I'm at the point of installing the TC into my 2004R. I've never done this. I've watched the videos and read the instructions so I think I'm ready. One thing I heard was to lubricate the pump seal. What do you folks use - or do you even do this? And apply it to the pump drive or apply it directly to the seal?
I use white lube because it stays put. I put some on the neck and seal edge. Yes, one quart into the converter. Line up the slots in the neck with the pump tabs, then rotate and push until the drive splines and stator splines engage, and the converter drops all the way down.
When you install the trans, SLOWLY tighten the bellhousing bolts while stopping frequently to make sure the converter still turns. If it locks up before the bellhousing bolts are tight, the converter isn’t fully engaged in the pump.
Here's the guide I used when verifying everything on my 2004R: https://transmissioncenter.net/shop/torque-converter-installation-instructions/
Thanks Patrick - It's funny how none of the depth measurements charts give the 2004R the time of day! I assume you use the 350 measurement.
It's true! I had the luxury of mating the transmission to engine on a stand before I put everything in the car. In my case I had to use washers between the convertor and flex plate to get the correct snout engagement. I verified this by measuring between the two and noting how much the converter moves from fully seated into the trans to bolted up to the flexplate. I also believe that the most important thing it to make sure that there is adequate clearance between the crank "pocket" and convertor "nub" so that when the engine is running they don't run into each other and take your your thrust bearing. Jim Weise has a post about it somewhere, I'll see if I can dig it up. IIRC I used sculpting putty to measure the clearance.
