Loose Baffle in Tranny

I was changing the transmission fluid for the first time (for me) in my 85 Ski Nautique. I was using an oil extractor to drain the case. When I went to pull the tube out it was hung up on a piece of sheetmetal. The metal looked like a thin flat plate with a rectangular slot in it. The tube from the extractor was in the slot. The metal was loose inside the case. I did not fel any resistance when i stuck the hose in to indicate I might have dislodged something.

Based on the Borg Warner service manual, the part is the baffle for the tranny. So my quandary is what to do?

Is the baffle normally under the fill hole area? Is there a chance I knocked it loose? Or is it possible it's been floating around inside the transmission and I just fished it out?

It seems like its normally under the gear set toward the front of the tranny. I don't think I should have been able to get to it through the fill hole. I know the correct thing is to put it back in place but maybe it's been floating around in the sump area for years...

Chuck

i always wondered what that was when draining and filling my tranny, good to know.

psherwin wrote: How often should the fluid be changed? Mine "slips out of gear" every so often at slow speed.

Phillip,
I think most will change their trans every 100 hours or so (2 years) but I have gone way past that without problems (10 years on my X55).

Regarding the slippage, make sure your trans is full. Overfilling may be needed to prevent the pump from sucking air when turning however, a slow RPM slip is concerning. You may have warped clutch plates. Has the trans even been overheated?