hard converter lesson

[redneckjoe69]

ive learned a hard lesson about cheap converters. a while back i bought one of the summit, 10", 3,200+ stall, house brand converters. i have no power adders and only a small block lucky to make 400 HP. tranns is a th350 with a shift kit. after i got everything together i took it for a test ride. first slow normal driving around the block, then one launch on the back street. it footbraked to 3,200rpm and i was happy, but imediattly started having problems. wouldnt shift right so i had to let out of it. next day the car wouldnt move. so she sat for months.
it was determined that the front pump wasnt working, so i bought a used tranny for $40 from a friend. pulled my tranny and front pump. then i notice the input shaft worn bad. so i had to learn how to change that. while the converter was out, it was discovered that the stator had broken. the cars back together and running with a 10 year old, 12" b&m.

my point is, i wonder if buying that cheap converter ate my input shaft and ruined my pump? could one launch with a lil small block really break the stator?
lesson learned,...ya get what ya pay for.

[G-Motive]

I wonder if you had the converter seated all the way?
That'll tear some shit up quick.

[redneckjoe69]

yea, it was on right. i've done many, many installs. i even looked inside the old pump and the 2 tangs arent broken.

[G-Motive]

So it's safe to assume you added fluid to the converter before you installed it. Sorry if these thoughts sound insulting, keep in mind I don't know you from the man in the moon.

[redneckjoe69]

its all good. yes i poured a quart in the converter first. and i have a tranny cooler. i also used a new filter.

[Loren]

When I was collecting parts for the Challenger and not really sure what I wanted yet, I bought a new B&M 3500 stall (TH400), same as I'd had for a short while in a BB Camaro, but a good buddy with probably thousands of passes on TH400's warned me to not go much past 400hp on even that or I'd be sorry. Sooo...it remains in a box on the shelf, never used, the $600 Continental installed instead has been OK so far. A good thing, 'cause I am not an auto transmission guy, the best I can do is just find the right advice.

[yellomalibu]

My first "performance" converter was a TCI streetfighter 3000. It was fine on the street, but after one trip to the track with a 350 that ran high 13's, it developed a whine on the drive home. I called and asked about a warranty, as the converter had only been in the car for a week - but I had bought it several months before, acquiring parts while doing the build, so they said no - it was a 30 day from date of purchase warranty. Buh-bye TCI.

I bought a B&M Holeshot 3600, and it lived in the car for years with over 500 passes down the strip.

I would never trust a "cheap" converter.

[redneckjoe69]

this is the converter that broke; http://www.summitracing.com/parts/sum-700350

[68scott385]

http://edition.4hop.com/PROMEDIA/FSC....html#?page=46

I put this out here to share with everybody, fwiw. Sorry it's taken so long, you know me casa been upside-down this week.


Maybe this one will be easier to read.

http://www.nmcadigital.com/2015/01/20/stalled-speed-everything-need-know-torque-converters/

[RustyRodder]

Ive lost faith in B&M- I spent 2 weeks trying to get ahold of somebody for info on the B&M trans in my car, since there is only a serial number and no part number sticker. a few times there is no answer, the others I just got transferred a bunch of times to people that dont exist. Then the transmission kills itself- behind a stock 502. Nope.

[Barry Donovan]

I wonder if you had the converter seated all the way?
That'll tear some shit up quick.

+1
a new one needs reworking from reverse to forward at least a dozen times, full warm engine.

then go let it rip whenever.
Sounds like yours got a slam of not full.

[DanStokes]

This probably won't apply to many of you but thought I'd pass it along.

The stock converter in the truck (Truck) failed after an overheating episode on Grapevine Hill in California (it's a stinker of a pass and we were towing tons of weight). We did limp home with it but all was not well. We have a good trans guy here in town who did the rebuild and he said not to waste my money and just spend big on the Banks billet converter. I did and it's perfect.

Interesting thing - performance converters for Diesels are TIGHTER than stock, not looser like with a gasser. I'm not sure I grasp the theory but that's how they are.

Anyhow - for converters behind a Diesel I can recommend the Banks units.

Dan

[mrocketscience]

I ran a TCI Streetfighter 3000 in my Mustang for probably 50-60 mid 12 second passes at the strip and it was fine. I pulled it to swap in a custom 4200 stall converter and kept it to use in the 57 wagon. It works fine in there too. I guess it's just a crapshoot.

[Gateclyve Photographic]

Interesting thing - performance converters for Diesels are TIGHTER than stock, not looser like with a gasser. I'm not sure I grasp the theory but that's how they are

Dan

Because torque curve . . . .

[yellomalibu]

With the TCI vs B&M thing, I wasn't saying that one is better than the other. They are probably both about equal, I just had bad luck and didn't get any love with the warranty department - so I switched brands and had good luck.

With both, I followed directions, shimmed with washers to pull the converter out of the tranny 1/8" from fully seated, put the running tranny in drive, reverse, drive, reverse, etc. I imagine there are tons of people who have had good luck with the cheap Summit converters - I mean, if they were ALL junk, summit would lose money on the deal... but I'll stick with a known manufacturer who will stand behind their product. Who knows where Summit's converters are made?