Re: FW: Tranny rebuilds

["Bill Thebert" <bthebert@domain.elided>]

> From: John A. Landry <jlandry@domain.elided>
> To: Hitchcox, Ken <ken.hitchcox@domain.elided>
> Cc: 'ihc-digest@domain.elided'
> Subject: Re: FW: Tranny rebuilds
> Date: Friday, December 11, 1998 2:51 PM
>>So the only reason to replace the Torque converter is because of
>>contamination? Otherwise, they don't wear out?
>
> Sure sounds that way to me!  I mean, you can't open the thing up or take
it
> apart, so how can it really be "rebuilt"???  

I'm going out on a limb here, guys -- so take this with a grain of salt.

I'm pretty confident that there's a set of bearings inside that torque
converter.  One set of "vanes" is affixed to the outside shell of the
torque converter -- which is driven by the flywheel/flex-plate.  

The "driven" set of vanes free-wheels inside that outer shell on a set of
bearings.  And it's the "driven" vanes and the hub that they're on that
engages the splined input shaft of the automatic transmission. 

Rebuilt torque converters (as I understood it) were placed on a lathe, cut
apart at the outermost perimeter, serviced, and then welded back up.

>>Are there any major components that wear out and need replacement? Like
>>pumps or? 
>
> The torque convertor is the pump.

::: inching further out onto that limb :::

My understanding was/is that the "pump" is *behind* the torque converter. 
It's the thing that you stab the torque converter *into*.  The "neck" of
the torque converter has two notches that engage to drive the "pump".  So
the pump is driven (along with the outer shell of the torque converter) by
the engine and flex plate.  The pump develops the pressure to operate the
servos, bands and clutches, AND to keep the torque converter full, AND to
circulate the fluid through the cooler.

The vanes affixed to the torque converter's outer shell push fluid against
the free-wheeling, bearing-supported impeller vanes -- which in turn drive
the input shaft.

All that said, juice-boxes are like "magic" in my view.  That's why I
prefer 4-speeds.  Sorta similar to my relationship with carbs & EFI. <g>

Bill Thebert
The Binder Bulletin