I have a new vigilante 9.5" converter. I cannot get it to mesh with the pump. I have rebuilt the tranny which included a new pump assembly. Anyone have any ideas on how to get this baby home?
PS the measurement between the bell housing and converter pads is .91" now.
Thanks,
93cruiser

I cannot even remove the converter from the transmission. This thing is stuck.

 

I had the same issue when I put my 9.5 in. I took a break, went back after a bit and it slid right together.

 

Come on! what did you do differently. I am guessing I have one clutch to go before it locks into the pump.
93cruiser

 

Mine slid right in the first time. Like you said, you probably need it to go in one more click. The pads should be a little over an inch away from the bellhousing using a steel rule and some calipers or ruler.

Oh, and did you fill the TC with about 1 quart of ATF before putting it on? If you put too much in, you'll know when you place it vertically how it will slide over the input shaft.

And don't forget red loctite on the flywheel/TC bolts before putting it in. I actually forgot the loctite, realized my mistake, and took the starter and cover off again to put it on the bolts. I had read about someone's bolts backing out on them when they forgot the loctite!

Keep twisting it and jiggling it a little when reinstalling.

I'm glad the rebuild has gone smoothly so far.

Waiting for PeteK's response.

 

Does your old convertor fit the new pump?

 

I cannot get the new one off. It seems that I am close enough to hit the pump teeth but that is not the case. I have never experienced this kind of problem with a TC. BTW. the depth that I am at now is .93". About a 1/4" to go. How much force can I use to pull the converter off?
93cruiser

Guys, it is the wrong converter. It is down as far it can go. I hope I have not ruined the pump. I cannot remove it without putting a plate across the bell housing and using the bolts to pull it off. The converter is loose but stuck, I can't figure it out. To get this far and do something like this. I have a call into Dana at probilt. Maybe we can get this resolved.
93cruiser

I finally got the new converter off. It appears to be the correct converter. I put the old on and it went all the way down. The measurement was 1.06". That is fairly close. It did seem a little loose to me so I retrieved the old pump shaft and put it in the old converter and the new converter. The new converter is a lot looser. This might not matter because this a stationary support. I noted that the new converter does not have as much lead in chamfer as the old converter. It is possible that the new converter was down all the way but it was really loose. Something is not right for sure because .93" is a lot shorter that 1.06"
93cruiser

 

mine was under the car on a tranny jack. Not the easiest place to get at. I did forget to fill mine with oil though. Maybe that is a difference. Are you sure you got the correct spline number? When it is tight on the pump and up against the flex plate there shouldn't be but 1/4" or less between the ears on the converter and the flex plate. If it is stuck now perhaps something else is wrong.

 

Did you get your kit, including new stator shaft from Dana at ProBuilt automatics? If so, I used the same exact stator shaft and torque converter, so I doubt the spline # is wrong. I wish I could answer the question about pulling it off....

 

Yes, I got everything from Dana. I managed to get the coverter off. The old goes home without any problem. I put the od dtator shaft in the old and new converter. The new converter is a lot losser than the old converter on this spline fit. At any rate the old coverter goes down to 1.06" compared to the new converter of .93". I guess i will try again in the morning.
93cruiser

 

Are the pump drive slots the same dimension on both convertors?
It would appear you are engaging the splines OK but not the pump

 

Yes, they are the same dimensions. I pulled the old rotor out and placed it on both of the TC's. The internal splines on the new TC that mate up with the stator shaft seem looser that the splines of the old TC. Also, I think the new converter did line up on the pump dogs. I say this because it did go down to .93" compared to the 1.06" for the old TC. I am going take some measurements so I can get a sense of the engagement lengths. This will help me understand what is going on.
93cruiser

 

Just for some additional info, my Vigilante 9.5" TC ended up with a final clearance of 1.006" between the bellhousing to converter pads. I knew I had written it down somewhere - I wrote it on the Vigilante TC Installation sheet. I didn't think to measure the old TC though. That company says it should be 1.125" +/- .050". I think I called Dana with my final measurement and he said it was acceptable. Maybe you should give him a call? He's up pretty late (California time).

-Jonathan

 

After checking the dimensions and comparing it to my old converter I reinstalled it and I must say that it went on much easier. The last .100 of movement down was very snug though. Final clearance from bellhousing to TC mtg pads is .950". There is some wobble as I turn the converter so that measurement is the average. Waiting on confirmation that this is close enough.
93cruiser

 

I would call Dana and ask for the final say, unless PeteK answers soon. Do you have his phone number?

 

Mine did this! It was a horrible sound, a bolt banging around on that aluminum dust shield (or whatever it's called) sounded REALLY bad!

 

Lay the two units down side by side on a flat level surface and put a straight edge across the snouts. Should be perfectly straight across.

 

I'm on my 2nd vig. The first one they sent me was machined wrong. I made up new cus words that night trying to get it to work. I called precison the next day explained what was going on, they gave me a rma number to send it back. After they got it back they called and said it was there screw up and sent me a new convertor. Got the new one and went right in.

 

What did you find wrong with the transmission when you tore it down?