Torque Converter weight location

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ElephantKiller

ElephantKiller

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I'm currently gathering all the needed components to balance the rotating assembly for the Duster. The question I have is about the torque converter. I have a '73 340 that is externally balanced. I have a TCI Break Away converter (PN 141200). My question is, is this a neutral balance or an external balanced converter? If it is externally balanced, where would the weight be located? There is a square weight welded to the outside circumfrence of the pump side of the converter. The weight is not very big (1/4" thick, a little over 1" long), which leads me to believe it is not the weight for an external balance. Point me in the right direction folks.
 
Your converter is neutral balance, that weight is to perfectly balance it to zero. If it was externally balanced the weight or weights would be by the drain plug, providing it has 1, or if u lay your flexplate on top they would be across from the tiny hole just inboard of the bolt circle....................kim
 
oldkimmer said:
If it was externally balanced the weight or weights would be by the drain plug, providing it has 1, or if u lay your flexplate on top they would be across from the tiny hole just inboard of the bolt circle
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My converter does not have a drain plug. But I think I understand what you are saying. The weights would be between the flex plate and the converter.
 
Best thing and easiest thing to do is get the weighted B&M flexplate.....then you leave the converter neutral balanced if you happen to sell it or change something down the road.
 
Dusterb318 said:
Best thing and easiest thing to do is get the weighted B&M flexplate.....then you leave the converter neutral balanced if you happen to sell it or change something down the road.
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I agree, and that is what I am planning on doing. I really don't want to run the risk of welding a weight in the wrong place and throwing the whole thing out of wack. I just want to be absolutely sure that the converter is not externally balanced.
 
I don't think they are.....most if not all aftermarket converters are neutral balanced. You could call TCI to make sure. I had one of their converters in my 904 (I'll never buy one again) and it was neutral balanced.
 
If you are going to have a machine shop balance your motor you have to us the B&M style weighted flexplate so the machine shop can balance it. They can't use a convertor to balance your assembly.
 
Dusterb318 said:
I had one of their converters in my 904 (I'll never buy one again) and it was neutral balanced.
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Duster318, what problems did you have with your converter?

340Mopar, I thought that was the case, but the machine shop told me that I would need to bring the converter in if I wanted the rotating assembly balanced.
 
It's not that I had mechanical problems with it it's just that an off the shelf-one converter-for all applications isn't a good way to go. You don't realize how pontential your combo has until you get a convert made for YOUR motor....those off the shelf jobs leave so much on the table performance wise it's ridicilous. A custom converter is not much more than one like that TCI and it will make the car much more efficient and more pleasurable to drive....not to mention faster.
 
Dusterb318 said:
It's not that I had mechanical problems with it it's just that an off the shelf-one converter-for all applications isn't a good way to go. You don't realize how pontential your combo has until you get a convert made for YOUR motor....those off the shelf jobs leave so much on the table performance wise it's ridicilous. A custom converter is not much more than one like that TCI and it will make the car much more efficient and more pleasurable to drive....not to mention faster.
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I always thought that custom converters were horrible expensive. If they are not much more than a TCI I might have to consider that in the future.
 
Killer, the reason they want the convertor is because they know an external balanced Mopar has a weight on the convertor. If you tell them you are going to run a neutral balanced convertor and a weighted flexplate they will or should use that instead. I have never heard of a machine shop that would use the convertor for balancing. If the stator is not supported it will move around inside the convertor and give them all kinds of wierd readings.
 
340mopar said:
I have never heard of a machine shop that would use the convertor for balancing. If the stator is not supported it will move around inside the convertor and give them all kinds of wierd readings.
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Makes sense, thanks for setting me straight.
 
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