no...there is a "shield" right where the bottom of tranny and bottom of block somewhat meet. the shield is for the cover of the tranny since the tranny is an odd shape compared to the bottom of the block. so i guess honda put a thin piece of metal to cover the hole so rocks and stuff wont fly into your tranny. make sense? that shield is just held on by a couple of bolts. you do not need to take off tranny at all for oil pan install