Bellhousing cracked Reply #15 – October 07, 2014, 12:21:13 AM I'm wondering if you wouldn't be better off just transferring the guts to a new case. Quote Selected
Bellhousing cracked Reply #16 – October 07, 2014, 05:10:49 AM Ford converters are very tough to get all the way in. You have to use a straight edge to make sure it does not stick out. just wondering why did you torque them down to 50 lbs ?? Way to tight just sayingWhat happened is either the converter was not all the way in and Fords normally have 3 steps to bottom in the pump. Or you did not have the Tranny all the way flush with the block. If the bell face is not flush with the block never draw it in with the bolts. And always spin the converter as you pull the tranny closer to the block. Or measure the depth of the converter before wrenchig it home. That is what cracked it. It was pen 15ed. Also was it all the way on the dowels?? And was the dowels cleaned and the holes in the tranny cleaned out to get the dowel holes up to specks. I alwayshiznit those dowel holes with a rat tail file and measure them for fit. If they are tight when removing the tranny they absolutely need to be addressed and fitter looser. I would have the tranny redone with a new case.Note normally always snug up the bolts near the dowels first. Never the top ones as they are to far away from the dowels. That is most likely what cracked the unit. And always snug the bell bolts down evenly. And slowly alternating them around by little incroments. Clearly the unit was pen 15ed and not against the block. Sorry that sucks. Quote Selected
Bellhousing cracked Reply #17 – October 07, 2014, 01:18:47 PM Quote from: TOM Renzo;438801Ford converters are very tough to get all the way in. You have to use a straight edge to make sure it does not stick out. just wondering why did you torque them down to 50 lbs ?? Way to tight just sayingWhat happened is either the converter was not all the way in and Fords normally have 3 steps to bottom in the pump. Or you did not have the Tranny all the way flush with the block. If the bell face is not flush with the block never draw it in with the bolts. And always spin the converter as you pull the tranny closer to the block. Or measure the depth of the converter before wrenchig it home. That is what cracked it. It was pen 15ed. Also was it all the way on the dowels?? And was the dowels cleaned and the holes in the tranny cleaned out to get the dowel holes up to specks. I alwayshiznit those dowel holes with a rat tail file and measure them for fit. If they are tight when removing the tranny they absolutely need to be addressed and fitter looser. I would have the tranny redone with a new case.Note normally always snug up the bolts near the dowels first. Never the top ones as they are to far away from the dowels. That is most likely what cracked the unit. And always snug the bell bolts down evenly. And slowly alternating them around by little incroments. Clearly the unit was pen 15ed and not against the block. Sorry that sucks.Yeah, I can't get the thing flush. After 2 stops, the converter is around 0.5" from bellhousing to bolt hole surface. I can spin and slide it in another ~0.4" at this point, which should be the pump engagement - 0.9" total. Converter spec sheet says it should be 1.030". Stock converter goes in the same 2-stops, but the third 0.4" allows it to slide in far enough for the hub to sit flush with the bellhousing. Basically, both converters go in the same way/same amount, but the PI one is sticking out 1/8", which is also the difference between output shaft tip to hub tip. Any idea about this Tom? I assume it still shouldn't be a problem, since the pilot hub to impeller is the same distance - it will bolt up to the flexplate and have the same crank engagement area as the stock unit. There would just be 1/8" more engagement on the transmission side, which it SHOULD have clearance for.I don't have a valid number yet to reach Precision Industries.I torqued to 50ft/lbs after doing some googling, and finding most people recommending the 45-55ft/lb range. Some oddballs were talking of quite higher numbers. Anyway, the bottom four were 3/8" racket-tightened first, without an issue. The top also appeared flush from the engine bay, with upper intake removed. That is what throws me off. Small tolerances are small tolerances though - I assume it was just slightly off. Dowels and hub were lubed with the only thinner oil I had on hand - engine oil. I have another can of lithium grease at home now.This entire ordeal also brings up a good topic from years past. I figured my old converter was bad - in gear at low load, the TCS would command lockup, but it acted like it kept jumping in and out of lockup. My fix was a small line-pressure increase at low TPS values. I could have been driving with a damaged pump this entire time. I'm going to be pulling the pump and inspecting it, and replace any bad parts.As far as the crack - I think the bellhousing still has a chance, if supported/wedged together well during welding. I'm going to try it. If I haul the transmission and engine block down to the guy's shop, it is a $55 repair attempt. Best case, it works. Worse case, I'm spending $400 on a used transmission to likely swap parts between. I have no idea what to do past the valve body or front pump though. I assume looking up a service manual, and spending a days' worth of time, would be sufficient. Quote Selected
Bellhousing cracked Reply #18 – October 07, 2014, 07:39:38 PM I woul;d try the converter on the engine and flex plate without the tranny. Another words try is on the engine and flex plate first. Then do some measuring and math. that converter was to far out. Why is something you have to investigate. But if they sent you a defective or wrong converter they will have to settle up with you for a new case. Good luck That sucke. That iswhy i always go with caution with aftermarket stuff. Quote Selected
Bellhousing cracked Reply #19 – October 07, 2014, 09:22:40 PM I didn't realize that the entire planetary gear assembly is pretty straight-forward. After looking into it for a couple hours, I now think I could rebuild one of these reasonably easily. The intro videos on youtube from "psygn0sis" are quite revealing. Going to see what happens with the welding, but rebuilding a core transmission isn't so scary now that I see that these really aren't too complicated. More complicated than a manual transmission, but "easier" than an engine - don't need to measure everything. Quote Selected
Bellhousing cracked Reply #20 – October 07, 2014, 09:28:49 PM I double checked my stuff from PI. I don't have a phone number from them. Nuts. Quote Selected
Bellhousing cracked Reply #21 – October 07, 2014, 09:34:46 PM I agree something is seriously wrong. Quote Selected
Bellhousing cracked Reply #22 – October 07, 2014, 10:36:43 PM Quote from: TOM Renzo;438829I agree something is seriously wrong.It's fine. After the thing is welded together, I will bolt it up on my new spare engine block w/crank, and see exactly what it looks like. I will pull the flywheel and cover from the engine in the car to make the thicknesses the same. Won't know more until this weekend. Quote Selected
Bellhousing cracked Reply #23 – October 08, 2014, 09:57:16 AM Is this the company you bought your torque converter from?http://www.converter.com/Darren Quote Selected
Bellhousing cracked Reply #24 – October 08, 2014, 10:44:38 AM Wait - I just noticed they put their number at the very top of the page - who could miss that?! I was looking under "contact", past e-mails, and their social media!Anyway, yes. Precision Industries.Quote from: Aerocoupe;438839Is this the company you bought your torque converter from?http://www.converter.com/Darren Quote Selected
Bellhousing cracked Reply #25 – October 08, 2014, 05:43:11 PM I never even bothered to look at their website since you mentioned you couldn't find their number on it. There it is plain as day . Quote Selected
Bellhousing cracked Reply #26 – October 09, 2014, 09:19:45 AM It was a shoot as I thought with the phone number that big and plain as day it had to be another company. Hopefully they can work through it with you and figure this out. I had a vibration with my old motor trans combo for years and never could figure it out. Tried shimming, offset bushings, you name it and it finally went away when I ditched the Lakewood bell housing and just put a stock aluminum one back in the car. Talk about frustrating and a lot of time and money out the window.Darren Quote Selected
Bellhousing cracked Reply #27 – October 10, 2014, 09:40:50 PM Welded up and looks good. Still tempted by a new case now that I know how simple it is. Saw another dude disassemble the thing in about 15 minutes. Seems quite easy to pull these apart, as long as one has a decent pair of snap-ring pliars.The welder made note that it looked like the broken off piece was already previously cracked, and just went unnoticed. The surface of the crack wasn't fresh. Who knows - I didn't look that closely when I had it out.I found a case locally for dirt cheap. I believe the cases are different between years? Basically early vs late model? Quote Selected
Bellhousing cracked Reply #28 – October 10, 2014, 11:26:46 PM Quote from: Seek;438922Welded up and looks good. Still tempted by a new case now that I know how simple it is. Saw another dude disassemble the thing in about 15 minutes. Seems quite easy to pull these apart, as long as one has a decent pair of snap-ring pliars.At some point...a big goal of mine is TO rebuild an auto trans. Or at least disassemble and re-assemble. Just to say I did it. I can deal with VB's...now I wanna tackle the gearset and servos! Quote Selected
Bellhousing cracked Reply #29 – October 11, 2014, 08:59:58 PM So yeah - these things are pretty simple. I need to find a good second flat-head screwdriver to get the last piston out (the one that snap ring pliers won't work on), but it's quite simple. I'm trying to find how to inspect the pump for damage. Other than that, I have a 7 tooth output shaft to swap in, so I won't need to use that one calibration unit that I purchased some years back, for higher numerical rearend gears.The hardest part is simply cleaning the new transmission case, and sucking out fluid in the old case as I reach puddles. Quote Selected
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