BillGrissom
Well-Known Member
Little progress on my 65 Dart last month, due to my wife's 02 Chrysler T&C 3.8L. More ammunition to respond to those who question why I "want to deal with the problems of an old car".
Failed emission test, as expected since started missing last month, plus the tester said the PCV hose wasn't correct (try finding that in 15 years). I had to bite the bullet and pull the transmission.
As suspected, the flex-plate cracked, which messed up the crank pickup - slots in "toner ring" welded around flex-plate. The crack ran all the way around the 8 crank bolts, under the backup ring, so the outer disk spun 20 deg before wedging tight. Amazing it ran at all, though the burnt-thru and grounded wire I found behind the exhaust x-over could also have been the culprit (wire to coil pack). I had been stumped by a strange sheet-metal sound for a year until I read on the internet that is the tell-tale sign of a cracked flex-plate.
Went to the dealer, since the ebay flex-plate I bought was too new (2003+). Some dealer mechanics were hanging at the counter and said "Bet it cracked all the way around under the washer, we see that a lot". Wasn't it uncommon for flex-plates in 60's cars to fail, except maybe drag racers? Are they using cheap, brittle steel today? The new one said "made in Canada".
On the plus side for Chrysler, since pulling the tranny in a transverse V-6 AWD minivan is 5x harder than my Dart or Newport, I decided to rebuild and put in a TransPak kit. The A604 4-speed electronic was almost perfect inside - fluid clean, friction plates worn only 2 mils, so I re-used them. The mini-van has 160K mi but we got it 20K ago so don't know the history. My first trans rebuild, though I did take apart an A413 (3 spd, hydraulic) for failure analysis (torn servo seal per photo). The A413 is basically the 904/727 design and I read of the same problem. At least I now know why my son's minivan won't go in reverse when cold, which is my next "Chrysler delay". The A604 is a clever design - no bands, all shifting done w/ clutches. Despite having a computer, the valve body looks as complicated as a 904. Not sure why they still need the "hydro-mechanical computer" part. While a nice, reliable design (at least Gen3 1993+), if the computer fails or needs re-programming it can get expensive.
On my Dart's 273 engine, I added a 36-1 toothed wheel under the pulleys for crank pickup - an eventual goal is modern controls. That is simple to access. New Hemi's are the worst. I understand they cast the "toner ring" as part of the crank (think 2.4L also). I have read that some Hemi owners (truck guys) have caused their crank to fail by running under-drive pulleys, which shatters the toner ring (vibrations?). Pulling my tranny was much easier than replacing a crankshaft. Haven't read of a FABO Dart "new Hemi" failing yet.
Failed emission test, as expected since started missing last month, plus the tester said the PCV hose wasn't correct (try finding that in 15 years). I had to bite the bullet and pull the transmission.
As suspected, the flex-plate cracked, which messed up the crank pickup - slots in "toner ring" welded around flex-plate. The crack ran all the way around the 8 crank bolts, under the backup ring, so the outer disk spun 20 deg before wedging tight. Amazing it ran at all, though the burnt-thru and grounded wire I found behind the exhaust x-over could also have been the culprit (wire to coil pack). I had been stumped by a strange sheet-metal sound for a year until I read on the internet that is the tell-tale sign of a cracked flex-plate.
Went to the dealer, since the ebay flex-plate I bought was too new (2003+). Some dealer mechanics were hanging at the counter and said "Bet it cracked all the way around under the washer, we see that a lot". Wasn't it uncommon for flex-plates in 60's cars to fail, except maybe drag racers? Are they using cheap, brittle steel today? The new one said "made in Canada".
On the plus side for Chrysler, since pulling the tranny in a transverse V-6 AWD minivan is 5x harder than my Dart or Newport, I decided to rebuild and put in a TransPak kit. The A604 4-speed electronic was almost perfect inside - fluid clean, friction plates worn only 2 mils, so I re-used them. The mini-van has 160K mi but we got it 20K ago so don't know the history. My first trans rebuild, though I did take apart an A413 (3 spd, hydraulic) for failure analysis (torn servo seal per photo). The A413 is basically the 904/727 design and I read of the same problem. At least I now know why my son's minivan won't go in reverse when cold, which is my next "Chrysler delay". The A604 is a clever design - no bands, all shifting done w/ clutches. Despite having a computer, the valve body looks as complicated as a 904. Not sure why they still need the "hydro-mechanical computer" part. While a nice, reliable design (at least Gen3 1993+), if the computer fails or needs re-programming it can get expensive.
On my Dart's 273 engine, I added a 36-1 toothed wheel under the pulleys for crank pickup - an eventual goal is modern controls. That is simple to access. New Hemi's are the worst. I understand they cast the "toner ring" as part of the crank (think 2.4L also). I have read that some Hemi owners (truck guys) have caused their crank to fail by running under-drive pulleys, which shatters the toner ring (vibrations?). Pulling my tranny was much easier than replacing a crankshaft. Haven't read of a FABO Dart "new Hemi" failing yet.