Transmission Install Problems!!!Help!!!

[kwears]

Hi All,
My mom has a 1998 Explorer 4x4 and the tranny went out. She went and got a new tranny from the local Ford dealer and the darn thing will not go in. We line up the bolts and can get them started but the tranny will not snug up to the block. Is there a special trick to this thing? The torque converter is fully engaged and it still will not go. If anyone can giv eme some advice please do. This is ridiculous. Any helpful advice you can give will be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance.

 

[MountaineerGreen]

Check for wires pinching between the bell housing and block. It may be hard to see, an inspection mirror and flashlight will be helpful.

 

[kwears]

Checked that and everything is clear. keep coming with the suggestions though i caould really use them.

 

[kwears]

Checked that and everything is clear. Keep coming with the suggestions though i could really use them. lol

 

[kwears]

sorry didn't mean to post twice.I'll get this figured out.

 

[THISFORD4YOU]

is it a new torque converter? mke sure the center hub of the verter is same size. but first if your still all bolted up, try turning the flywheel and verter to get them to line up better. make sure your gap around the engine to bellhousing is equal, or everything wont line up.

 

[Bent Bolt]

Hi All,
My mom has a 1998 Explorer 4x4 and the tranny went out. She went and got a new tranny from the local Ford dealer and the darn thing will not go in. We line up the bolts and can get them started but the tranny will not snug up to the block. Is there a special trick to this thing? The torque converter is fully engaged and it still will not go. If anyone can giv eme some advice please do. This is ridiculous. Any helpful advice you can give will be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance.

The torque converter should not be fully butted up to the flexplate even when the bellhousing is bolted up correctly. The converter should still "rattle "back and forth in the flexplate with the trans bolted up. When you install the nuts, it should pull the converter up to the flexplate.

Pull the trans out again and install the converter correctly. The converter should rub up against the pump when rotated.

 

[8588ranger]

The torque converter should be installed on the pump side. You will know when the torque converter is seated properly when 2 soft clicks can be felt
while slowly rotating the converter on to the pump.
By mounting the converter on to the flexplate (like a Chevy trans) first you not be able to properly seat the converter on to the pump. And by forcing
the trans to bolt up together to the block will only crack the pump gears.
Then you will wonder why you don't have foward or reverse!

 

[Glacier991]

That second drop of the TC into the pump is something many folks don't search for, and once they get the first movement into the pump, they think they are seated - they are not. As James, my good friend from Hawaii, has noted, if you keep turning and wiggling the TC you WILL get a second sizeable drop as it fully engages. I'm guessing that may be your issue.

 

[kwears]

We wiggled and giggled and turned that torque converter and it will not seat in there. How do we know that it is the right one? I am not sure what the issue is. The local tranny shop guy told me today that the TC should just about rub on the bell housing and i can still stick my finger in between the bellhousing and the TC. What do you all make of that? I really appreciate all the help that you guys are giving.

 

[Glacier991]

If you place a straight edge across the bellhousing, what is the distance to the snout end of the TC ? It should be about 1/2 inch.

 

[kwears]

I would like to update everyone on what happened with this tranny situation...
First things first though...
I won 5 vehicles and all of them are Fords and would not want to own anything else. I appreciate everyones help with this deal.
So I tried to reinstall the TC and it just would not go in. Then we noticed that the smaller splined shaft would not move (it should). So i took it to the local tranny shop and he said that the splined shaft had come out and was cross splined in the tranny. How could this happen, you ask. We when I took picked up the tranny from the dealer they took all of the brackets and such off of the new one to keep with the core. Including the one that holds the TC in place during shipping. The local tranny guy would not mess wiht it cuz it would void warranty and told me to take it back to the dealer.
That day the dealer really did not want to talk to me but after much waiting and standing around they brought their tranny guy to take a look. He beat on it with a hammer to get the smaller splined shaft out (which was not damaged) and told me that i should not have had to reinstall the TC and that the brackets should have stayed on it for the ride home. He reinstalled the splined shaft and the TC and fashioned a bracket to hold it. The tranny installed like adream then and runs fine.
However, upon further inspection of my core that was still there I noticed that the bracket that was used to hold the TC in place during shipping was did not have the TC seated all the way in. I am pretty sure it was just one of those things that happens on accident. But of couse it had to happen to me.