# 04 Mustang Tranny part fell in pan during fluid change? **URL:** \ **Category:** Maintenance/Repairs\ **Created:** [March 19, 2011, 2:36pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/04-mustang-tranny-part-fell-in-pan-during-fluid-change/62765 "2011-03-19T14:36:28Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![ebko87](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/3ec8ea/32.png) [@ebko87](https://community.cartalk.com/u/ebko87)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2011, 2:36pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/04-mustang-tranny-part-fell-in-pan-during-fluid-change/62765/1 "2011-03-19T14:36:28Z")
2004 Mustang, 6 cyl, 4.2L. Changing my son’s tranny fluid for the first time and noticed a plastic part in the pan that I’m assuming fell as I was dropping the pan. It’s about 1.5 inches long and I’ve attached a picture next. Does anyone know what this part is and where it goes ?? ---
**Author:** ![ebko87](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/3ec8ea/32.png) [@ebko87](https://community.cartalk.com/u/ebko87)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2011, 2:39pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/04-mustang-tranny-part-fell-in-pan-during-fluid-change/62765/2 "2011-03-19T14:39:46Z")
Here’s what it looks like : ---
**Author:** ![asemaster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/5f9b8f/32.png) [@asemaster](https://community.cartalk.com/u/asemaster)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2011, 3:12pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/04-mustang-tranny-part-fell-in-pan-during-fluid-change/62765/3 "2011-03-19T15:12:16Z")
That little piece is used to seal part of the transmission during assembly, and is pushed into the pan as part of the final process. It is now to be discarded. ---
**Author:** ![ebko87](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/3ec8ea/32.png) [@ebko87](https://community.cartalk.com/u/ebko87)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2011, 3:22pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/04-mustang-tranny-part-fell-in-pan-during-fluid-change/62765/4 "2011-03-19T15:22:26Z")
So it doesn’t hold anything (like the filter) ? I can just push the filter into the tube and re-assemble and fill ? ---
**Author:** ![asemaster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/5f9b8f/32.png) [@asemaster](https://community.cartalk.com/u/asemaster)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2011, 3:40pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/04-mustang-tranny-part-fell-in-pan-during-fluid-change/62765/5 "2011-03-19T15:40:08Z")
That’s right. ---
**Author:** ![transman618](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/transman618/32/24_2.png) [@transman618](https://community.cartalk.com/u/transman618)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2011, 3:59am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/04-mustang-tranny-part-fell-in-pan-during-fluid-change/62765/6 "2011-03-20T03:59:49Z")
Just throw it away. transman ---
**Author:** ![ok4450](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/e9bcb4/32.png) [@ok4450](https://community.cartalk.com/u/ok4450)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2011, 5:06am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/04-mustang-tranny-part-fell-in-pan-during-fluid-change/62765/7 "2011-03-20T05:06:39Z")
Agreed and I’ve found these things in my Ford transmissions too. With tongue firmly implanted in cheek I could say that it’s a torque converter lock that fell out due to Ford’s lousy converter lock retainer ring… 😉