So I took some HAMB advice and replaced all the 'outer' seals & new tail shaft seal & bushing. No more leaks. I rigged a loop with clear hose so I could see the pump working. I put 4 qts ATF in, started the engine and no fluid. 2 more qts, nothing, then 2 more. No fluid pumping! Any suggestions, besides rebuilding the trans. or is that what I have to do? BTW, I really appreciate all the good advice I've got so far I don't have a vacuum line to the mod yet, shouldn't matter, right?
Was this an operating trans when you replaced the seals and gaskets? Did you replace the filter? If so, are you sure it is installed correctly, so it will pick up fluid?
Doesn't take much to kill a 350-400 pump. Especially if the thrust main wears in the engine. Pump gears are powdered metal and the TC only engages the inner rotor part way, which is why you will see flat washers between the TC and driveplate. Also, chevy driveplates will crack all the way around at the crank flange. You can try revving the engine with a timing light on the damper, sometimes a worn thrust shows up by the damper moving back and forth. You could pull the bottom bell housing cover and see if the TC turns with the engine running. With the 3 bolts removed from the TC [don't forget to shut the engine off first] you should be able to wiggle the TC back and forth into the pump. If the inner rotor has died, usually you can't get any movement for and aft. Usually a dead pump makes no noise with the engine running. Lastly, or maybe firstly, check the trans fluid level after the car has sat for 12 hours or so, before starting the engine. Level should be way above the full mark. Start and run the engine, check the level again. Should be lower, if not the pump is dead.
How many quarts to you have in this, exactly. Depending on the torque converter diameter, a TH350 takes 10 to 11 quarts. With an external cooler, and lines, a little more. I usually put in 8 quarts, and then check the dipstick with the engine running, bringing it up to the ADD line, cold, and then check it hot, adjusting as necessary.
Did you put transmission to drive? Once I overfill ot Mopar tf904 and tried to remove fluid by removing the coolerline from radiator. Started the engine: no single drop from coolerline. Put it to drive: instant pink decoration on garage walls. Fan sprayed fluid allover .....
This may be a redundant question, but is the TC bolted to the flexplate? Sent from my moto z3 using The H.A.M.B. mobile app
Well, if all the checks reveal proper installation, buy a manual, pull the transmission, tear it down, inspect everything, replace all the wear items and any other bad parts you may find. Is this going in a race car, or something with serious horsepower? If not, cheap parts will do fine (flaming starts here). A new torque convertor, cooler, and a shift kit would be on my must have list. If you have never been inside an automatic transmission before, here is a great opportunity to learn.
GOOD NEWS! , (maybe) The TC wasn't even bolted to the flex plate. It's about 3/8'' away from the plate. Don't know why. Tried to contact PO but no luck. We had a big storm last night and the garage leaked some, tried to do this without laying in a puddle. Wadda you think, bolt it up and see what happens? I read somewhere to put washers in if the gap was too much? But also that the plate needs room to flex. That's a 3/8 bolt in between to measure.
Crap! You're right. checked the web and there's tons of 'flexplate on backwards' stuff. So, I've got to pull the trans and swap it around, right? Since I'm doing this, would it be smart to replace pump seals / gaskets right away ? Anything else?
You only need to move it back about a 1 1/2 inch's. I install two long bolts in the bell housing, then with along wrench reach up and remove the bolts from the flex plate. I have done countless replacement jobs. On a lift it takes under an hour. My thought, if I was pulling the pump to reseal, I would take the complete transmission apart and have a look see.
That'll do it...or better yet not do it. I'd move that joker back, flip the plate and put it right back,
My thought, if I was pulling the pump to reseal, I would take the complete transmission apart and have a look see.[/QUOTE] Except I don't know what I'm looking at . The long bolts is a good idea. I can also hang the trans from a roof beam as there is no body on now.
If you have that much access, I would pull the trans, and save a few scraped knuckles, that being the hazard of replacing flex plates without dropping the trans. If you go the long bolt route, take care to leave the convertor engaged. If it drops out, you can get it back together without the drive tangs on the pump engaged. Destroys front pumps in short order
That will be fun..... The lip on the flex plate might be stuck on the crank, and might also be bent. Sent from my Trimline
At least you've found the problem! I'm not sure I'd tear into the transmission though, unless the PO did that work too. If a trans shop did the work, I think I'd leave it alone. The bevel on the flexplate's register hole faces the transmission. My younger brother had a 4 door 55 Chevrolet once, and a neighbor gave him a couple of truck mud tires for the rear (you could hear him coming a couple blocks away; those tires were loud). He swapped the tires out in the street in front of the house, and took the wheels/tires to a service station to have them dismounted/mounted. Before he let the car off the jack stands, I went out to have a look, and glad I did. He'd installed the lug nuts backwards, with the cones facing out! When I pointed it out to him, he said he did that intentionally; he thought it "looked better that way". No, he's not much of a mechanic, but he can hunt/fish. I'm with squirrel here; you may have a problem getting the flexplate off the crank flange. There's a small circular recess at the base of the register bung on the crank. Put the flexplate on backwards and the bevel will seat into that recess; tighten the flexplate bolts and distort things, then it makes it difficult to pull the flexplate off. Good luck. I am Butch/56sedandelivery.
Don't be afraid to use them as lift points, there should be another one on top of the case forward of the tailshaft housing also.
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