1982 trans problems

[mexlokote]

i have this 1982 had an inline 6 when i bought it, it had bad transmission,
i replaced the transmission drove the truck for about 2 days after i decided to swap to a 305

swapped the engine and has new flywheel, but i see that the torque converter will not touch the flex plate to be able to bolt it together, the bolt pulls the torque converter out of place.

so i went with it and i started the engine and will not go forward. but reverse works great.

so i tried to put washers in between the torque converter and flex plate then the bolt, this prevented the bolt from pulling the toque converter out of place
but i still have the same problem

i suspect the transmission is bad now,

now im getting a new transmission again but this time i want to know what is the issue of the flex plate and torque converter? why will they not touch each other they are like 1 inch away,

[mexlokote]

anyone?

[donut]

Does the snout of the TC fit in the flexplate? You shouldn't have to put washers between the TC and flexplate. TC should be able to slide in and out freely.

How do the bolts pull the converter out of place? Bolt patterns match up?

[mexlokote]

I mean when the transmission is out I installed the TC snaped 3 times in,
Then I installed the transmission to the engine, the last thing is to bolt up the flexplate to the TC
But the bolts are short, the holes match up perfect, but they are very far that the bolts cant reach the holes so I have to pull the TC towards the flexplate to bolt them up

[sean1969c10]

It is normal to have to slide the converter forward to meet the flexplate, I think it ends up comming 1/4 - 3/8 inch or so.

[mexlokote]

Ok well thanks now I can look forward of purchasing another transmission

[sean1969c10]

What transmission is it?

[mexlokote]

Th350

[sean1969c10]

So it still will move in reverse, right? If so, it might be worth dropping the trans pan and taking a look. If there are big fragments in the pan it might be toast, but it could be a sticky slide valve in the valve body. If it's moving in reverse, that says the pump is working. It can't hurt to take a look.

[mexlokote]

I will sure look, what does it look like

[sean1969c10]

Well, first thing would be to look for big chunks in the pan, you will have black sludge, thats normal. Then I would spend a little time on google and see if you can find some pics or a description on the valve body. When you install a shift kit the valve body comes out, so it is doable in the truck, there are some check balls to make sure you get in the right spot. It is a little tricky, but if you work slow and go at it with good info, dropping the valve body and cleaning it is worth a try. Napa has valve body gaskets. There are a bunch of hydraulic valves in there, and they work together so I can't tell you which ones to look at. I just wonder if you have some trash that has something blocked. TH350's are pretty tough, and they don't tend to just suddenly stop working, if you are looking at replacing the trans anyway there is no hurt in trying. Work slow and pay attention to the order that things are assembled. I hope this helps and if nothing else you'll get a little insight into the inside of the transmission.

[sean1969c10]

One other thought, on the engine and drivetrain page there is a guy called Clinebarger, he is a transmission guru. You could post a question over there and see if he responds. Hope this helps.

[mexlokote]

I will try to do that next week, thank you for your help

[mexlokote]

Im looking at some videos and got an idea of what I should look for, what do you recommend to clean the tranission with?

[mexlokote]

hey i was checking videos on youtube on how to rebuild transmissions and i saw one vacuum line that goes to the transmission that is call modulator valve,
i remember i disconnected that vacuum line thinking it was for nothing,

that guy on youtube said it controls something with the fluid, that might just be the simple problem i have ? i will check it tomorrow!

[sean1969c10]

You can use brake cleaner. The modulator valve needs to be hooked up, it controls shifting. With it disconnected the truck will not shift out of first gear. I hope your problem is that simple, good luck.