convertor to flywheel lining up problem

[blackdawg]

i installed the 350 chevy mated to the turbo 400.put the convertor on made sure it did that double bump So it is in.
attached the transmission and installed in the truck.the idea was to install the bolts torque convertor to flywheel when its in.I go underneath the truck and the convertor is snug against the flywheel,I can turn it.Do i need to unbolt the tranny and is the a special way that the convertor and flywheel mate.I was making excellent progress.

[bama63]

if you can turn the converter its in correctly just rotate the converter around until it lines up with the fly wheel and bolt it down after you get the first bolt in you will have to turn the engine by hand to install the remaining bolts.

[blackdawg]

thats the problem ,i can"t turn the convertor.I even watched a video on installation so i"m pretty sure its right.not sure where i went wrong.

[bama63]

was there a pilot bushing in the rear of the crank shaft? if so i have seen them hold off the converter and bind it up and it should be removed, also the converter should drop in twice while turning when installing, when its right you can feel the pump turning slightly when rotating the converter

[blackdawg]

no i didn't see a bushing.i turned the convertor twice,i felt that double hump.i should have made sure it free before i stalled it in the truck.is there a groove on the convertor that mates to inner part of the flywheel.

[bama63]

yes the converter sits in the pilot on the rear of the crank shaft, is there a gap between the converter and fly wheel? if not did you install the fly wheel correctly? it is off set and will install either way on the crank,you can try and remove the trans bolts to the engine and replace those bolts with longer bolts about 4-5 inches long and slide the trans toward the rear and see what you have going on there, spin the converter while pushing in and see if it moves in some more.

[padresag]

the convertor had to enter the frt pump and stay there. there are 2 lugs that have to match up with the convertor hub. when th trans bolts up to the eng, you should be able to turn the convertor and pull it forward to meet the flywheel (flexplate) and bolt it up.
if not the convertor can jam between the frt pump and the flexplate. I would drop the trans and check the frt pump for damage if this is the case
ron

[jocko]

concur with padre. also, no pilot bushing is required when installing an automatic. If you can get the trans housing mated to the engine - then that means you probably have the converter fully seated (i.e. the double thunk) - so it should just be a matter of spinning the converter or the flexplate to line up the mounting holes on the two and stabbin in the bolts. By the way, all the refs above say "flywheel" (other than padre's) - you should have a flexplate installed vice a flywheel for an auto trans. I know it's a longshot, but could this be the problem? I'm assuming just a terminology issue - many use the two interchangeably, but the parts are not interchangeable - must be a flexplate, not a flywheel.

[blackdawg]

sorry my mistake yes it is a flex plate not a flywheel.I think that is my problem is i know the convertor is installed correctly ie the double thunk.so it sounds like the convertor has grooves that mate to the flex plate.Is that right,because right now i can"t turn the convertor to put the torque bolt in.IT is snug up against the flexplate.
very frustating when you getting this far along.thanks for the help guys.

[padresag]

what has more than likely has happened is that the convertor slipped back out and that you have the convertor jammed between the frt pump and the flexplate. you have more than likely buggered the frt pump. you may have seated the convertor correctly but all that tyou had to do was lower the front of the trans a little to much and oops, drops out and you don't realize it in this instance not like in other circumstances when you really say oops.. with the convertor in there properly , you should be able to move that convertor forwards and backwards freely without it being bolted to the flexplate and the trans housing being bolted securely to the eng block
ron
we all learn things the difficult way in some instances, but that is how you learn!!!!

[jocko]

if it is jammed into the flexplate and difficult to turn, then i think padre is spot on. btw, to reply to an earlier comment/question you posed - no, there is not anything on the flex that engages the converter other than the mounting bolts - that's the only connection between the two - so you are not hung up on the flexplate as you proposed in post #9. The "mechanical" connection you are proposing does not exist - the converter is bolted to the flexplate - and at lower rpm, there is no "connection" to the trans - until the rpm is increased to the stall speed, then you have a "fluid/hydraulic connection" via the torque converter that spins the input shaft/pump assembly of the trans. Auto trans are a new kind of animal if you are used to using manual transmissions - sounds as though you may be equating some manual trans ways of thinking to an automatic - not an uncommon thing, by the way. Auto transmissions are somewhat black magic to me!

[blackdawg]

okay that will be my next step is to unbolt the trans and move it back a bit .then install the convertor properly again.I didn"t think that it would slip out.hopefully didn"t damage anything i didn"t have to force anything.thanks

[padresag]

your better off now to have that frt pump checked than to have to do it after you get it all hooked up and full of oil and running
ron

[blackdawg]

k, thanks Ron