4/21/03

QUESTION 1

Mike,

I have recently swapped out an engine in a 1990 Toyota Camry V6. Upon reinstallation, the automatic tranny does not engage at all -- nothing, no sound, etc. I have spoken to a couple of local mechanics and they say that it sounds like the torque converter fluid drained out when it was taken off the old engine and therefore is not engaging.

Is there any way to fill a torque converter without having to pull the tranny off again? Any information would be greatly appreciated.

Ben Mueller

Ben,

The trans fills the torque converter when you start the engine. What probably happened is the pump gears were damaged somehow in the swap. To check this out, unhook a cooler line and start the engine. It should pump a lot of fluid very quickly. If it doesn't pump fluid, the pump is broken.

Mike

QUESTION 2

I've got an 8,000-lb 4x4 truck with 44-inch tires and a 540 cid big block putting out about 650 hp on pump gas (conservative estimate). I'm going to rebuild my tranny and I have found a 400 8-bolt front pump housing. Are they better than the 6-bolt? Where can I get thinner steels for forward and direct? What about JW bellhousings? It seems to me that they would put undue stress on the pump bolts.

Thanks for your time.

John Godwin

John,

You might think that the Ultrabell would be hard on pump bolt bosses, but I have never had a problem with that at all.

Mike's Transmission makes .058 thick forward and direct steels. We also have thin clutches to set up drums as needs and we carry a drum with a larger sprag than stock for vehicles like this. Go to www.mikestranssmision.com or phone 661-723-0081.

Mike

QUESTION 3

Mike,

My son and I have an old front-engined dragster we want to bracket race. It has a stock/mild small block and a turbo 350 glide. I have changed mounts from Hemi to Chevy with a 1/4- inch mid plate installed.

It is my understanding the pilot is in the crank by .125 stock and I have moved it back .25. Can I buy a bushing / spacer, something other than a race converter, so to index the converter to the crank? We are trying to go fast slowly, restarting with stock pieces.

Thanks for any help you can give.

Dave Ahlstrand

Dave,

Torque converter spacing is very important. Ideally we want .125 clearance between the pump and the torque converter neck. We're talking grassroots racing here, Dave. That's what it is all about. I remember my first dragster; I drove 9.75 at 149 mph. It was fun, but I won't say what year that was.

Mike

QUESTION 4

Mike,

I hope you can help me pick the right converter for my 1986 Ford Ranger. I am running a

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351 with 408 stroker motor, 12.5 compression. Comp Cams 252, .260 duration at .050, .672 lift. The operating range on this cam is 3800 to 6800 with 106 lobe separation angle. This is a mech-roller cam. The heads are World Products aluminum, 2.0505 intake, 1.60 exhause. Street port job, flowing 273, 204 at 600 lift. Single four-barrel 850 cfm carb. Rear end is a 9-inch Detroit Locker 488 gear. Rear end is tubed. Tire size is 31x19.5.

The trans is a C6. I have a 3500 stall converter now. I think it's 11-inch, but I haven't used it yet on this brand new motor. I'm thinking I should get a 4500 stall. The vehicle will be used on the street a little and the strip.

What do you think?

JP

JP,

It's hard to believe you can get 3800 out of an 11-inch torque converter. You're right, 4000- 4500 would probably launch that big Ranger better. We're talking a 10-inch style torque converter -- something to really multiply torque. You need to monitor transmission temp, so set up a large cooler and a temperature gauge on the Ranger.

Mike

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