replace the torque converter?

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SuperHO

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so i'm thinking my TC may have had it...considering it's locked up maybe 25 times in the past 2 years. now, working with a limited budget, would it be feasible for me to drop my trans in the garage and simply replace the torque converter, or is it more involved than that?
 

SHOZ123

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PITA to drop just the tranny but it is doable. You would need to drop the subframe and support the motor from above.
 

Izzmo

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I've seen a couple people do it with some pictures for proof, you just need to be smart about it. But I agree.. it's probably a pain in the ass to do your first time around.
 

ThatShoGuy

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if i was gonna pull mine my self i would pull the motor and trans as one piece. for the headache of trying to do it and line up the bell housing, i think it would be worth doing.

i have pulled the motor a few times as it stands right now.. other reason i will be going this route is because i need to change my a/c lines.
 

whiteguy3

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if i was gonna pull mine my self i would pull the motor and trans as one piece. for the headache of trying to do it and line up the bell housing, i think it would be worth doing.

Don't do that. Just drop the subframe and support the motor. No point in removing the engine when you want to get to the trans. If you are simply just replacing the torque converter you don't even have to pull it out from under the car, just lower it enough to pull off the old torque converter and pop on the new one. Lining up the bellhousing is not that bad. Once you get one bolt started it's pretty straight-forward from there.
 

HotRodKid

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alex made a habit of dropping the ATX on the turbo green car. i dont think its any less work to go out the top w/ the engine tranny, and its probably more work to go out the top.

the only hard part is the vss (i think) which is in a ******** spot on top of the trans.

Just set yourself up with plenty of wood blocks and jack stands so you can move the trans up / down and the subfraem up/ down a little at a time. Neither of them balance quite well on a single jack

the engine can be held up with an engine support bar and a few ratchet straps, which are quite handy for allowing the engine some jiggle room for aligning things.

Pm Alex, he's at the point that he can do an ATX alone, on his back, while blindfolded, which is part of why he sold the car, lol
 

Ian Macoomb

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Don't forget which section you're in.

I believe Kirk does it by dropping the whole subframe out the bottom. There's probably a good reason why he does it that way. Maybe he hasn't done very many of them ;)
 

Inkertinker

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Agreed, drop the whole subframe, so much easier. Remove the intake for clearance. We used car dollies to move the subframe around. Lower the sub frame on the dollies lift body pull the complete unit out. Do your work then reverse the order.
 

bacernate

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Highly unlikely the converter itself is bad. Almost all ax4n problems originate in the valve body, from poor lubrication. Order a rebuilt valve body off flea bay and get the teflon seals for the pump shaft then pull the side cover and install. If the car shifts ok and doesn't leak out the front seal your problem is in the valve body!!!
 

SuperHO

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yeah, pretty sure it's the TC...it's spinnin 2800rpm at 75mph...and that simply can't be right. but if you wouldn't mind PMing me more info on the valve body thing, that'd be great.
 

whiteguy3

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That sounds about right. I'm around 3,100 at 75-78 mph. I also have 3.98 gears and a high stall TQ converter. But 2,800 sounds about right.
 

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