it up H elps to use a dry rag. Can take some doing to get it out, for a while I was convinced that there was so me fiendishly clever, hidden locking device holding it in. On the pressure sensor, there is an M clip holding it in, which you can see [aft er removal] just to the left of the old parts below. Use the needle nosed pliers to pry in on the exposed arms, which will allow you to slide the nozzle out. This clip has somewhat of a memory, you will need to put pressure back on the ar ms opposite of which you pried in on to close them up again, so that it snaps on tight in place once the new one is inserted. If you don't, you'll notice that it pops off with ease, not the best thing to be floating around in your trannys innards. The magnet would likely snag it right up, but then you are left with a non secur ed sensor - So tighten that clip up so that you get a good snap when placed on t he new component !

New units installed, top of the M clip visible just to the left of the gold colo red sensor. The bottom of the solenoid is protruding more than it will be once its housing i s snapped back in place and bolted in, don't worry about that now, it can only f it together one way, then it will be locked at its correct position when properl y bolted in with housing [nearly, or perhaps actually, flush]. Same with the sensor, it can spin to any position, but its correct final positio n will be the only one which allows mating back up to the harness when bolted in .

Back in place, ready to bolt back up. If you need torque specs, search around. I just snugged them all up criss cross, then tightened them up firmly one by one. Obviously, anything using a gasket you don t want to kill it with tightness. I spr ayed the harness contacts with electrical cleaning fluid, and snapped them right in. Install filter, job done. edit: Torx torque = 50inlbs 7/16 = 130inlbs Thanks to MonteC

Once the pan is dropped, you could easily do this in half an hour to an hour. I didn t time it because I was doing other things, I let it drip over night, I was debating if I was going to mess with the bands ect. So I bolted the pan back up with 3 finger tight bolts to protect the tranny inna rds over night, I d advise that you do the same if its going to be exposed for any length of time, especially our doors. I opted to install a drain plug, to make the next pan drop a whole lot easier, s o this is the time for you to consider if you d like to do the same. DIY drain plug is available from just about any parts store, from $3 to $5.

I have seen a variety of locations used for the plug, take a good look and use y our best judgment to place it where the inner bolt is going to be the least intr usive. I opted for right next to, and slightly behind the magnet - Just before where th e curvature of the pan starts. Diagonal corner from the magnet also worthy of co nsideration. Have also seen them installed in the lower side, to ease any worrie s about the bottom getting snagged by something on the road. However, the tranny mount is a good 2-3 inches lower, as is the rear differentia l, and parts of the exhaust ,,, So you'd have larger problems if any road object got past those to snag the pan bolt. Only advice here is obvious - With a wood block under the pan, start drilling wi th a small bit, after making a punch mark in the center of your desired location , then work your way up with successively larger bits until the drain bolt threa ds right in. If in doubt about whether or not a bit might be too large, drill a test hole in some scrap sheet metal and check the fit, you don't want to drill too big where the drain bolt won't thread. You can see that I have a little cleanup to do in the pan and I m good to go. I us ed a little high temp red RTV on the edges of the nut, and some high temp lock t ight on the threads. Will probably put on another thin bead tomorrow, let cure a couple of hours then slap the pan back in. May not be necessary, as it threaded in very tightly and there is a sealing wash er on the other side, but I'd rather be safe than sorry. If you've got 1 drip, o r if you go to turn the release on the bottom and the whole thing spins, you've failed and will have to drop the pan again. BTW, its a good idea to check and retorque the pan bolts after a week or so of d riving, they often work themselves lose and need to be snugged back in. Once wil l usually suffice. Failure to do so will result in a blown gasket.