Hey guys. I recently put a 302/c4 into my 54 customline. While the engine was out is when we mated the trans. The torque converter was bolted to the flex plate before the trans was installed. We "stabbed" the transmission into place and had it sitting flush with the engine before bolting it down. Well I never even made 2 laps around the block and the car won't move. It never made any weird sounds or grinding noises, so I'm not sure what it was. I am going to do a vacuum test this weekend and see if maybe I'm not pulling enough vacuum for the trans. Also got a new vacuum modulator that I will install. Anyone have any ideas or thoughts on what could cause this? Any help is appreciated. Thanks, Rocky Posted using the Full Custom H.A.M.B. App!
The convertor has to be seated into the front pump in the tranny before bolting to flexplate. Hopefully you haven"t ruined a good tranny.You have no choice but to take it back apart.
Brad Chevy is correct. Take it apart & seat the convertor into the front pump. It will take a few turns before it gets into the pump.
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Since you never seated the converter properly into the pump there is a very good chance the pump and the rest of the trans are toast. An expensive lesson to be sure, but this is one of the fastest ways possible to destroy a C4. Good luck and tell us what you find.
Yeah, I kind of had a feeling that was going to be the outcome. Thanks for the feedback guys. I'm only 100 bucks into the trans, so it's not a huge loss. Still sucks though. Is there any way to tell if that front pump is toast? Or just reinstall it correctly and if nothing happens then it's done? Posted using the Full Custom H.A.M.B. App!
I'm gonna hope for the good 50, but with my luck, I'll end up with the bad 50. Posted using the Full Custom H.A.M.B. App!
been a long time since i messed with a c4 but you should be able to pull the inspection cover and get to the convertor bolts. when you get them all off, spin the convertor and push until it seats. at least you should be able to check it without R&Ring the whole thing. i'm a little suprised you got everything to bolt up if it's not seated all the way. and since you did, i hope it didn't destroy the thrust bearing... good luck
You 'squared' the converter hub and didn't do the thrust bearing on the engine crankshaft anygood either. Phords are hard enough to get right when you do it right. In the future, converter in trans, when addressing the engine with the trans/converter assy. it imperative that there be some clearance between the converter mounting surface and the flywheel or flex plate if you prefer. Phords have a variety of flex plate/transmission possibilities over the production years that require careful evaluation before breaking out the air tool to assemble things. The converter clearance can be 'felt' by accessing the back of the converter thru the starter opening. Got to have that little bit of pull up, not alway easy to do because of the neccessity of aligning the studs on the converter with the flex plate holes. Once you got the trans tight to the engine then you can bring the converter up to the plate EVENLY, takes two or three revolutions of the wheel to get things up to torque with out cocking the converter hub in the pump impeller gear. As it is you are most likely needing a reman pump and a unmolested converter, doubtful the pieces you have will be in service anytime soon.
The converter will go back 3 times when you install it. Easiest way is stand the trans on the tail shaft and slowly rotate the converter. Let gravity do it.
make sure you have the dust shield plate thingy installed between the trans and engine block too. i'm not sure of it's purpose, but it HAS to be there.
ha, i was just wondering that too. it's like i'm always reading a book with the last 2 pages torn out
Best to put the torque converter in, turn and push back firmly, you can feel it drop in each step. Once seated, I like to keep the front of the tranny up higher than the rear to keep it from dropping back out before you get it mated to the block. If mated properly, the bolts will screw in by hand or with light wrench pressure. If you have to forcibly pull the tranny to the engine, something is wrong and you risk breaking the front pump.
Hey guys, sorry to leave you hangin. I didn't pull the trans this past weekend. I got to talking with my brother and when we installed it, he remembers turning and twisting the trans while mating it up to the engine and torque converter. We got it sitting flush with the back of the engine before putting the bolts in. So, I was going to do a vacuum test on the engine, but I wanna swap out my Holley carb for a carter carb. Hope that will get the car to idle right and might take care of any vacuum leak I might have had. I seemed to have been pulling under 15 on a vacuum test, but the car wasn't really up to temp. Wish me luck!
Finally an update! Had a lot of life crap happening lately, but I got a little time to work on the car. I replaced my Holley carb with a rebuilt carter afb competition series carb. Once everything was hooked up, I did a vacuum test. I was finally pulling around 17 inches. About 7-9 more than before. I also added 4 quarts of type f to the trans. And what do ya know? I backed it out of the garage and pulled it back in again. I think I need another quart or so of fluid, but that will happen later this week. There are some other quirks I need to work out. When I pulled the car back in, it seemed to pop or backfire out of the carb, then the car died. I'm also having issues with the 302 getting hot to the touch after only running for a minute or so. Once I get all this figured out, I should be good to go! Thanks everyone for the words of wisdom!
Backfire is usually timing or a spark plug wire in the wrong place, unless you have an intake valve problem. Using a 180-190 thermostat? Cyl wear is a lot less than with a 160. Is it overbored?
From what I was told the engine has never been bored out. It's all stock stuff. I do believe I'm running 180-190 thermostat. Should I use a 160?
There's no easy way out of this,...Trans needs to come out, and gone thru. When correctly mated, the converter will be clear of the flexplate, and you can freely turn it before bolting it to the flex. I would forego running the engine until the trans has been pulled and repaired. 4TTRUK
A. Clearly you didn't read the part where it works now. 2. While there are C4 torque converters that have an integral starter ring, none that I am aware of use bolts. As far as I know, they all use nuts. There will be clearance between the TC and the flexplate and installing these nuts will pull it in. I don't believe the TC will freely turn with that clearance. The easiest way to verify the TC was installed correctly is to remove the nuts and see if the TC will slide into the pump. If it will slide into the trans, it's a safe bet that the TC was installed correctly in the trans. A pry bar and gentle persuasion can give that info.
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