Review on Dorman 265-813 Automatic Transmission Oil Pan - Ford/Lincoln/Mercury Compatible Models by Joseph Adaymiln

I like the product. Mine arrived in good condition, powder coated looks well made and durable. Another reviewer said that this pan is made of a thinner material than the standard pan, I'm not sure. Both that and the piston pan were measured to about 0.0625 inches with my calipers, which are 15-gauge steel. My biggest concern is the drain plug. The drain plug was installed prior to powder coating as mentioned by others. The end of the cork sticks. In the pan the first time you remove the stopper it pulls the powder paint over the threads of the pan and the powder stays at the top of the stopper which causes resistance when screwing in the drain plug and since you can't get a hand threaded plug to cross it over, I have tapped on the threads with a tap (thread size M14 - 1.50) which loosened the stopper a bit but at least I was now able to screw it in. The washer but it's powder coated onto the cork so I had to use a wire brush to separate the old washer from the drain plug so I can replace it. with spark plug torque settings and found that the minimum torque was about 25 ft/lb to have a fresh aluminum or copper alum disc to form a seal. (Looks like a lot more torque was applied at the factory judging by the condition of the original expander). Given the loss of thread allowance, I didn't feel comfortable applying more than 25lb/ft. My F-150 uses the same oil pan drain plug and the factory torque is 10 ft/lb. Ford gets away with the low-torque trait by using a rubberized drain plug instead of a crush washer. Granted I'm paranoid about over tightening so I decided to buy another rubber lined drain plug and settled on the 15 ft/lb torque setting. I haven't had any leaks. I would recommend ordering another connector along with this pan, like Dorman 65324 or Needa Parts 653116. I chose the latter and paid about $4 at my local parts store. I think it's worth it. I also recommend removing the original plug prior to installation so you can check the threads and tap out if necessary. It's easier to do this before installing. I deduct 2 stars because of the excitement with the drain plug and the threads. But with the above modifications I am now very happy with this oil pan and it was definitely worth the effort to drain the transmission pan. The palette holds about 4.5 liters in my 06 F-150, which is about 1/3 of the total volume. I plan on draining the oil pan and adding fluid every other oil change (10,000 miles) to keep it fresh. Almost all complaints about this pan relate to the plug, this would be an easy fix for the manufacturer.