So far, I can't figure out where it came from and what it does.



Any ideas? I was doing a complete drain and refill to deal with shudder and found this just laying in the pan. No other parts, no clips, keepers or screws, just this.

Michael

heh. It still had the factory installed lollipop.

It is a plug that blocks off the dip stick opening until the dip stick tube is installed at the factory, at which point it falls harmlessly into the pan where it stays until someone removes it.

Ya, I shoulda poked around in the forums first, I just found an old post from 2010 that looks like the same thing. At 85K, it's possible that the fluid has never been changed but who knows. Think I'll leave it in for the next guy!

Now I can go back to fretting about the porous freeze plug I found. That's actually much scarier than the lollipop!

Thanks,
Michael

There needs to be a sticky in this forum called "look what I found in my tranny pan". This is asked so often.

Why? So the "next guy" will think he's the first one to change the fluid? Kind of a dirty trick...

That plug doesn't have anything to do with changing the fluid. I changed mine twice by means of the machine at the dealer before I had to go further into it because of a progressive case of TC shudder. Finding it in there is more of an indication that the filter is the original that came from the factory, the pan never being dropped to change it. Not that big of a deal.

What's scarier is the possibility of needing a new TC if your shudder is bad enough. I hope a simple fluid change (MerconV) does the trick. Did you do the pcm reset?

That is true, but I still don't see the point of putting it back in...

Because racecar?

Turns out I didn't leave it in. After tiding up I found it still sitting on the shop towel. Sigh.

I've not driven it far but do think the shudder is gone. It was very noticeable any time it seemed like the converter should be locking up so I don't think it was a mis-fire. There were also some odd shift hesitations, sort of drifting into gear sometimes and bouncing on the engine mounts. That seems to be gone but I'll know later today.

Of much greater concern is the corroded freeze plug. I'll be starting another thread about what it takes to change all of them. Right now, I'm assuming that the engine comes out to get them all and am not looking forward to that.

Michael

The next guy will probably be me and since I'm the kind of guy that can hide his own Easter Eggs and still be surprised, I'll probably be back asking what the "heck is this?"

Michael

yeah, engine has to come out to get at the rear most ones. There are also a couple behind the timing cover, tho they rarely fail since they are pretty well protected and in a oil rich environment. Unless of course it freezes.

I have about THREE of those squirrled away in my biggest roll-away.

Momentos, you know.

LOL

One of my CV police cars, the '98 or '00 .... I forget which one .... had like 4 of those in the transmission pan when I turned it in for a new car. I know, I put them there on the last filter / fluid service ....