Question for you guy's running high stall verters

[my new 72]

I have ben told by more than a few people that my torque converter is not working properly. I have a B&M Torquemaster 2400 stall verter and when I put the truck in gear the rpm's drop way down from 1100 to 450-550. With a higher rpm stall this shouldn't be happening should it? I am confused. I'm running a built 383 pushing 450-500 hp, could the torque thiss thing makes be the culprit? Should I go with a higher stall?

[mikep]

Ive been down tha road a few times myself. Yes you are proabably putting out too much torque for that converter to stall at a higher rpm. You might want to look at a 10 inch converter if you are looking for a stall speed in the 2400 range. Be warned that having too high of a stall speed can make for a miserable drive so if its something that resembles a daily driver its better to err on the side of conservative.

[Longhorn Man]

Wait, i thought more torque made it stall higher...like the old vega converter trick, a stock vega verter on a healthy small block creates 3500+ stall.
Is this a new verter? If so, call the company. They will probably send you a replacement if you treat them nice. I've seen it happen more than once.
I agree, it sounds liek a kerfaggled converter.

[Jeff M.]

That's really kinna normal to drop down in drive. What will it flash to??? Take off easy and let it shift up into drive. At the slow speed in drive give it as much gas as you can without kicking in passing gear. Watch your tach.....should go up to 2000+ rpms. That's not a lot of stall, but I've noticed quite of bit of difference with sb vs bb and also cam profiles with stall converters. Best advise is to call the manufacturer.......that stall might not work with your combination. Have your specs handy and see what they say.

[crazy longhorn]

If you are runnin much over 230 duration @ .050, the verter is probably to" tight' to let it idle properly in gear. it goes back to what Mike p was talking on a 10" verter. I set up an Olds BB with a TCI verter that was compairable to your B&M for advertised stall........the cam the guy got was 244 duration @ .050, & it didnt like to idle in gear(1200& choppy in park,down to 500 rpms in drive). The speed shop suggested a tight 10" verter ordered specifically for the combo in the range of 2800-3200 stall. If its a street driven truck I agree that its not good to go too loose,as the extra heat is hard on the trans. good luck.....crazy longhorn

[dion]

It sounds like you need more stall. Check the specs on your Cam and Intake. They should tell you the min stall required. My Cam is a min of 2500 stall and my Intake is a 3000 to 7000 RPM, I have a 3000 stall Converter.

[mooneyes]

every converter i have had, rode in, etc. that was under a 3500 stall no matter what it was behind never had enough stall to feel and most of them only stalled to about 1500 watching the tach...had a Darrell Young 4000 stall in a monte ..couldnt let my foot off the brake sittin on a hill or it would coast backwards...it kicked ass...lol

[bigjimzlll]

now thats what im talking about...rolling down a hill...hehe..i have a 2500 stall...it flashes to 2600..with out a trans break, I cant launch above 1800 rpm(breaks the tires loose)...I WANT MORE STALL.. I know it wont help its street manners, but who cares...lol.. I had the same converter in a weak 283..it flashed at 1800 rpm...I cant see how the can sell an advertised over the counter stall converter(2500 rpm stall) as it will stall completley differently on any 2 engines

[67shortie]

What can you foot brake it too? I mean hold your foot on the brake and gradually raise the rpm's of the engine until either your tires spin or engine will go no higher without much labor?
If it pulls the converter to an engine speed to 1400-1800 before your tires break loose, your converter may be OK. If it wants to go up maybe to 800-1000 and will labor hard against the converter, something is not right and call B&M.
If you are only having trouble with a big drop in idle from neutral to drive, simple tuning might be the culprit. Usually this means the initial timing is off a bit, or the carb is adjusted wrong to keep it idling. My 427 did this when I first went for a maiden voyage, the carb was cranked up to keep the engine stable in gear. When I put it in neutral the rpm's rose to 1400, in gear 800 and wanted to stall. To fix this I used ported vacuum for the distributor advance, set the initial for 12-14 degrees, lowered the idle setting on the carb so that the primary butterflies were open only about a turn or turn and a half off of fully closed then played with the idle fuel adjustments and idle speed adjustments to get it right. Make sure you do not raise the idle setting too much so you don't start pulling fuel from the main circuit, that will pull lots of extra fuel at idle you do not need and make the idle air adjustment screws useless. Baisically a big no no. Oh also check for vacuum leaks, this will contribute to this also.
Anyhoo, it runs real well now, I have a list 3310 Holley, a 575/292/240@.050 cam, idles at 850 in gear on a 2400 converter with no troubles at all. The only thing I have to say about a low stall speed converter is the engine will not get into the cam power range as quickly, so performance suffers a little bit.
Ok, typed enough my fingers are stiff...

[Alaskan]

This car had a "Fairbanks 4000" stall coverter. I could push it to 5000 but I had to stand on the brake. Sounds like you got a stock stall. If you plan on haulen stuff don't get to high a stall or the tranny will get hot. No matter what use a large cooler.