What TQ converter have I got?

[Bruceynz]

Hi Guys,

Summer down under and been busy, my engine and trans arrived. The engine is a 360 and the trans is a 904, my questions is the torque converter balanced for a 360? and if so is that an after market converter?

The guy I bought it off said it has a bit of a stall to it, it came with his car when he bought it, he removed the 360 and trans to repower with a 440, I am going to put the 360 into my Cordoba.

Also can the converter only bolt to the flex plate one way?



Thanks
Bruce

 

[Monkeyed]

I'm going out on a limb here and am going to say that converters aren't typically balanced, the flexplate may be, but the converter should bolt up any old way. Without seeing it or holding it, I can't tell you what yours is for certain, and I have not by any means seen every setup ever made by man. Look for bits of metal welded to it, that would be one way of balancing it. If you had a way to spin it freely like a wheel, you could see if it stops in the same place every time. If it does it's off balance, or in other words, would be balanced if it was bolted on a certain way (possibly). or if it stopped in a different place every time, it's neutrally balanced and doesn't matter what way it goes on again.

As far as I know you should be ok to bolt it up any which way. Someone will (hopefully) correct me if I'm wrong.

 

[got job]

I'm going out on a limb here and am going to say that converters aren't typically balanced, the flexplate may be, but the converter should bolt up any old way. Without seeing it or holding it, I can't tell you what yours is for certain, and I have not by any means seen every setup ever made by man. Look for bits of metal welded to it, that would be one way of balancing it. If you had a way to spin it freely like a wheel, you could see if it stops in the same place every time. If it does it's off balance, or in other words, would be balanced if it was bolted on a certain way (possibly). or if it stopped in a different place every time, it's neutrally balanced and doesn't matter what way it goes on again.

As far as I know you should be ok to bolt it up any which way. Someone will (hopefully) correct me if I'm wrong.

Looking at your picture, the converter is balanced because of the two weights on each side of the drain plug. Also a converter will only bolt up one way. you need to line it up with your flex plate before you install the motor and trans and mark it correctly.

 

[Bruceynz]

I can just bolt the converter to the flex plate and then slide the trans on and do up the bell housing bolts eh?

 

[got job]

No. The converter looks to be out now by your pic. If you hold it against the flex plate to line the bolt holes up, you can mark it correctly. The converter has to be put in the trans and engaged in the front pump and keep it that way when it is installed. Before I pull a trans, I mark the flex plate and converter thru the inspection plate opening with paint. If a new converter is installed, I have another flex plate I use to mark the converter

 

[Bruceynz]

ok that's how it arrived on the pallet, I have not much experience doing this work hence all the questions

 

[Bruceynz]

So get the convertor and work out where the bolt holes line up, mark the converter and flex plate, slip the converter into the trans, lift the trans to the engine then put a couple bolts in the bell housing, then line up my marks and bolt the converter up to the flex plate?

 

[Bruceynz]

Is this seated correctly now?

 

[Bruceynz]

ok its not in right, youtube is great just watched a clip on how you install a converter



I have it in right now, I felt it clunk in

 

[got job]

Looks too far out. As you put the converter in, rotate it a little and you can feel it drop in, then rotate a little more and engage the pump. When it is in properly and the bellhousing is bolted to the motor, the converter has to be slightly pulled forward to bolt to the flex plate. I posted before I saw the youtube post.

 

[80mirada]

Looks like an aftermarket 360 balanced convertor. The weights are for the 360s offset external balance. When the converter is all the way in it sets pretty deep, it moves back out when you bolt it to the flex plate. There is a small "o" stamped on the comvertor that corresponds to a small hole in a stock flex plate. It is easier to line up the plate and mark them

 

[Master M]

ok its not in right, youtube is great just watched a clip on how you install a converter



I have it in right now, I felt it clunk in

ok its not in right, youtube is great just watched a clip on how you install a converter



I have it in right now, I felt it clunk in

It also helps to put a small C clamp on the bottom of the bell housing to hold the torque convertor in place while you are in the process of mating it up to the engine.

 

[Monkeyed]

sorry for my misinformation, it's been a few years since I've studied or worked on transmissions..