5R55E lower dipstick tube replacement

[Balloonist]

My reman 5R55E trans arrived today. Looks like they shipped me the right one, which is always mildly surprising.

The only hiccup I've seen is that the hole for the lower dipstick tube is simply plugged with a little plastic cap. I was under the impression that the lower tube was a press fit into the transmission body, so I'd expected it to come preinstalled. No such luck.

My original one is rust free (New Mexico truck). Is there a way to extract it from the old trans without damaging it, or do I need to order a new one?

And once it's out or I have a new one, how do I install the tube into the new transmission? With the curve on it, it looks like it would be tricky to tap it into place.

 

[Balloonist]

So to answer my own question for posterity:

The tube is a light press/transitional interference fit. Ford supplies the tube with a red sealant that helps keep it from leaking oil. I don't want to wait on one, nor spend $35 to buy it.

I carefully pried between the tube and the bellhousing to get the tube to rotate, and wiggled it until I got it out of the hole. Then I cleaned and degreased it, and degreased the hole in the transmission with some brake cleaner and paper towels. I coated the tube (but not the hole) with a thin coating of Permatex Form-a-gasket #1 (#80003), which is a hardening sealant often used for freeze plugs. I let it set and called it good.

RTV might work for sealing it, but I wanted something that would set up hard. It remains to be seen either it leaks - I won't have the trans back in the truck until next weekend (waiting on a gasket). If there's any need to redo it with a different sealant, I'll post that to hopefully help someone else down the road.

I have the transmission out, but there's no reason this couldn't be done in the truck if you have a rusted lower tube. You'll have to drain the trans fluid, though, since the dipstick hole sits below the fluid level. And remember, if you're installing an OEM tube, it'll already have sealant pre-applied.