Found a spring in my trans. pan!!

[Glacier991]

I'm perplexed on this one as is everyone else. They do use springs as fluid passage "rough" filters... but they are trapped by the VB being in place. The one way a spring could escape would be through the back of the VB in one of the more open bores and I find that unlikely. The fact you have an improbable spring in the pan and everything runs fine makes me think it is some kind of wierd artifact that says more about the shop procedures of the last shop than anything internal to the tranny. I'd not fret over it.

 

[BrooklynBay]

I suspect that it fell out when the VB was last removed.

 

[Glacier991]

My thought exactly.

 

[sean99]

The magnet was covered with about 1/16 of an inch of very fine dark colored "funk".The fluid looked a little darker than fresh and didnt smell burnt.Do you think that amount traped on the magnet for 30k miles is about right?

 

[2001ExpSport]

http://www.explorerforum.com/forums/showpost.php?p=1324705&postcount=129

http://www.explorerforum.com/forums/showpost.php?p=1325385&postcount=132

 

[BrooklynBay]

The job of the magnet is exactly as you have described. It catches small metallic dust that could clump up, and clog various passage ways. I saw those pictures of the VB in the post above. You would have to open the VB to get to any of those parts, or springs. They couldn't just fall out, unless you pulled off the separator plates.

 

[Glacier991]

Now, when you see this don't say.. "YES! That's it.... because the VB has literally has a dozen or more of springs that look exactly like this spring. But this is the spring I was talking about maybe falling out when the VB came out.... even though I have trouble imagining it in the pan....anyway here is the pic...

(Sorry for the delay... learning the new software on the site and could not upload for a couple days... DOH!)

 

[BrooklynBay]

That was the spring that first came to my mind on my first post (#18) about all of this.

 

[toy720]

What about a return spring? You know that would be easier for it to end up in the pan?

 

[2001ExpSport]

What about a return spring? You know that would be easier for it to end up in the pan?

Piston return spring?

 

[toy720]

Yes, piston return spring