Quick background info; 1968 Coupe 327/TH400... Tranny rebuilt about 5-6 years ago, ZERO miles on it. I broke the motor in about 3 weeks ago and afterwards observed fluid leaking from what looked like the transmission pan gasket. Changed the gasket and observed it still leaking the next day. It wound up being the solenoid case connector. It had a small crack at the connection that was letting fluid seep out and it collected along the pan. So... today I drained the fluid into a very clean catch can, dropped the pan, took off the filter and was then able to access the solenoid case connector from the back. I put in a new one with a new O ring and put everything back together. The fluid is still new as it has only about 20 minutes of engine break in time on it so I put it back into the transmission. When I got to the bottom of the catch can, I found what is in the pictures below... I'm at a loss of where they came from. I've ruled some things out... catch can was clean and empty, nothing sitting around where I was working that could have fallen in there, I was alone in the garage all day today so no practical jokers threw anything in my pan, and none of my pan bolts have washers. The only thing I did different this time than when I changed the pan gasket the first time was dropping the filter. This involved loosening the bolt that holds it in there and I was looking right at it when I did it and didn't see these washers on the trans side of the bolt... maybe I missed them, I don't know. Anyone have any ideas of where they could have come from? Some of them were stuck together and some look like they have some wear on them...

 

Maybe they were on the back side of the bolt between the filter and trans body and I just didn't see them come off? Who knows!!!!

 

They look just like pump bolt washers.

 

At least you recognize what they might be... Where did they come from??? I'm still leaning toward them having been used as spacers behind the filter and I missed them when I took the bolt out. Driving me crazy!!!

 

have you tried contacting the transmission rebuilder. The stock filter has a lot of movement on the retaining bolt and perhaps they felt installing washers on the bolt would minimize the movement.

 

Pump bolt washers also normally have a coating on them- and these look like they do. It will peel off with a little work.. Might be your rebuilder wasn't as neat and clean as he thought he was.