300TD vacuum modulator problems

[neilcu]

Hi, I recently bought a 300TD. As you may notice, this is my first post to what has been already a very helpful forum. When purchased, it had shifting issues -- hard, late shifts in all gears. I did a basic engine tune-up, filters and the like, and then dove into the vacuum system. Quickly found the modulator would not hold vacuum. Bought a new modulator, and set about putting it in.

Upon removal of the old modulator, the pin/plunger/spring (hereafter "pin") dealy came out with the modulator. It was, however, not permanently attached, and as soon as I tilted the modulator slightly, the pin fell out. Putting the new modulator in, I assumed that this was how it should be, and kinda held the pin in place to where it seemed like it lined up with whatever it needed to. Proceeded to hook up a pressure gauge to the test port, fired up the engine and… 0psi. Fooled around with this for a while, couldn't figure any reason for it, so took off the modulator and… no pin. Oh God, everything FUBAR. I poked around in there as well as I could with a tiny allen key, but couldn't feel anything. And at that point, it was pretty late, so I had to button everything up and get ready for work tomorrow.

Questions:

1. How bad might this be? I idled it in park for a few minutes, and drove it around the block once (very very soft shifts, which seems consistent with no pin, right?) presumably with that pin floating around down there.

2. Can I access wherever this pin might be by dropping the pan as if I were changing the filter?

3. Any other ideas?

4. Reading on this forum since this happened (don't know exactly where) I've seen the the pin should be "glued" somehow into the modulator. How?

On a side note, I don't know the exact model number of the transmission, where it should be stamped on the casting it appears to have been machined off, is this something anyone has heard of before? Is it done to rebuilt transmissions? Stolen? From the reading I've done, it is a 722.1xx. Has red modulator body and no Bowden cable.


Thanks in advance for any help!