Cannot get Flywheel and Torque Converter to mate.

Yeah so I should be fine seeing I have that significant gap between flex plate and ring gear. I will go out and measure that gap. I just eyeballed it.

 

I would back the tansmission up "turn and wiggle the T/C until it is bottomed out. You may have a burr on the T/C pilot hub from removing the engine. Wrap some emery cloth around it, sand it and wipe it. There all kinds of room under there and easy to do but do it with someone else present. Safety first.
Ray

 

gap is 1/4 inch...after reviewing all of your posts I now understand that a gap between the TC and flex plate is normal. That link indicates that a 3/16 gap is maximum therefore if I use a 1/8th washer on each bolt between TC and FP I should be fine. As this is not stock trani it could be that the 1/4 inch gap is what you get when you mate a 200r4 to a 300 CI buick engine. The only question I still have is once the bell housing is bolted to the block should the TC have some back and forth play on the shaft before it gets bolted to the flexplate. I have none.

 

If you have no clearance the conveter is not seated all the way.
The pilot hub on the T/C should have a few thou clearance. This is how the fatory T/C is centered. I can't get to my 200R4 right now to measure (I can in a few days) the T/C but I can tell you I put a th400 and th350 torque converter pilot hub in the crank of a 300, when removed each made a suction pop.
If you are going to use washers usually longer bolts are required. With the 300 I would just use what you have. It worked before. For a 300 cid Buick if you have the 1/4" clearance like you say that's fine.
Ray

 

I had about 3/8" gap on mine when I swapped in the TCI converter. I ended up using grade8 nuts as spacers between the flexplate and the TC.

So if you look at it I have a bolt/flexplate/nut/tc-flange/nut

I wouldn't recommend that anyone do it this way as the TC mounting pads are supposed to spread the load along the flexplate face. The way I have it the load is on a much smaller footprint and if you have enough shock I imagine it could end up cracking the flywheel.

In the same respect, it's been like this since 1991 and nothing's broken yet. :TU:

 

Double check your engine alignment and bolt torques- mine did the same thing during my install, and for the life of me I could not see any problem with the way it was bolted up the first time... the second time the TC slid back and forth with my fingers. It must have been in contact with the top of the crank....

I used a thin washer at the TC too, and was shocked at the difference in thicknesses after I grabbed a handful of nice stainless ones at the store and put my dial caliper on them! They looked identical to me, but were wildly different thicknesses- nobody around here had any shim washers, so I had to spend some time matching up a set of 3.

Good luck.

 

I had a similar problem when I installed a 200-4R last summer: I could not rotate the torque converter prior to it being bolted to the flexplate. I did seat the t/c properly so I knew that wasn't the problem. I ended up loosening the bolts holding the transmission to the block, wiggled the tranny a little and I heard a distinct clunk. The converter loosened up and it spun easily. I then tightened the bolts holding the transmission to the block, all the while checking to make sure the t/c didn't tighten up. It didn't. Must have been a slight misalignment of the snout on the t/c and the dish cut into the crank end. From what I've read the gap between the t/c and flexplate mounting pads should not be more than 3/16", with 1/8" being ideal. I had to use steel shims to close the gap on mine but was still able to use the factory t/c bolts.

 

I had a spacing issue too with a th350 and aftermarket converter. I just bolted it together and I could swear I watched the flexplate warp. 10,000 miles later everything seems fine

 

SOrry in advance ............................... Did you try playing some Barry White
In all seriousness. Do not force it. The TC should move up to the flywheel by hand. Something is in a bind, Save yourself a lot of money and headaches by finding out what is causing it.

 

My first(i was 17) I bolted the converter up to the flywheel before I put the engine in the car with the trans already installed:spank: broke the adapter trying to pull the engine and trans together with bolts. What a disaster. I never finished that car. I didn't know enough to prime the oil pump before I started the new engine and seized it up 2 mins after turning the key. 55 Chevy Blair. 350. Ive learned a lot in the 30+ years sense

 

you may have to pull the trans completely back out to see what is binding. Then you can put the torque convertor up to the flywheel and then you will be able to see if it mates correctly. Then you put the torque convertor back on the trans all the way in as far as it will go, turn it to lock it in all the way. Then what you do is put your fingers between the trans and the torque convertor to get a feel on how far it is in the trans. This way when you put the trans back in you will know how far the toque convertor has to be in the trans in case it moves forward during installation.

Once the trans is back in with the torque convertor checked with you fingers to make sure it is in the trans all the way, now you move the convertor forward to the flywheel about 80 thousands to make sure it is NOT up against the pump in the trans. If the gap is too big between the convertor and the flywheel , this is when you put the washer shim in between the flywheel and the convertor. You will measure this before you start to pull the convertor forward. It must be pulled forward towards the flywheel to keep the convertor from being up against the pump in the trans This is about 80-100 thousands.

 

X2. Could also be some surface rust on the snout. Only takes a moment to sand it down, its just annoying to separate the motor and trans again to get at it. A little surface rust on tight fitting areas can be a major pain at times. Usually once you get the bolts started and know for sure that the torque converter is seated properly you can use the bolts to draw the converter in.

 

Update

Backed off the bolts by about a 1/4 inch. allowed TC to move on shaft. I also have some lateral movement. Alignment should not be an issue. Will update. BTW, what happens if you bolt everything up and have more that the 3/16 gap that is recommended? Not enough spline going through the TC, potential to shear under high load?

 

With the TQ seated all the way in the trans, you add a thick enough washer (do not stack the washers) to take up the space between the TQ and the flywheel and when you get to 80 thous left between the TQ and the flywheel (the washer) you stop here and this is when you tighten the thing up and this will pull the TQ forward toward the flywheel necessary to pull the TQ away from the pump in the trans. Just make sure there is 80 thous left to pull the TQ forward. Get some good hardened washers of different thicknesses to do this.

 

you wont need to worry about the spline, it is the pump drive that gets wrecked. if you look at the neck of the tc you will see two notches opposite from each other, this is what engages the pump. if you are not in these grooves when you tighten the trans to the engine you will snap off the two tangs of the pump. but it sounds like you have things under control

 

:gp: .... ask me how I know

 

All fixed....the bolts pulled it into place...snout was hanging up a bit...then thump, into place it went.

 

Glad to hear it!:laugh: :TU