Fluid Pump
WARNING: This page is about a different car, the 2006 Mercury Montego, 2006 Ford Freestyle, and 2006 Ford Five Hundred. However, it is still accessible from the selected car via links, so may be relevant.
The fluid pump is a high-pressure radial-piston pump, the pump flow is controlled by the main pressure regulator in the valve body portion of the mechatronic unit. There are 8 pistons located radially around the circumference of the pump.
The pump is driven directly from the engine via the outer housing of the converter and supplies the transaxle with fluid. The converter is not supported on the pump bearings but on a plain bearing between the stator shaft and the converter hub. The pump draws in fluid from the fluid pan filter and discharges fluid at high pressure to the main regulator valve in the valve body.