Tranny trouble, need advice

[65fastbackresto]

This tranny is new rebuilt from Advance Auto Parts. C-4 with 2500 RPM stall conv.

Upon receipt of tranny, shift linkage was upside down (and I had told them how I needed it) so I sent it to tranny shop and had shift kit installed while it was there.

on the first start up, the starter bendix gear kinda acted like it was dragging when it started, but forward and reverse gears worked on the tranny (all this sitting on jack stands) at least until about 10 minutes passed with the motor running.

2nd start, no reverse and now it makes a clunking noise inside the bellhousing when I put it into reverse, but all forward gears are fine. I now have maybe 25 minutes run time on the motor and tranny. Starter does not drag any more though. The car has never left the jack stands either, still there.

Advance did tell me if any thing was wrong inside the tranny they would cover it, I thought that was pretty cool.

Anyone with any ideas?

 

[iskwezm]

Sure its real cool when they cover it, but that doesnt do much for time spent or labor.

 

[65notch]

well if its only rev then something is wrong inside the trans. i would pull the starter to see if anything is abnormal that would cause your clunking

 

[65fastbackresto]

I been thinking about pulling the starter

If I have to pull the header off, or losen it up to get the starter out, will I have to replace the copper header gasket?

 

[mustangmike6996]

loose flywheel or converter bolts????

use some loc-tite

 

[69PaleHorse]

You shouldn't have to remove the header. There should be an inspection plate on the bottom of the bell housing that you can remove. Take off the inspection plate and check how your starter aligns with the flexplate and (with the battery disconnected and accessory belts off) have a buddy turn the crank slowly with a wrench at the front of the car. That way you can check the bolts on the flexplate to see if they are loose.

You could also try some minor band adjustments.

What shift kit did you have installed? Are you certain it was installed properly?

 

[65fastbackresto]

Its a TransGo shift kit.

street and strip version. No I`m not sure it was installed right, I paid what I thought was a profesional to do it.

So far, 2 people have told me they think the shift kit was improperly installed and blew the convertor out. I just paid $315 bucks for the convertor, and unless this guy at the tranny shop has some integrity, I`ll never know if it was his faulty installation or not.

And if it was loose bolts, wouldn`t it make the noise in forward gears as well as reverse? And if it was loose bolts, wouldn`t reverse have worked all along?

I`m gonna get under it later and check to make sure the bolts are tight before I have the car hauled off, but I bet they are.

 

[jerry S]

I hate these provocative and misleading titles. I open threads hoping to read about something lurid and am always bitterly disappointed.

 

[65fastbackresto]

Sorry to disapoint you

I was just looking for advice and maybe help on my current issue, not sure what you were looking for.

Can you define "lurid"? You lost me there.

 

[JC6715]

Tranny = Transexual

I think that's what he was hinting at. Disturbing? Yes. Funny? Kind of...

 

[Rusty67]

First place I would go is to the phone and call the guy who put the shift kit in.

 

[65fastbackresto]

tranny...oh heck I get it now

LOL, now I feel even dumber, thanks man.

I called the guy at the tranny shop, he said bring it to him he`d check it out. I gotta find a tow truck though, even though it pulls good in the forward gears I`m afraid to drive it.

 

[D.Hearne]

I'd tend to think you busted the pump gear, with the flexplate dragging the starter. If the converter isn't seated all the way into the front pump, then you bolt it all together and force it the rest of the way, that's a sure fire recipe for a busted front pump gear. Pull the transmission, remove the converter, then unbolt the pump housing and remove. If the gear is busted, it'll fall out in pieces.

 

[65fastbackresto]

Danny

I`m 99% sure it seated in on the flywheel, it was a bi@#th to get on there. Matter of fact, I had to take a wire brush and remove the paint from the front center of the convertor to get it to seat on the end of the crank. I couldn`t get all the bolts on it any other way.

One of 2 things is fixing to happen, I`m gonna get screwed to death at the tranny shop cause I did something wrong during the install, or hopefully its somebody elses fault that will actually fess up to it and take responsibility.

To be honest it could go either way I think.

 

[Rusty67]

What he means was that the torque converter wasn't fully seated into the transmission. From what you just described it sounds like the torque converter wasn't seated into the trans properly. All of the autos I've ever put it I've had to nudge the converter forward a but to get nuts to thread because they were so far back into the bell that not enough thread was sticking out of the studs to start them. I think you didn't seat the converter properly. Hopefully you can get it warenteed.

 

[65fastbackresto]

Yea that would be my luck

Sorry Danny, this whole thing is frustrating me, you know I waited over 2 months for the tranny to start with.

When I stuck the convertor on the input shaft, I seated it 3 times on the way in, as in 3 audible clunks as it was going on. After I put the tranny behind the motor, there wasn`t even enough of the torque convertor bolts sticking thru the flywhell to get the nuts on it, so i had to pull it forward to get the nuts thru.

Does it sound like I did it right?

 

[Rusty67]

That does sound right. When I pull the converter forward, I only pull it forward just enough to get enough thread to start the nuts. I also cross torque the nuts and do not run one nut down all the way before moving to the opposite one.

You may have done everything right. It could be a bad trans from the supplier and it could be a bad shift kit install. Right now we just don't know.

Sorry you are having such terrible luck with this thing. Let us know what the guy at the trans shop says.

 

[JDS68Stang]

I'd tend to think you busted the pump gear, with the flexplate dragging the starter. If the converter isn't seated all the way into the front pump, then you bolt it all together and force it the rest of the way, that's a sure fire recipe for a busted front pump gear. Pull the transmission, remove the converter, then unbolt the pump housing and remove. If the gear is busted, it'll fall out in pieces.

I know just what your telling him from experience, or lack there of at the time.
Was the first time I swapped a trans. (not gonna say "tranny" and get jerrys going,lol)

I didn't line up the notches for the pump, bolted everything up and was wondering why I had 3/4" that was giving me a hard time mating the trans. to the block.
Fired it up after and nothing in any gear, tough lesson to learn but one mistake you'll never do again.

I think though if his pump was shot he wouldn't have any gear?
Since he heard the "clunks" going on, that's a good sign.

I bought a 64 Ford once that had no reverse but all forward gears like he has, added a quart of trans. fluid and shifted fine after, sometimes it's the stupidest thing that can give you a major headache.

You might get lucky 65FBresto and it turns out a simple fix.

 

[65fastbackresto]

Hum....

One thing I didnt do you mentioned, was cross torque the convertor bolts. We were turning the crank with a breakover bar when i tightened everything down, it never even crossed my mind. Maybe this is the culprit.....we`ll know next week sometime I hope.

 

[D.Hearne]

I've never cross torqued the nuts and never had a problem. Do as JDS68Stang suggested and add more oil and see what happens, it can't hurt.