Torqueflite problem
 

has anyone had this happen? i'm guessing this is caused by the converter not being seated properly, any help or hints would be great the converter looks fine and this is a amc 727 torqueflite out of a 3200lb amx that had 3 low 11 second passes on it. trans seemed to work fine the converter is a 8 inch tci 5200 stall. the trans was recently rebuilt by a friend in Missouri but i think this is user error. the converter was really hard to remove. would you try to grind these back straight or replace the front pump? i know i'm rambling just trying to give all the info i can.

Re: Torqueflite problem
 

Inspect the complete pump and at least replace the stator shaft.

Re: Torqueflite problem
 

Will do.

Re: Torqueflite problem
 

Be sure to check the torque converter end play. The wear marks on the stator shaft splines look like you have a thrust bearing in the converter out of it's pocket and rubbing the stator shaft. When the endplay is correct the Torrington bearings are piloted and cannot contact the shaft.

Re: Torqueflite problem
 

Several things come to mind on an AMC application that could cause this .
but the first thing that comes to mind is ,do you have the block separator plate installed ?
that plus a thicker than stock flex plate can cause the converter to ride that far back on the stator tube splines .
You still may have had adequate converter to pump clearance but just barely.
I'd also check the converter pilot for wear ,and /or block dowel tube not entering far enough into the trans . Some of the AMC 727's have a deep enough champfer that the tube does not actually enter the bore .

Re: Torqueflite problem
 

we do have a thicker than stock mondello flexplate and we had the factory engine plate installed and about 1/4 inch spacer because when the extra thickness of the flex plate had the converter flat against the flexplate before the transmission was pulled up all the way.

Re: Torqueflite problem
 

You need about .090" pull up on the converter . This photo looks like the stator splines were bottomed in the splines .

Re: Torqueflite problem
 

We had always assumed the converter was to far out and caused this but it sounds like its more likely that it wasn't pulled out enough so once you have the converter seated and it in the car how much does it need to pull out i've heard you want about .125 thousandths play if i remember right?

Re: Torqueflite problem
 

If you have a decent converter with anti-ballooning plates then if you have about .090" pull up you are probably OK . Your converter that has been run with the Stator Inner Race bottomed out on the Stator Support splines has probably damaged the splines inside the converter . It may be very difficult to re-install it , even if you installed a new Stator Support . It is also possible that the bearings inside the converter have been overloaded, and finally the engine thrust bearing could be hurt by running without any clearance . It would be to your advantage to check those things before just running it again .

Re: Torqueflite problem
 

the engine going back in the car is brand new and fresh never been ran the transmission and converter was spec'd for it but we put it behind a milder engine to make a race and now that engine has been completely gone through as well. but what i'm hearing is the converter probably needs to go back to tci to be checked out.

Re: Torqueflite problem
 

From personal experience, AMC converters are NEVER correct out of the box. We check everything now. Crank pilot length & diameter, End play between trans & converter, starter engagement etc. Don't take it for granted on anything AMC that is a direct fit. Not to sound like a negative Nancy but its a fact of owning an oddball.

Re: Torqueflite problem
 

I couldnt agree more there is no such thing as direct fit with amc. My father inlaw ask me once if the parts we used on our race car were direct fit designed for that car and i almost broke down in laughter

Re: Torqueflite problem
 

You guys are so right .
If it comes in a box and says fits AMC , you know it wont ! Especially if it comes from California !
I've been racing and building AMC's since '72 and there are damn few parts I didn't have to massage to make fit correctly.

Re: Torqueflite problem
 

well after a new stator shaft and inspection of the transmission we got the converter back in did some measuring and figured it was simply flush with the flexplate no pullout. so we took the converter and had .120 taken out of the mounting pads which should give as the play needed hopefully.

Re: Torqueflite problem
 

I would make sure the hub of the converter doesn't bottom out in the back of the crankshaft also.

Re: Torqueflite problem
 

I agree, if the lugs don't bottom on the flexplate then the pilot is bottoming in the crank. That's a no no , you do not want to have the converter bolts pull back on the flexplate , so the gap needs to be filled with a shim . If the lugs hit the flexplate first, then you are OK .

Re: Torqueflite problem
 

we will look into this but it seemed like we had plenty of room for the snout to go in the crank. but we will double check i really don't want to take this apart again.

Re: Torqueflite problem
 

OK so the transmission is back on the engine with the pads machined and we have a 1/8th inch gap inbetween the converter and flex plate before bolting them together. and doing some measuring before we put the trans in the pads hit the flexplate about a 1/8th inch before the snout bottoms out in the crank. so hopefully this time we don't damage the stator shaft. we also found out that since we have to space the transmission back 1/4 inch the factory guides don't center it and that the converter snout wasn't slipping in the back of the crank locking everything up when pulled together even though the pads weren't even touching the flexplate. so through some careful manipulation and pulling the trans up slowly we got everything together snout in the crank and everything turning nice and free. so car and engine/trans will go together this weekend.