97 GT40 (Direct Drive) Transmission Drain Plug

[jamiewilson3]

I am draining the water out of the engine and have hit all of the engine plugs, but I am having trouble locating the plug on the transmission. Can anyone give me a specific location?

Thanks in advance!

[teamseal]

Their is not a water drain on the transmission.

[jamiewilson3]

Thanks. I thought that there was, but I was not 100% sure, based on other threads here and CCF.

[jasper]

There is a plug you need to remove on the transmission cooler.

[jamiewilson3]

Where is it located?

[jasper]

The transmission cooler on the GT-40 is located underneath the engine on the port side (left side facing the bow) of the engine. It has two hoses going into it. It will have a small brass plug on the forward end, bottom side. I'd post a pic if I had one. Get a small socket wrench on it to remove it. Water will pour out. If anyone has a picture to show him, post it.

[DanielC]

There is a plug in the water jacket of the transmission oil cooler, usually on the lowest part of the oil cooler as it is mounted on the engine.
However, the routing and location of the water hoses to the oil cooler change a lot, sometimes even during the model year.
Some transmission oil coolers are positioned so that disconnecting the hose from the bottom of the raw water pump on a direct drive GT-40, and just holding it down in the lowest part of the bilge will let all the water run out of the hose, transmission oil cooler, and most of the hose between the strainer and the raw water pump. Your plumbing may be routed this way, or it may not be.

If by chance you thought there was a plug in the sump of the transmission itself, there is not. You just have to suck the transmission oil up through the dip stick hole to change the transmission oil.

[jamiewilson3]

So should I take the hose fitting off that leads to the lower part of the transmission, where it enters the transmission and let it drain out there?

[teamseal]

I prefer to pull that lower hose and drain both the cooler and the line going to the raw water pump. you will be suprised how much water will come out of that lower hose. drain it put it back on and be done with it. A lot of times that stupid drain in the cooler will cause more trouble then it is worth trying to get it apart. also remember to empty the raw water strainer basket before layup.

[jamiewilson3]

Thanks. I already took care of the RWS basket. Is there also a filter or stainer on the transmission that I need to open up and clear out?

[DanielC]

The hose on the bottom of the transmission is for oil, not water.

[jamiewilson3]

So is what I have labeled as "Manifold" actually a heat exchanger? In which case I would open up the bottom, labeled "to Impeller" to drain the water out?

[DanielC]

Yes, the item labeled "cooling water manifold" is just a liquid to liquid heat exchanger.

Depending on how the hoses are routed to the raw water pump, disconnecting the water hose on the bottom of the raw water pump, and holding it down in the bottom of the bilge allows all the water in the "cooling water manifold" to drain out of the "cooling water manifold".

There is a small plug on the "cooling water manifold" and if holding the hose off the raw water pump does not allow all the water to drain out of it, you can remove the plug.

The "cooling water manifold" is more commonly called a transmission oil cooler.

[east tx skier]

There is a screen inside the transmission cooler. I always check to make sure it doesn't have any debris clogging it up. Of course, with the strainer, this rarely occurs. But it makes me feel better to check at the end of each season.

[DanielC]

If you keep the strainer clean, less debris gets pulled through the screen. When the screen starts to get clogged, there is a greater pressure difference on each side of the screen, and that can pull pine needles through it.
It also restricts the flow of water to your engines cooling system.