cbolt Posted September 6, 2011 Share Posted September 6, 2011 I am in the middle of bolting the 2004r transmission in and ran into a snag, figured I would ask advice here. With the trans case bolted to the engine block and the crossmember just resting on the frame and the trans resting on the crossmember, the converter and flexplate only align in 2 of the three bolts. One of them is about 1/4" away from each other. I had the same issue with my 350 when I changed the flexplate and starter, tried to snug it down by torquing it and wound up stripping the converter. When I went to pull the transmission to replace it with the 2004r, I noticed all the holes were magically aligned, as if driving it, hitting bumps and whatnot helped to straighten everything out down there. Now the way I see it I have a few options. Option 1: Leave the bolt out, drive the car awhile, and go back and put it in once it magically aligns itself. Option 2: use a flat washer and make a shim to go between the converter and flexplate, torque everything down and run it that way. The drawback to that the shim will keep it from ever being aligned properly. Option 3: pull everything back loose and figure out why it isn't lined up correctly. Now I know the obvious choice would be 3, however I cannot get my head around the fact that the transmission is firmly bolted to the engine block and the converter and flexplate don't line up, only on one bolt, as if the flexplate is somehow warped. A warped flexplate seems to be contradictory to the self-alignment that happened while driving the car for a few thousand miles with the old transmission and the same alignment issue..... Any expert advice? Thanks in advance.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zmanabba Posted September 6, 2011 Share Posted September 6, 2011 one possibilty is that the converter nose is a tight fit in to the crankshaft and it takes a bit to seat it fully. Since you have had the same problem with two different converters I suspect there might be a burr or dirt/corrosion build up. If you decide to take it back out ( not fun but best option ) I would check the crankshaft and maybe test fit the converter nose. Probably wouldn't hurt to put a slight ammount of grease ( too much and it will sling all over the bellhousing ) to facilitate reassembly. David Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
71monteme Posted September 6, 2011 Share Posted September 6, 2011 just a shot in the dark. did you try the other set of holes in the flex plate? thanh Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sam (Bones) Posted September 6, 2011 Share Posted September 6, 2011 loosen bolts, you have the converter "cocked" you will wipe out your pump if you start it "push" the converter to the flex plate, lightly snug bolt, go to next bolt, do the same, ect... if you tighten a bolt without the converter against the flexplate, it's easy to cock the converter Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cbolt Posted September 6, 2011 Author Share Posted September 6, 2011 Gonna try the loosen then tighten trick of Sams first but it seems as if I did that and it didn't help the last one. Admittedly I haven't tried it with the new part yet but sure will. The other set of flex plate holes are slightly indented the opposite way as the converter, but that will be my second try. I hate to think I may have to pop it back out again so that is my last option and one I hope not to have to use. Anybody have any other ideas I could try? Is there a loosen the entire transmission housing and tighten the converver first option? Just tossing ideas out there.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wallaby Posted September 7, 2011 Share Posted September 7, 2011 The converter should slide all the way forward to meet the flexplate. You shouldn't have to use the bolts to force it into place. The only thing that could stop this from happening is a tight or incorrect fit where the hub pilot in the center of the converter fits against the tail of the crankshaft. My concern with the gradual tightening of the converter bolts is whether the converter is moving forward, or if the bolts are deflecting the flexplate rearward? You can end up with starter issues if the flexplate isn't true when you're done. Did the old converter have any issues coming out? I mean, did it act stuck to the crankshaft at all? I've seen replacement crankshafts that had manual transmission pilot bearings still in them... even when used in an automatic trans application. Maybe it was an oversight at the crankshaft shop, but if there's a pilot bushing in the tail of your crank it can get in the way. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cbolt Posted September 7, 2011 Author Share Posted September 7, 2011 Wallaby, the old converter came apart with no apparent problems. This whole situation makes no sense to me, either. Way back when I changed the crankshaft everything lined up correctly. (Yes, I yanked the motor, put it on a stand, flipped it over and changed just the crankshaft and bearings) When I changed just the flexplate I had the issue with the converter of the TH350 not lining up and wound up stipping one of the converter threads. I have put about 3000 miles on the car since that time and when I pulled the transmission out last week the flexplate and converter were correctly aligned, flush even without the one bolt. Snugging the two pieces together using the bolts will more than likely just strip the new converter so I am not going to do that. I have today and tomorrow off so I am going to loosen everything up without removing the trans and see if I can't get it to fit properly. I'm thinking the first part I need to tighten is the converter and then snug the trans housing and block together and then line up the crossmember with the trans mount. During this process I should be able to check the converter hub pilot/crankshaft area for any deformities or burrs I can feel and maybe put some kind of lubricant there to make it slide together correctly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wallaby Posted September 8, 2011 Share Posted September 8, 2011 Well, your thinking is good, but the trans is held in alignment by the bolts that hold it to the engine. The bolts have a bit of slop to them, and that's why there are those 2 big dowel pins to hold the trans in the right spot as the bolts get tightened. Once you start to loosen the bellhousing bolts the tail of the trans will drop, or the engine weight will cause the engine and trans to try to pivot apart, and that will cause a converter misalignment right away. I'd keep the bellhousing bolts tight and try to solve the issue that way. There's no way to maintain a straight centerline between engine and trans otherwise. Partly undoing the bellhousing bolts might give you the room needed to do an inspection... but tighten them back down before you try to connect the converter bolts. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cny first gen 71 Posted September 8, 2011 Share Posted September 8, 2011 One thing I learned the hard way is to never ever tighten or even snug one bolt untill all three are at least started in at least a few threads. Also make sure the converter is in the front of the transmission properly a good rule is if you can fit your fingers between the converter and the trans its not in properly (all the way) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cbolt Posted September 8, 2011 Author Share Posted September 8, 2011 Well, your thinking is good, but the trans is held in alignment by the bolts that hold it to the engine. The bolts have a bit of slop to them, and that's why there are those 2 big dowel pins to hold the trans in the right spot as the bolts get tightened. Once you start to loosen the bellhousing bolts the tail of the trans will drop, or the engine weight will cause the engine and trans to try to pivot apart, and that will cause a converter misalignment right away. I'd keep the bellhousing bolts tight and try to solve the issue that way. There's no way to maintain a straight centerline between engine and trans otherwise. I just finished doing exactly that, keeping the bellhousing bolts tight and just working with the converter and it is officially installed and straight. It just took a bit of working the converter back and forth until it properly seated and snugging it down a little at a time. I tightened the bolts that way to keep the correct alignment because the converter seated at all three points after a few times back and forth. Thanks to all who chimed in. I learned the hard way you cannot just crank them down and expect the converter to seat properly and I am not a person who likes to make mistakes more than once, especially when it comes to the Monte. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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