Idling motor with little fluid in trany ?

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mbaird

mbaird

mbaird
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I am at the point in my resto to fire up and breakin motor. But my driveline is not back from the shop yet.

Can I start the engine with just the TQ filled and a little fluid in trany if I cap off the output shaft ?
 
I'd get it as close as you can to properly filled. You want the pump to be submerged, and of course as it circulates and fills the TC level will drop
 
Generally you want to run it between the full and add marks. Anything else is just not satisfactory. Wait untill it's ready.
 
sounds like you want to run the engine, with the torque converter installed, but not installed to the transmission, I would say this is a major no no
 
Nooooo..... Would never do that!

I have everything together except driveshaft. I would like to break in the motor but dont want a huge mess when i take the cap off the end shaft of trany to install driveline.....
I want to minimize the amount of fluid in trany and wasnt sure if the trany circulates fluid in park as it does in reverse thru 1st....

I wont get my prop shaft back for a week or so....
 
This is just me, but unless you run the thing SPECIFICALLY in park, I would not run without a rear yoke, either. There's nothing to hold the shaft centered

I know damn well there'll be 1,395,481 people say they've done this
 
Yes it circulates in park. Running it dry (or real low) will most likely trash the transmission. Things in there are spinning even if it isn't in gear. Bushings and seals don't like to run dry.

If you want to do it without making a mess or hurting the trans get a yoke to slide into the rear of the trans. and keep it in park while your running the engine and put at least 7 qts. of fluid in it. Then when you install it in the car jack the rearend way up before you take the yoke out to install the driveshaft and you'll have very little if any ATF spill.
 
Got her broke in....left it in park... Filled trany .... No mess.... Was planning on jacking back up when installing driveshaft....

Good advice.....
 
Just to explain a bit.

The pump would be turning with engine RPM's and if it got air instead of fluid for any length of time it would burn up the pump and dump all that chewed up cast iron into the entire trans, converter and cooler lines.
 
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