How do you flush a torque converter
Thread Starter
Pro
Joined: Jul 2012
Posts: 707
Likes: 147
From: St. Petersburg Florida
How do you flush a torque converter
After burning up 700R4 by not having the tv cable adjusted correctly I am rebuilding it.
I want to flush the torque converter but am not sure on the best way to do it. Any advice would be appreciated.
I want to flush the torque converter but am not sure on the best way to do it. Any advice would be appreciated.
Thread Starter
Pro
Joined: Jul 2012
Posts: 707
Likes: 147
From: St. Petersburg Florida
Le Mans Master
Joined: Apr 2015
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Le Mans Master
Joined: Sep 2003
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From: eastern NC
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Le Mans Master
Joined: Oct 2007
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From: Tennessee/Rhode Island
I am not a transmission expert by any means, but I do know enough that I have always been puzzled by how a torque converter can "wear" out? There is not much to it in terms of components (varying vanes/turbines lubricated/moved by super slippery tranny fluid like a jet engine in operation but with fluid instead of air) with nothing to wear out except the bearings on the spinning stator? Besides the various components like the impeller, turbine, stator etc...there are no other moving parts really...no pump, no clutches etc. so what the heck "wears" out?... the major components are metal vanes spun by tranny fluid. My 94 Mustang GT with the AODE tranny has a bolt in the torque converter to drain the tranny fluid when I do a transmission fluid/filter change (12 Qts BTW). I have never had a transmission or torque converter failure in 35 years of driving on any car with an automatic tranny-always change the fluid/filter often and Always run an external cooler outside of the radiator "cooling". (I have never run in conjunction with the factory radiator "cooling"..never). Thoughts from tranny experts?
for those that want more of a simplistic explanation of torque converter function, check this out:
http://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=...C2&FORM=VRDGAR
for those that want more of a simplistic explanation of torque converter function, check this out:
http://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=...C2&FORM=VRDGAR
Last edited by jb78L-82; Jan 25, 2016 at 06:10 AM.
Melting Slicks
Joined: Mar 2008
Posts: 2,989
Likes: 198
From: Meriden CT
It needs to be cut open, cleaned out, then re-welded. That's why everyone is telling you to buy new or re-built. Re-using the original is not worth the contamination to the fresh transmission IMO.
Le Mans Master
Joined: Oct 2007
Posts: 7,446
Likes: 972
From: Tennessee/Rhode Island
Sounds like I would just get a new converter since the 700R4 burned up internally? Did you run an external tranny cooler on that transmission? My guess would be no since it would take some doing do burn up the fluid with a properly sized external cooler...
Team Owner
Joined: Jan 2006
Posts: 37,637
Likes: 3,117
From: Crossville TN
Torque converters have several 'wear' items in them. All have thrust washers, needle bearings and bushings in them; lockup torque converters also have clutch seals in them.
Automotive T/C's are welded assemblies that need to be cut open, cleaned out, parts replaced (if necessary or if standard requirement), and re-welded shut again.
If you have one that has circulated 'trash' from a transmission failure, it should be replaced with an 'exchange' unit. It will then be rebuilt correctly. If you have one with ONLY burnt oil (not sure how the oil would get burnt without some damaged clutches...which WOULD have generated debris), you can drain a significant amount of old oil from it. But, you will have to reinstall it and hook up fresh oil supply into the converter IN plumbing port (and drain the converter OUT port) to completely flush the converter WHILE THE TRANSMISSION IS BEING ROTATED BY A RUNNING ENGINE.
With exchange converters selling for around $100, going to that amount of trouble [and future risk to your transmission] seems like a futile effort to me....unless you have access to a REAL T/C rebuilder.
Automotive T/C's are welded assemblies that need to be cut open, cleaned out, parts replaced (if necessary or if standard requirement), and re-welded shut again.
If you have one that has circulated 'trash' from a transmission failure, it should be replaced with an 'exchange' unit. It will then be rebuilt correctly. If you have one with ONLY burnt oil (not sure how the oil would get burnt without some damaged clutches...which WOULD have generated debris), you can drain a significant amount of old oil from it. But, you will have to reinstall it and hook up fresh oil supply into the converter IN plumbing port (and drain the converter OUT port) to completely flush the converter WHILE THE TRANSMISSION IS BEING ROTATED BY A RUNNING ENGINE.
With exchange converters selling for around $100, going to that amount of trouble [and future risk to your transmission] seems like a futile effort to me....unless you have access to a REAL T/C rebuilder.
Last edited by 7T1vette; Jan 25, 2016 at 01:48 PM.
Melting Slicks
Joined: Mar 2008
Posts: 2,989
Likes: 198
From: Meriden CT
He wrote that the TV cable wasn't adjusted right.
Le Mans Master
Joined: Apr 2015
Posts: 9,430
Likes: 124
Torque converters have several 'wear' items in them. All have thrust washers, needle bearings and bushings in them; lockup torque converters also have clutch seals in them.
Automotive T/C's are welded assemblies that need to be cut open, cleaned out, parts replaced (if necessary or if standard requirement), and re-welded shut again.
If you have one that has circulated 'trash' from a transmission failure, it should be replaced with an 'exchange' unit. It will then be rebuilt correctly. If you have one with ONLY burnt oil (not sure how the oil would get burnt without some damaged clutches...which WOULD have generated debris), you can drain a significant amount of old oil from it. But, you will have to reinstall it and hook up fresh oil supply into the converter IN plumbing port (and drain the converter OUT port) to completely flush the converter WHILE THE TRANSMISSION IS BEING ROTATED BY A RUNNING ENGINE.
With exchange converters selling for around $100, going to that amount of trouble [and future risk to your transmission] seems like a futile effort to me....unless you have access to a REAL T/C rebuilder.
Automotive T/C's are welded assemblies that need to be cut open, cleaned out, parts replaced (if necessary or if standard requirement), and re-welded shut again.
If you have one that has circulated 'trash' from a transmission failure, it should be replaced with an 'exchange' unit. It will then be rebuilt correctly. If you have one with ONLY burnt oil (not sure how the oil would get burnt without some damaged clutches...which WOULD have generated debris), you can drain a significant amount of old oil from it. But, you will have to reinstall it and hook up fresh oil supply into the converter IN plumbing port (and drain the converter OUT port) to completely flush the converter WHILE THE TRANSMISSION IS BEING ROTATED BY A RUNNING ENGINE.
With exchange converters selling for around $100, going to that amount of trouble [and future risk to your transmission] seems like a futile effort to me....unless you have access to a REAL T/C rebuilder.
Last edited by centuryoldracer; Jan 25, 2016 at 02:38 PM.
Team Owner
Joined: Apr 1999
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From: Reno Nevada
2024 C3 of the Year Finalist- Modified
I took my big buck TC's to a tranny shop that actually could make custom converters. They would saw them in half for me so we could look at the parts and if everything was OK. We just put them on the welder machine and welded the outside back up.
Personally I would never use a stock heavy big converter in a car in the first place when you can buy light efficient 9.5 inch that fit GM tannies like 700R4
Personally I would never use a stock heavy big converter in a car in the first place when you can buy light efficient 9.5 inch that fit GM tannies like 700R4
Racer
Joined: Aug 2013
Posts: 480
Likes: 95
From: Georgetown Kentucky
When I had my TH400 rebuilt, it was recommended to not try to flush the TC, especially if you've had some damage in the transmission, which I had. Any metal particles that have flowed through can get stuck inside the TC due to centrifugal forces and may not come out with flushing but may come out after re-installed with all the hot/cold cycles the tranny will go through.
Burning Brakes
Joined: Apr 2008
Posts: 1,222
Likes: 93
From: shelbyville West Michigan
if there's nothing else wrong with the converter, take it to a shop that has a flush machine. when I was in tech school in transmission class we used a machine the torque converter went into and flushed it out. I am sure they still must be some of these around...first tranny I rebuilt was a 200r4 from a Monza that broke the tv cable off...was not as easy as a th350 IIRC, but was not difficult, and flushing the converter was all we did...
