wobbling fly wheel and converter...HELP!!!!

[crm318]

i just built a 350 mated to a 700r4 for a friend. we started it up yesterday and the engine ran great. however, the there was smoke and a loud rattling sound coming from the tranny. when i looked there was oil dripping from the converter area and the flywheel and converter were wobbling. i shut it down immediatly. what would cause this? i torqued the flywheel down properly and it was flush on the crank. what is going on?

[Bishops Trucks]

Was the torque converter properly seated on the trans shaft? The Flexplate may be warped or the bolts are to long (flexplate to crankshaft).

[Bowtie001]

I agree with both of those. I would tend to think that the converter was not seated properly. When you install a converter you have to rotate it until it thunks into place, then again and again... there can be 2-5 thumps before it's really in.

Not sure what damage it'd do to your tranny though.

-Brian

[3/4tonterror]

if its tranny fluid leaking then it sounds like the converter is not seated.if its motor oil, then the crank may be bent.also make sure the flexplate in on right [not backwards]i had a friend do that, and when he started it the converter bolts hit the block making it wobble with loud noises.

[bigblock69]

You may want to check and see if the crank pilot diameter matches the diameter of the corque converter crank insert. Hope you did not hurt the transmission. Good luck.

[crm318]

well i found out that one of the bolts was loose and i replaced it. everything is aligned and no more clatter. however, its still dripping fluid. i think that the front seal needs to be replaced. how might i go about changing that out? is it difficult? how much do they sell for?

[cableguy0]

the seal and bushing in the pump is probably wrecked. it will take a matter of seconds to destroy the bushing with a wobbly converter. also you need to check and make sure the snout on the converter isnt torn up

[corn]

If you didnt break the front pump in the tranny & it your trans still works, you may just have a seal leaking. You need to slide the converter up to the flexplate if its in all the way. If everything is good & you just have a leaky seal, you can SOMETIMES cheat it with a flat washer between the converter & the flexplate on each bolt. That will make the seal run on a different spot on the converter yolk where it is probably grooved & making it leak. Not really the reccomended way of doing it, but Ive seen it done with good results...

[rage'nrat638]

dude you got the worst luck i ever seen. is your buddy ready to shoot you yet?

[crm318]

well we both are working on it so we share the blame. we dropped the tranny. we are taking it to a shop tomorrow where they will look at it for free. i think that the converter wasnt fully seated. ill keep you posted.