Originally Posted by Bigclubs

Well "Alpine" you have a 1999 model year, my 96 has the transmission pan with the dipstick tube attached to it. There is also the exaust pipe crossing under the pan, so removing the pan completely is almost impossible. The dipstick tube is a 2 piece unit that is susposed to come apart, but after 70,000 or more miles the tube seems to weld itself together. I tried applying heat to the joint and it still did not come apart. You can not remove the pan with the tube attached, so this leaves only @4 inches of drop to get your hands in with a 1/4 drive ratchet to remove the filter. What a pain in the #$$#. I opted to go with the exchange method thru the dipstick. So far with 150,000 and pulling a 3000lb camper twice a year, I have not experienced any slipping or shifting problems. Sometime after the 96 model year Chrysler changed the pan design and it's easier to drop the pan and change the filter.