I have a 350 turbo trans when I put it in gear car does not move

Here is the deal. I have a 1950 Chevy with a 327 and a 350 turbo trans. A couple of weeks ago I decided to take a drive. The car had been sitting for about a month and I had no issues previously. I let the car warm up as usual and start to to drive away from home. I get about 100 yards from home and I stop at a light. All of a sudden a hear a very loud grinding sound coming from the trans so I throw it in park and shut off the motor. After a few second I try and start the car without any luck. I get the car pushed into a parking lot and decide to try and start it again. The car starts up and the engine is running fine, so I go to put it in drive and the car goes nowhere! I figure it's the trans so I pick up a rebuilt trans and put it in the car with a different 2 year old converter. I get everything put together put fluids in the whole 9. Well I start up the car let it warm up and proceed to put it in gear and again nothing! Car will not budge! I decide to put it in park and let it maybe build up some pressure. Well all of a sudden I get a chunking sound and I turn the car off.
Now I am totally confused on what to do now. Any ideas? Could it be both converters are bad? or both trannies? I just find it weird that the same things are happening with the new trans.

 

BTTT for ya I'm having the same problem with my A

 

Assuming that the second trans was installed correctly, and is in working order, the only thing left is the differential. I would get someone to peek underneath the car, while you have it running, and in gear, to see if the driveshaft is turning. If it is, then of course you have a problem in the rear axle. This may be why when you shifted it into park, there was a grinding/clunking sound...just as if you had been driving down the road, and shifted into park. The engine was running, the trans was in gear, and the driveshaft was spinning. Shift into park, and grrrrrrrrind, and then finally...CLUNK. If the driveshaft isn't spinning, then you have a transmission problem. Anything's possible though, and both transmissions could be bad. Hopefully, you assembled everything correctly. Flexplate to crank...torque-converter to flexplate, etc. Correct level of fluid. Splines on the output shaft OK? You said it was running fine previously though. Good luck to you.

 

that is weird. i would say raise the rear with jack stands drop the car in neutral and rotate the tires by hand and see if their is any noise or if it rotates at all, just one test. if it was the rear you'd hear some noise coming from it, or play in the third member. i'm not gonna ask if the flexplate is cracked or broke, things go out, out of the blue sometimes. i've had a shifter lever or two loosen up and slip out a little so things won't go in gear, or act funny at other times. sounds like the ride needs some tlc

 

I've had transmissions that were fine, except they were so low on fluid they couldn't build enough pressure to move.

No warranty on your "rebuilt"? I would be suspect of it then. But you can test the line pressure at a port on the side (borrow the gauge from an Autozone), check the fluid level/color/smell, drop the pan and check for junk in it or a clogged filter, check the radiator for trans fluid in the coolant if you're running an in-tank trans cooler, etc.

I would think if the rearend had gone out, you'd also find yourself able to push the car and get it rolling, with the trans in park. It would probably make noise when rolling, too.

Of course it could be with your new trans maybe you forgot to seat the converter just right, too.

 

sounds like the differential to me

 

Thanks for all the ideas. I had my dad under the car looking at the drive shaft, when I put it in gear the drive shaft was not moving. The fly wheel was moving but the torque converter was moving really slow. I would like to note that the trans was drained of fluid before we put it in and we added 4 quarts of fluid before start up just to see where we were on the dip stick with the car running. Well we never got to that because of the noise it started making. How many quarts should be in the trans if dry?

The trans was a risk because it was a Craigslist buy and the guy did say it was rebuilt two years ago and he seemed pretty honest, but you never know. I figured if it didn't work I was only out $100. So I guess my next step would be to check and make sure I have enough fluid, check my shift linkages, and then check how the converter is set. I'm pretty sure it's not the rear end.

 

Sounds like you have a flywheel with the center cracked/broken, not unusual.

 

I had something like that happen to me driving down the interstate,,I was about twenty miles from home and all of a sudden I was coasting,,,nothing,, no drive,no reverse not even park.

It turned out to be the planetary gear,,it was the first automatic transmission I have ever installed and it was determined I did not have it fully seated before I bolted it to the flexplate. HRP

 

Dry trans can take about 10 qts. I think.

 

sounds, like you need some more tranny fluid if you only have 4 quarts in it. A TH350 should have 10-11 quarts, last one I filled was 10 1/2.

 

flywheel spinning but converter spinning slowly - they should spin at the same speed (bolted together)

check the converter bolts and flexplate

 

I agree with ajmopar the torque converter should have three bolts holding it to the flywheel they may be missing

 

I vote fluid. It seems like you never get done putting fluid in a dry transmission. ajmopar's right though, the converter should be spinning the same speed as the flywheel. You wouldn't be the first guy who put a transmission in and forgot to bolt the converter up. In fact, you'd be way behind me .

 

More fluid. The amount you have in there is no where near enough.

 

If you "drained" the transmission of fluid but only put back in 4 quarts, you're about 8-10 quarts too low and that's the issue. Use that little stick to check the fluid. It usually gives good results. Run the transmission through all gears to pump the fluid throughout the transmission, check it often and fill it to the required level.

 

X2 the converter should spin at the same speed as the flywheel.

 

The fly wheel was moving but the torque converter was moving really slow. this doesn't sound right...the converter is bolted to the flywheel. it will spin the same speed as the flywheel. If the converter was spinning slower the bolts had to have come out.

 

What is really weird about this is when we took the old trans off the converter was not bolted to the flywheel. I have never done an automatic trans before so when I took off the old trans I never thought twice about the converter not being bolted on. So this makes me think the bolts for the converter broke hence the sound I heard when this all went down, is this possible?

I will also note that I need to add way more fluid but I will check the flywheel first.

 

The bolts come out of the old converter,so you didn't have any to put back in.

 

thats the prob.. need bolts for converter to flywheel.

 

Torque your converter bolts and use lock tight. Keeps things from coming apart.

 

Looks like my problem is solved. Feel kinda dumb for not even thinking about this. But I guess if you have never worked on an AT you could make that mistake easily. I'm thinking one of the bolts came loose and after that the other two broke under the pressure and that was the noise I heard. I will get some bolts this week and check out everything and try it again. Thanks for all the help!

 

Glad you figured it out, and hey you learned something the hard way so it will stick with you!

 

Thank you for posting the solution to your problem. It will help the next person. I'm glad you figured it out.

 

Thanks for reminding me to put them in mine . I was ready to start the engine after changing trannys . As you can see , you are not the first one to do it . L.O.L. The one thing thats easy to forget .