Found a plastic piece in the transmission pan.

[atikovi]

The '03 Ford E150 van. Internet search suggests it's just a plug they used on the assembly line for the dipstick tube and all these transmissions have that. It would also mean this is the first transmission fluid change it has had. That's pretty amazing considering how red the fluid still looks after 141,000 miles and how clean the pan is.

 

[oggb]

That... I mean, the filter would keep it from getting sucked up into anything so...

That fluid does look amazingly good being in service for so long. Must go easy on her.

I love the giant METRIC stamped into the pan.

 

[atikovi]

Must go easy on her.

It WAS a church van.

 

[blupupher]

Yup, it is the stopper that gets punched in during install, hurts nothing to be in there.

I had it in mine when I dropped the pan @ 170,000 miles, and there was one in my brother in laws F150 @ 150,000 miles.

And just to screw with someone in the future, I put the one from my truck in the pan of my brother in laws, so he now has 2 in his.

 

[Oro_O]

And just to screw with someone in the future, I put the one from my truck in the pan of my brother in laws, so he now has 2 in his.

I love that. Sounds like something I would do.

If I find myself in katy, TX ever, let's get a beer...

 

[atikovi]

Sounds like something I would do.

Maybe I should put it on Ebay

 

[BlueOvalFitter]

It's a secret Bob O Link decoder doo-hicky. You take it to your nearest Ford dealership to have it decoded. If yours is the winning number you win the 1974 Pinto as the grand prize.

 

[Trav]

That is used to plug the dipstick tube hole, they just knock it in. This also means you are the first to have the pan off.

 

[Kestas]

I haven't seen one of those since the 70s. I didn't realize they're still a thing.

 

[tom slick]

It's a secret Bob O Link decoder doo-hicky. You take it to your nearest Ford dealership to have it decoded. If yours is the winning number you win the 1974 Pinto as the grand prize.

It says “Drink more Ovaltine”

 

[Chris142]

Ford has been doing that for decades! Since the 70's at least. It is in the dipstick hole for shipping. When they install the dipstick they just push it into the pan.

 

[Lubener]

I wonder how many calls transmission shops get when a DIY'er finds that plug in the pan? Next time you may want to consider a pan for your 4R70W with a drain plug to do another partial change since there is no plug for the converter to drain it all. Makes pan drop/filter changes easier too to get that fluid drained before dropping the pan.