what IS this thing

[carole]

not sure why i've never notice it before and i did try to find it in the set of expy manuals i have... it's a metal case (2003 eddie bauer expy) right between the oil pan and the transmission pan... it has a plastic cap at the bottom... is there a name for this rascal? hard to look up something when you don't know what it's called!

 

[Hamfisted]

I think you're just talking about the transmission bell housing ? It's the front part of the transmission, it houses the torque convert and flywheel.

 

[carole]

yep... that's the thing... so... why the plastic plug... are you supposed to access it or something? it looks like 'something' has been leaking above that... the metal plate before that 'thingy' with the plug is greasy as is the bar below it... checked the transmission oil and it's fine and no spots on the driveway.. i have a cardboard box under it too, been there for months and no spots. so SOMETHING is leaking from the SOMETHING ELSE, and getting on the dohickey with the plug (sorry to be so technical)... thinking maybe blowing a bunch of carb cleaner up there to super clean it, then 'follow the money'... i'm a relative newbie to the car thing... but being a small girl has it's perks.. i don't have to jack it up, and i can get both hands in places you guys can't...

 

[carole]

a-HA.... a torque convert drain plug... thing... i found it in the book in section 301... it says to remove the plastic cap, then drain it... drain it of what? what's in there? nothing is leaking out of it, but i like to know how that fits in with the rest... i've changed all the fluid in transmission, front and rear diff, transfer case, oil, coolant, brakes and power steering... but i haven't a clue if this is something i should be doing something with...

 

[Hamfisted]

When you changed your transmission fluid you would've removed the drain plug in the torque converter to let the fluid drain out of it, as well as drained the pan, and changed the filter (if needed..) . If you see any fluid in that area, it's either motor oil from the engine's rear seal, or transmission fluid from the transmission's front seal. If it's not leaking enough to leave spots on your driveway I wouldn't worry about it.

 

[texasscot]

When you changed your transmission fluid you would've removed the drain plug in the torque converter to let the fluid drain out of it, as well as drained the pan, and changed the filter (if needed..) . If you see any fluid in that area, it's either motor oil from the engine's rear seal, or transmission fluid from the transmission's front seal. If it's not leaking enough to leave spots on your driveway I wouldn't worry about it.

Not to disagree, but, I replaced my transmission extension seal and dropped the transmission pan and fitted a new filter recently. In my 2003 eddie there is no torque converter drain plug. There is the plastic cover in the housing but i removed it, marked the teeth on the flex plate and fully rotated the torque converter twice using a screwdriver and there is no drain plug. It's not possible to fully change the transmission fluid in this model, you just have to dilute it with fresh fluid after removing the pan only.

 

[carole]

i just go by what the fordtechmakuloco guy said to do... i dropped the pan, cleaned it all up, new filter, made sure the original one wasn't there.... i didn't take that cap off, actually i admit i didn't even notice it, was concentrating on following the directions, so not sure if it looks like the manual diagrams with a recessed bolt underneath... would be nice if someone could do a 'powderpuff' maintenance thing for chickies like me (hint hint - i can flutter my eyelashes if it will help)... don't have a husband or brothers or father so i rely on the internet and kind folk like yourselves... and my maintenance manuals. i DID rip the whole truck apart maybe 9 years ago, trying to figure out why the radio wouldn't shut off when i opened the door... but the automatic locks didn't work either, nor did the auto headlights - seemingly unrelated things which turned out to be related by a purple wire that turns around the entire vehicle... so have a working knowledge of the electronics - actually probably have an advantage, i'm small enough i could just about fit under the passenger side when it came time to rip it's little brain box out (which wasn't the problem, so had to take THAT one out and put the original back in)... i like doing this kind of stuff, just need some guidance on what i should be doing. my girl has over 230,000km on her, and i'd like her to last a few more.

 

[BlackCoffee]

Not all original torque converters can be drained. It depends on which one Ford installed.

 

[Hamfisted]

If you have a laptop I would highly recommend downloading the ForScan program ( it's free...) and picking up a USB to OBDII cable off Amazon for $20 . With ForScan you can do a ton of analysis work on your Ford. Like see which door jamb switches are working correctly ( turn off the radio when door is opened, etc...). The door jamb switch is located in each door latch on the Expy. The driver's door switch typically fails somewhere around the 10 year mark. But it's possible the passenger door switch could be bad, you just have to test them in ForScan.


https://forscan.org/download.html

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07MQ8GHG3/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

 

[RichardH]

i just go by what the fordtechmakuloco guy said to do... i dropped the pan, cleaned it all up, new filter, made sure the original one wasn't there.... i didn't take that cap off, actually i admit i didn't even notice it, was concentrating on following the directions, so not sure if it looks like the manual diagrams with a recessed bolt underneath... would be nice if someone could do a 'powderpuff' maintenance thing for chickies like me (hint hint - i can flutter my eyelashes if it will help)... don't have a husband or brothers or father so i rely on the internet and kind folk like yourselves... and my maintenance manuals. i DID rip the whole truck apart maybe 9 years ago, trying to figure out why the radio wouldn't shut off when i opened the door... but the automatic locks didn't work either, nor did the auto headlights - seemingly unrelated things which turned out to be related by a purple wire that turns around the entire vehicle... so have a working knowledge of the electronics - actually probably have an advantage, i'm small enough i could just about fit under the passenger side when it came time to rip it's little brain box out (which wasn't the problem, so had to take THAT one out and put the original back in)... i like doing this kind of stuff, just need some guidance on what i should be doing. my girl has over 230,000km on her, and i'd like her to last a few more.

Hi carole,

Good job on the tearing it all apart years ago. Prob more than I can tackle! With your capabilities described I'm sure you can get the mileage described.

There is a ton of good advice here as noticed.