Torque Converter Snout Cracked

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340sFastback

340sFastback

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Trans was leaking bad on the way home from Carlisle. Finally got around to taking it apart and found a big crack in torque converter.

Wondering if the bushing in the front of the trans that the snout rides on needs replacing?
 

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I wouldnt think so. The internals have 360 support. Your hub was probably welded off center. Good catch. My '96 Breeze convertor is probably in the same shape, mysterious leak at the convertor area....
 
pishta said:
I wouldnt think so. The internals have 360 support. Your hub was probably welded off center. Good catch. My '96 Breeze convertor is probably in the same shape, mysterious leak at the convertor area....
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Its a TCI torque converter and about 15 years back, shortly after putting it in new, it ate up the front trans bushing because the snout was off center on the torque converter. A local shop redid the converter and I had a trans guy replace the entire front pump assembly and it has been fine up till now.

Just wondering it the bushing in the transmission, the one up in the pump housing, needs to be replaced?
 
Frankly, I'd suspect bell/ engine misalignment problems. If you can get a lathe large enough to chuck up the converter, you can easily see if the hub is off or not.
 
67Dart273 said:
Frankly, I'd suspect bell/ engine misalignment problems. If you can get a lathe large enough to chuck up the converter, you can easily see if the hub is off or not.
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With the torque converter to flex plate bolts out the torque converter spins freely when engine and trans are bolted together. No binding. If there was a misalignment wouldn't there be binding? Also three years ago the engine was swapped out with a different block.
 
Absolutely.... New Converter, new bushing and seal.
After all that work why would you take a chance.
 
70aarcuda said:
you can have the shout replaced......
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Yes he can .....But still new bushing and seal.
Any converter shop will tell you to. In fact most wont warranty their work unless you do your part and give the hub a new surface to ride on.

Bushings are made of a brass or babbit material for a reason. And that reason is to allow for some of wear factor as no hub is welded true.
That current bushing has taken the wear factor of the old converter.A new converter or hub should get a new bushing for that same reason.
 
X whatever it is for the bushing and seal.
Always, every time.
 
Been there done that.I had the snout on my convertor(Coan)replaced,also front pump and seal.Just my 2 centos
 
Thanks guys. I got a trans guy up the street that does side jobs. I'll take it to him and let him replace that bushing and seal. Most likely that bushing got chewed up and needs replacing.
 
340sFastback said:
Thanks guys. I got a trans guy up the street that does side jobs. I'll take it to him and let him replace that bushing and seal. Most likely that bushing got chewed up and needs replacing.
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Bravo.... Smart decision.:cheers:

BTW did you leave the Torsion bars attached to the body ?
And how long did it take you to pull it out that way leaving the K on the engine ?
 
Bill, it is so easy, get the pump apart and the bushings changed in it. Be sure you get the new convertor balanced properly and look very closely at the flex plate to be sure it is not bent or cracked.
Tom
 
Bill make sure he either stakes the bushing in place or uses loctite (loctite is my preference cause it doesn't distort the bushing). I've seen so many guys just drive them in and in a high power application they'll walk out. Got a 727 on the bench right now that happend too.
 
Id toss that TCI in the dumpster and get a good converter while your at it. They are pretty well know for being inefficient.
 
fishy68 said:
Bill make sure he either stakes the bushing in place or uses loctite (loctite is my preference cause it doesn't distort the bushing). I've seen so many guys just drive them in and in a high power application they'll walk out. Got a 727 on the bench right now that happend too.
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Thanks for that advice, much appreciated.
 
I like the overkill method.
Locktite the bushing and stake it.
Locktite the seal and put a retainer on it.

I'm not saying this is what you should do, it's just what I would do on my own car.

I'd blow the cooler lines out for something to do while the trans was getting fixed too.

Like I said, overkill.
 
I had Ultimate Converter Concepts build a custom torque converter. I replaced the trans bushing, front seal, o-ring, and housing gasket myself. I staked the bushing per FSM. I tightened the front band before taking pump housing out to keep guts from falling out, then adjusted it two turns out afterwards. Went with a Mopar Performance flex plate with 7/16" ARP flex plate to torque converter bolts.

I have the trans fluid level all the way up to the top mark on the stick and after some spirited driving not one single drop of anything under the car. I think the balancing of the converter is better than before because it is silky smooth at a 60 mph cruise. Has better in gear idling. Converter does not slip till I step on it then it flashes to put the engine right in max torque right away. The car has a lot more power now.
 

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sorry for the bum scoop, I reckon the rock solid innards would not give a nary but put all the stress on the flex plate or the snout, stressing and breaking an off kilter one in the process. Tell us a little more on the chassis picker girdle, what are you bolting it up to, bumper bracket mounts? pop the lower BJ's and pull the torsion bars and the 4 K member bolts?
 
The body lift is made of 3"x3" square tube that is 1/8" thick. The pieces bolted to the body are 3' long and the one that goes side to side is 4' long. The lift is bolted to the bumper mounts on the front frame rails with the bumper mount bolts. To remove the eng/trans I did the following:

1) Remove torsion bars.
2) Disconnect lower ball joints.
3) Disconnect outter tie rod ends.
4) Drain trans fluid and remove exhaust and drive shaft.
5) Take out steering column.
6) Drain coolant and remove radiator and alternator, disconnect coolant hoses.
7) Disconnect all wires and speedo cable.
8) Lower car so drive train sits on dollies.
9) Remove k-frame and trans cross member bolts.
10) Raise car body up.
11) Push drive train out from under the car.

The wood sitting on the dollies are two 2"x10"s.
 

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