Found AutoZone, Bought Cheap Tool WAS 016 Hex Plug...

[Alex Kowalski]

Yay!  Success.  Got the fill plug and the drain plugs loose without much trouble.  Put the hex socket on the fill plug first with the Craftsman 1/2" drive, made sure everything was clean, seated and straight...pussssshhhhh...*CRACK*... plug comes loose.  Next the rear drain and the front drain, the front was the toughest, I'd guesstimate about 80 ft/lbs before it let go.  But they all came out without any stripping or other calamity.  

I caught all the fluid, it was a dark chocolate color and the smell was, er, yucky.  I now have all plugs out/loose and am letting the transmission drip dry for a while before refilling through the engine compartment with a long tube and a funnel.

The magnetic drain plug at the rear of the trans. has caught some metal filings.  Very fine, no big bits in either the flow or around the magnet.  I would guesstimate the total mass of the material to be <  0.5 gram, enough maybe to fit in one of those tiny stirring spoons McDonald's used to give out with their coffee.  Sound relatively normal at ~50k miles?  Geez, I hope so.  

Redline MT-90 goes in next, then the drive.  The cheapo $8 hex socket set did its job, this time 'round.  One nice thing:  this is the first time I've really had a good look around underneath the car.  The mileage at purchase time was correct, I am now 99 44/100% sure -- the underbody is in nice shape indeed, everything in the right place and still in surprisingly good shape.  Even the motor mounts still look solid, only a teensy bit of weather cracking on the swaybar bushing rubber.

Thanks again for all the interest and suggestions so far.    

Cheers,
Alex Kowalski
'87 5KCSTQ


> 
>      Just make sure and open the fill plug *before* you open the drain plug.