Found a widget in the transmission pan... help??

[lil_Blue_Ford]

Ok, so I wasn't really sure where this belongs (urgent help, transmission, engine swaps, etc), so its here (mods can move it if they are moved to do so).

Since dad has been getting anxious to get his Ranger on the road, I started giving him things to putter around with to work towards getting it ready. (2000 Ranger extended cab 4x4 auto power everything that originally had a 4.0 in it - we swapped a 5.0L from a 1999 Mercury Mountaineer along with the auto trans and the awd t-case).

So today he dropped the transmission pan and went to change the filter (figured it would be a good idea to do it now rather than later). So he said that he dropped the pan and started dumping out the fluid from the pan when he came across this strange little plastic part with an O ring on it laying in the bottom of the pan. He couldn't figure out where it went and our one neighbor who is a mechanic stopped by and said that he couldn't figure it out either.

I've never seen such a thing before.

Hopefully someone on here has seen it and knows what it's purpose is though....

 

[85_Ranger4x4]

Congrats, your trans has never been serviced

It plugs the dipstick hole before the trans is installed for the first time, when the tube is installed the plug pops into the pan where it waits harmlessly until it is serviced.

 

[pillen140]

lol, if thats true. thats gotta be a relief! there is also an awesome site for tranmission break downs if you ever need it... sell parts cheap too!
https://www.wittrans.com/Schematic.aspx?Transmission=A4LD/4R44E/4R55E/5R55E

 

[snake]

They make a nice top... spins real nice. I found one in a 1979 lincoln I was changing the filter on the other day- 79!! I am guessing it was overdue by a bit.

 

[adsm08]

Congrats, your trans has never been serviced

It plugs the dipstick hole before the trans is installed for the first time, when the tube is installed the plug pops into the pan where it waits harmlessly until it is serviced.

That's ridiculous.


It's obviously a dradel. You have Jewish gnomes living in your tranny.






85 is right to a point. He is right about what it is, and it's presence does mean the pan has never been off before. But there are correct and effective methods of servicing the trans that don't involve pan removal.

 

[85_Ranger4x4]

But there are correct and effective methods of servicing the trans that don't involve pan removal.

That is true, I forgot about flushing. I drop the pan and change the filter though.

 

[pillen140]

That's ridiculous.


It's obviously a dradel. You have Jewish gnomes living in your tranny.






.

lol, thats hilarious!

 

[adsm08]

That is true, I forgot about flushing. I drop the pan and change the filter though.

I know people that insist on that too. I prefer flushing because it pushes everything out of all the passages when it's done right.

Thing about tranny filters is, by the time there is enough crap in them to require replacement, the trans is probably a pretty crispy critter already anyway.

 

[GoodOld85BlueBalls]

It's obviously a dradel. You have Jewish gnomes living in your tranny.

Reped!

 

[85_Ranger4x4]

I know people that insist on that too. I prefer flushing because it pushes everything out of all the passages when it's done right.

Thing about tranny filters is, by the time there is enough crap in them to require replacement, the trans is probably a pretty crispy critter already anyway.

Every 30k they get replaced and I clean the magnet.

I figure if people can get 100-150k out of a trans by not touching it, changing the couple quarts at a time and filter should be an improvement.

The "flushes" I have have checked into basically just use the transmission pump to move the old fluid out and suck in fresh... so it wouldn't really do anything more than it would normally as far as flushing out passages. I wish the TC on my '150 was like my brother's '97 with a drain plug, I think he got all but about two quarts out of his.

 

[fix_or_repair_daily]

The first time I ever saw one of those at work was when I was changing trans fluid and filter in a newer Ford truck. Even my boss didn't know what the hell it was. He ended up calling the Ford dealer because no one else around knew what it was, and we didn't want to put it back together in case it actually did something (although I doubted it).

Josh

 

[adsm08]

Every 30k they get replaced and I clean the magnet.

I figure if people can get 100-150k out of a trans by not touching it, changing the couple quarts at a time and filter should be an improvement.

The "flushes" I have have checked into basically just use the transmission pump to move the old fluid out and suck in fresh... so it wouldn't really do anything more than it would normally as far as flushing out passages. I wish the TC on my '150 was like my brother's '97 with a drain plug, I think he got all but about two quarts out of his.

I tell ya what though, it gets a lot more crap out of the trans by pushing 12 to 15 quarts (approx capacity of the trans) of fresh clean fluid through it than it does draining 5 or 6 out of the pan. And it gets the converter.

That's like changing 1/3 of your oil every 5,000 miles.

 

[lil_Blue_Ford]

Thanks for the info ya'll! First time I've seen it and I've done trans filters in two other Fords so far.

lol @ the dradel comment, that was almost my first remark to dad on what it was when he asked. But I didn't think to add the part about the Jewish gnomes!

 

[holyford86]

I've had the same issue, (and reaction) to that stupid thing.

 

[lil_Blue_Ford]

I've had the same issue, (and reaction) to that stupid thing.

Somebody needs to come up with a way to spread the word so this doesn't happen so often, lol.