Torque converter stuck! Need help!

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Zach1720

Zach1720

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I installed a A904 tranny in my dart over the weekend. Car won't move in any gear after install ( fluid is full) making a whining noise when in park. A friend told me I probably didn't have the torque converter in all the way. I pulled the tranny back out only to discover that now the tc will not come out of the tranny. The question is could I have damaged the tc or the pump by not having it installed properly??? Why else would it be stuck? When engine and tranny are bolted together there is no gap between tc and flex plate. That made sense to me but I was told there should be a 1/4 inch gap Thanks in advance for the info.
 
Years ago I installed a torque convertor A904 only to discover it was the wrong one. Tranny guy who sold me it said bring it back and I'll give you the correct one :BangHead: . Car whined but would not move. Also ,you are suppose to push and spin the convertor until it drops in completely. Common error.
 
Yeah If the torque converter is properly seated you should have to pull it forward a tad to bolt it up to flex plate. I never saw a converter stuck in a trans though. Good luck with it.
 
Sure sounds like the TC wasn't seated when the transmission was bolted to the engine.
Here are 2 photos of a correctly seated TC in a 904.
The second photo shows the measurement (in millimeters) from the starter ring gear to the bell housing flange.
Hope it helps for future installation.

40962185pe.jpg


40962222yo.jpg
 
Does anybody know why the tc would be stuck or if it may have damaged anything? Or will I be able to get it unstuck then position it correctly and put the thing back in?
 
Sometimes the torque converters are a tight fit into the trans. You might just have to gently pry it out, very carefully. With the TC in the trans, there should NOT be enough room to get your fingers on the backside of the TC. You can feel when the TC is engaged into the trans because there is a slight resistance when you spin it. It clicks and drops in several times before its actually seated.
 
Zach1720 said:
Does anybody know why the tc would be stuck or if it may have damaged anything? Or will I be able to get it unstuck then position it correctly and put the thing back in?
Click to expand...

You answered your own question, Zach. It sounds like you didn't engage the converter all the way when you installed.

Askin questions is good, but the converter's gotta come back out, so that's what has to happen before you can repair any damage. "However" you can get it out. I would use a length of chain bolted to the cross lugs on the converter and snatch it out with a slide hammer. You're not gonna hurt it further, because it's stuck. Whatever damage is done is already done. Any damage incurred by pulling it back out is a necessary evil.
 
Can you just put the trans on it's nose on some 2x4's and "bump?"
 
sounds like the front pump and/or the converter is damaged. Had you searched for previous threads, you may have avoided this problem. If it's any comfort, you are not the first guy to make this mistake.
 
rustycowll69 said:
sounds like the front pump and/or the converter is damaged. Had you searched for previous threads, you may have avoided this problem. If it's any comfort, you are not the first guy to make this mistake.
Click to expand...
Haha yeah... Sometimes we have to learn the hard way
 
Lay the transmission upward, converter towards the concrete, lift it a few inches and drop it flat on the floor.
 
Zach1720 said:
Haha yeah... Sometimes we have to learn the hard way
Click to expand...
I learned it when I was about 19yo. My late buddy, Art, was putting a turbo hydro 350 behind a 327 in an old Chevy van. I was helping him. We couldn't push the trans bellhousing up flush to the engine, so we used the BH bolts to draw it up. We had it almost drawn up when we heard a huge metallic "sprong". We looked at each other as if to say, "that didn't sound good." We pulled it back apart, and the front pump was broken.
 
we did a trans install in the driveway and I said this doesnt look right. We dropped it down (on a floor jack with the tail still supported by a brick or something) and I turned the convertor a second time and it dropped deeper again. So I always turn it until it drops in twice now. Look into a convertors input and you can clearly see 2 sets of splines that need to both be engages as well as the converter hub fingers.
 
You probably broke the ears off the pump. Then there was no lube going on and the front bushing welded itself to the converter. Now the bushing is stopping the converter from coming out when it contacts the front seal. Pry on both sides with some large offset wrenches and rip the bushing thru the seal.
 
What hack said. The bushing transfers metal to the converter shaft. Took two guys leaning on huge pry bars to wiggle the converter until it came out with the bushing attached. We stood the trans on the output shaft to do that. It sucked
 
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