jsomedaysoon
New member
what are some symptoms of a failing torque converter and whats involved in replacing it?
failing torque converter?
- Thread starter jsomedaysoon
- Start date
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Broncobill78
New member
Usually when the TC dies you notice the transmission slipping & mileage dropping. It can also cause the truck to shudder but that's less common.
Unfortunately the TC is sandwiched between the engine & transmission. It's physically bolted to the engine flywheel and it engages the transmission with a large splined sleeve that the transmission output shaft slides into. In order to remove/change it the engine & transmission have to be separated. Most guys choose to drop the transmission to change one but if you you wanted to be different you could pull the motor and get at it that way (but it wouldn't really be practical unless you already had the front clip off the truck because the engine would need to slide *straight* forward a few inches to disengage the output shaft. I only mentioned it because it IS possible to swap the TC that way regardless of how practical the method may be)
In a nutshell you'll need to disconnect the driveshafts, tranny fluid lines & shift linkage (if it's an AOD also remove the TV cable coming from the throttle body) then remove the transfer case, support the transmission with a tranny jack, remove the tranny crossmember, remove the torque converter-to-flywheel nuts by removing the TC inspection plate & finally remove the bellhousing bolts. Slide it back until the torque converter bolts clear the flywheel & then lower it down.
With the transmission out actually changing the converter is quite literally a 2 minute job. Just pull on the converter and it will slide off the input shaft. Install the new one the same way being sure to spin the converter while pressing on it to be sure it seats completely on the input shaft. If the new converter has a drain plug then you can fill it with tranny fluid before installing it but more & more of them are coming out without drain plugs so you just have to let the pump fill it.
And as Chilton's & Haynes like to say, assemble in reverse order.
Unfortunately the TC is sandwiched between the engine & transmission. It's physically bolted to the engine flywheel and it engages the transmission with a large splined sleeve that the transmission output shaft slides into. In order to remove/change it the engine & transmission have to be separated. Most guys choose to drop the transmission to change one but if you you wanted to be different you could pull the motor and get at it that way (but it wouldn't really be practical unless you already had the front clip off the truck because the engine would need to slide *straight* forward a few inches to disengage the output shaft. I only mentioned it because it IS possible to swap the TC that way regardless of how practical the method may be)
In a nutshell you'll need to disconnect the driveshafts, tranny fluid lines & shift linkage (if it's an AOD also remove the TV cable coming from the throttle body) then remove the transfer case, support the transmission with a tranny jack, remove the tranny crossmember, remove the torque converter-to-flywheel nuts by removing the TC inspection plate & finally remove the bellhousing bolts. Slide it back until the torque converter bolts clear the flywheel & then lower it down.
With the transmission out actually changing the converter is quite literally a 2 minute job. Just pull on the converter and it will slide off the input shaft. Install the new one the same way being sure to spin the converter while pressing on it to be sure it seats completely on the input shaft. If the new converter has a drain plug then you can fill it with tranny fluid before installing it but more & more of them are coming out without drain plugs so you just have to let the pump fill it.
And as Chilton's & Haynes like to say, assemble in reverse order.
I'm curious, what does the drain plug have to do with filling the torque convertor? I have always filled the torque convertor through the big 2 inch hole right in the center of it. Wouldnt reccommend installing an empty torque convertor and let the pump fill it.
Broncobill78
New member
yeah, that's a good point. When I did my 88' last summer the TC had a plug so I just used a small funnel that was handy & filled it. I helped someone with a C6 a few years back & it had been bolted up empty before I stopped by so we just filled it thru the tube & started the engine a few times & let the pump fill it. If you're just idling it in park or neutral & spinning the pump I never really thought of it as a big deal. you're not trying to move the truck or generating any significant line pressure. My bad.
oldtimer
New member
hey guys havent been here in a while it doesnt hurt anything to let the torque convertor be filled by the pump. I just rebuilt my own tranny its a pain in the ass. IF ur hurting for money i would go to dirtydogperformance.com. The guys name is Alan and hes a ford transmission ****. hes got a hd torque convertor for 205 dollars and a billet one for a little morer i got the hd one and its great. The most common thing to go wrong wth the tc is the piston in side warps and doesnt apply the clutch and causes a shutter. if it shuttering youneed to have the front pump rebuilt check out the web site though if nice
