Straw in Unopened Bottle of Mercon LV

[Whimsey]

I changed the oil and ATF in our 2017 Explorer today. My ATF funnel is long and stiff, not flexible, with a curve in it. I opened the Mercon LV bottles one at a time and poured them into the funnel. They drain slowly into the transmission. After the fourth bottle I was removing the funnel and there was a drinking straw stuck in the curve portion of the funnel

. I know it was not there originally since I carefully wiped the funnel before I used it. All the Mercon LV bottles needed those plastic cap seals broken, non were unbroken. The straw had to be in one of the bottles from the facility where the ATF was bottled or the bottle manufacture. Luckily the funnel has enough of a curve in it to catch the straw. Otherwise if the funnel was straight the straw would have went into the transmission and disaster would have happened. There is no pan on this transmission, you'd have to remove it and split the case. I drove it afterwards and all seems ok. From now on I'll have to pour the ATF into small measured painter's bucket then pour that into the funnel. I do this with my oil since I purchase oil in 5 quart jugs.

Whimsey

 

[maxdustington]

Get a funnel with a screen. Sometimes there is junk in the screen when I pour from a warm, freshly cracked and thoroughly shaken bottle?

 

[MolaKule]

The straw was a freebee in case you needed to suck out some overfill.

IF the straw came from the bottling operation, it had to be put there intentionally right before the bottle went to the filling operation or the capping station.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=147vagymkbI

 

[Whimsey]

Originally Posted by MolaKule
The straw was a freebee in case you needed to suck out some overfill.

IF the straw came from the bottling operation, it had to be put there intentionally right before the bottle went to the filling operation or the capping station.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=147vagymkbI


Well it definitely came out of one of the 4 sealed bottles I used. As I said it could have come from the bottle manufacturing plant, also intentionally put there or a heck of a coincidence. It's really bad no matter how or where it was introduced into the bottle. Some how I don't think my warranty would cover the transmission damage caused by the straw. that's a $4,000-$6,000 tab I would have to eat on a vehicle with less than 33,000 miles on it.

Whimsey

 

[PimTac]

Sounds like a disgruntled worker doing some sabotage.

 

[Linctex]

That straw wouldn't have done any damage.

 

[Linctex]

Ford 4R70W's all up through the 4R75E's all have a plastic plug rolling around in the pan from the factory.

It was a dipstick hole plug, and gets knock into the pan on the assembly line.

Seriously.... that straw wouldn't have hurt anything.

 

[SubieRubyRoo]

Yep the first time I ever found one of those assembly plugs in the pan I was like WHAT THE .... I called my brother that's a mechanic for a living and he relayed the same info as LincTex.

 

[sw99]

Originally Posted by SubieRubyRoo
Yep the first time I ever found one of those assembly plugs in the pan I was like WHAT THE .... I called my brother that's a mechanic for a living and he relayed the same info as LincTex.


Yup me too. Fist time I saw it was on my 2001 F150 4r70w.

 

[jhellwig]

You would be suprized what get stuck into things in manufacturing plants.

I was talking to a guy that used to work for a place that made the big propane tanks. He said on his last day of work there he threw his work boots into one of the tanks he was building and welded it up.

 

[Fifty150]

Originally Posted by Linctex
Ford 4R70W's all up through the 4R75E's all have a plastic plug rolling around in the pan from the factory.

It was a dipstick hole plug, and gets knock into the pan on the assembly line.

Seriously.... that straw wouldn't have hurt anything.



Such a common question, that the Haynes Manual even has a photo of the dipstick hole plug and an explanation.

Haynes Manual did not have any reference to drinking straw in the fluid bottle.