torque converter pre-fill

[69rangerman]

Hey guys, getting down to the wire on final engine/tranny installation. Being that it's my first time I was wondering if I should put some fluid in the converter before filling the tranny. Also, Once the engine fires should I worry about getting the tranny fluid level topped off while the engine is breaking in?

Thanks,
Tom

[hillbilly67]

No, theres no reason to fill it first. Just add an extra 4-5 qts to the tranny. The torque will fill in about 20 secs. Run it back and forth thru the gears letting the tranny engage in fwd and rev. Top it up before driving it.

[fordman]

i always have. but it doesn't matter i don't think.

[Jake11]

Always fill it. 1qt. will work. It likes lube

[willysrul]

x2 with Jake.

[Maxum96]

Put as much in it as you can without spilling it when you put in on the pump shaft. Putting a converter on a tranny dry is not a good idea. For those of you that watched the Jessie James special when he went to Iraq to build the wheell standing Hummer, remember what happened? One of the guys helping forgot to prine the converter and it cracked the pump in the transmission.

[gonzalo medina]

Learn something every day here. Thanks for the heads up I have a tranny battle comming up shortly

[willysrul]

Remember to get it seated all the way on the pump shaft. Should all glide together in the end. If you don't get it seated properly, you'll be swapping it out all over again.

[splavin90]

you better put 1qt in that torque converter, it can burn up quick, and then you'll have to tear everything apart.

watch the jessie james iraq special.

it's better to be safe, than sorry.

it's like priming your engine oil when your building an engine

[69rangerman]

Thanks guys. Don't want to have to do this again anytime soon.

[hillbilly67]

splavin90 "you better put 1qt in that torque converter, it can burn up quick, and then you'll have to tear everything apart."


What burns up in a torque without oil on start up? I ask this question to everyone that replied. And how would a converter not being filled cause a pump to crack? Careful with your answers now, I owned a transmission shop for 11 years. We had a lathe to chop the converters in half and rebuild them. I have done literally hundreds of them, so, I was wondering where all this info is based upon?

It isnt going to hurt to prefill, but, its not going to do any good either.

[Maxum96]

What burns up in a torque without oil on start up? I ask this question to everyone that replied. And how would a converter not being filled cause a pump to crack? Careful with your answers now, I owned a transmission shop for 11 years. We had a lathe to chop the converters in half and rebuild them. I have done literally hundreds of them, so, I was wondering where all this info is based upon?

It isnt going to hurt to prefill, but, its not going to do any good either.

Does an automatic transmission not have bearings and bearing surfaces in it? Are there not areas of metal to metal contact in an automatic transmission (specifically the gearoters of the pump and the snout of the converter)? The basics of mechanics has taught me that you always have lubricant on bearings and bearing surfaces before you place them into operation. This is why we always prelube an engine prior to the first time we start it.

In case you didn't see it, Jessie James of West Coast Choppers built a wheel standing military Hummer that used a GM auto transmission (i think it was a Powerglide). The group helping him build the Hummer failed to prefill the converter. When James fired it up on the jacks and tried to run the transmission through the gears, it would not work. Tear down inspection revealed that the ring gear portion of the gearoter pump of the transmission had failed and broken. There was not any ATF in the converter or the pump on tear down. James stated that it appeared the ring gear overheated due to lack of lubricant.


You may have gotten away with it many times not prefilling a torque converter, but I'd be willing to bet by doing so increased the wear significantly on the bearing surfaces. My question is, why risk having increased wear and damage by not prefilling the converter? You'll never cause any increased wear or damage by prefilling.

Just my 2 cents

[fordman]

why do i pre fill my converters you ask what will burn up. i have no idea what will or could burn up. i prefill them so i woun't have to put so much in through the dip stick tube. thats the only reason i have ever done it.

[hillbilly67]

Maxum96 #1- We are talkin about the torque converter here, not the transmission. And the bearings and bushings are always lubed with lithium grease for startup. This applies to converters and transmissions. On a used torque, there is always residual oil left. #2-The pump does not suck from the torque, it feeds it. Not filling a torque has nothing to do with knocking out a pump. If there was no oil at the pump, it had to do with the suction side, (pipe, filter/pickup, no oil in the pan, o-rings, valve body, blockage, etc) #3-You state "You'll never cause any increased wear or damage by prefilling."
Yes you can do damage by filling the converter. Simple. Same reason as not to prefill filters on a diesel engine. You are dumping in unfiltered oil. You run the risk of dropping contaminants into your bearings and bushings.

[hillbilly67]

Fordman-Thats actually the best reason.