I have a 2001 F150 auto trans and I installed a rebuild engine. I have all the trans bolts started and torque converter bolts lined up and can turn the motor. But when I tighten them all up I can't spin the motor. I have the trans in neutral and all plugs are out. I'm thinking that maybe the torque converter is getting in a bind.(thought I made sure the converter was in place but now I'm second guessing myself. I am dreading having to pull the motor back out to maybe fix the converter. So this is my last chance if anyone has any other ideas that i can try before I pull it out. Sure would be great if you do.

Please help

 

It must be binding, make sure you have the engine and trans lined up as close as possible before you start torquing the bolts. Sometimes a couple of longer bolts with the heads removed can be temporarly installed on each side of the engine then slide them through the trans bolt holes as alignments. You are going to have to work them around until they buckle up. Just start tightening the bolts a little at a time working around the radius and keep moving the two together until they mate. If you tighten one side and then move to the other side and tighten the bolts it will bind up. Are you sure the engine you are installing wasn't from a manual shift and they left a pilot bearing in the crank/torque convertor pilot hole?

 

Not sure about the pilot bearing but I can bolt it up all the way tight but thats when the motor won't turn. Loosen it up a tad and it will turn. Guess i will just have to pull it to check it all out. Didn't know if there was something I can do to help get the torque converter get out of a bind without pulling it.

 

Well if it buckles up all the way then there's no pilot bearing in the crank pilot hole so thats good. Do you have the spacer/starter plate installed between the trans and engine?

 

Yeah I have the plate in and tried like you said I trying to think of some kinda way I can get this converter back in without taking the motor back out. I starting to think I am just delaying the inevidable. But hey thanks a million for your advice.

 

Another thought is don't put excessive grease in the crank pilot hole. It can compress and actually prevent the torque convertor from seating completely into the pilot hole. Sounds nuts but can happen.

 

Yeah I pulled it back out and looks like I didn't have the converter fully engaged. Just my luck.

Thanks Again

 

I'm not sure exactly what you mean by you lined up the converter bolts.. or the converter wasn't completely engaged. I'm doing a swap myself, cant the TC be mounted to the flex plate before the install? I haven't made it that far, curious as to if it can or not. I'll get to the removal of the old motor today so well find out. I'm guessing by what your saying that the motor needs to be slid forward a bit and the 4 TC bolts have to be removed.. or through the access plate/cover leaving the tc in the tranny? and then opposite being installed.

 

My motor was seized up so I had to pull the converter out with the motor to get to the four bolts. If yours is the same case then you will have to pull the motor and the converter out together, therefore you will have to reinstall the converter back into the tranny before you install the motor. And please learn from my mistake and make sure that the converter goes all the way onto the shaft of the tranny, you should feel it snap in. Also when you install the new motor there was a pink mark on my converter and a pink mark on my flywheel (not sure if it is important) but I lined these two marks up, just in case it is important. Hope you have better luck than I have had, please feel free to ask me anything if you run into a problem installing it, I'm not an expert but may have learned the hard way. Good luck and hope this answered your question.

 

Sorry, yes you will have to access them through the inspection plate for both install and removal.

 

Thank you.

 

Toyz- Thank Cason for making that mistake. No, you don't ever bolt the convertor to the flex plate. The convertor ALWAYS goes in the trans and don't quite turning the convertor back and forth till you fell it drop ALL THE WAY BACK onto the palls that it engages with in the trans. Sometimes it takes a little work getting 'em to drop in, sometimes they go right in, but that's ALWAYS a sign that it isn't ALL the way in if you bolt it up and it locks the motor up. I did my DIL's Lexus RX and it was rather difficult to get it to drop all the way. I even thought it must be in because I couldn't get it to go any farther but fortunately the Lexus repair manual gives the measurement from a straight edge across trans flange to the TC when it's all the way, and sure enough, after working another couple of minutes it dropped in and measured perfect. If I had bolted it up and tried to start it, the starter has enough power it would have turned it, AND MADE A MESS OF THE TRANS.. I have never done that but have seen it done, and it does make a mess.

P.S. I would even suggest doing what Lexus put in the manual. Make sure the convertor stays on the tranny ALL the way back when you separate them and then use a straight edge on the trans case and measure back to the TC. That way you'll know when you go back in whether it's all the way back or not. (CLOSE DOESN"T COUNT!)

 

I think the issue he had with his was that the original engine was locked up forcing him to remove the engine with the torque converter attached to the flex plate.

 

My mistake was not checking the converter again after the first time I installed the motor. I did originally put the converter back in the tranny before I installed the motor, but when I installed the motor I realized that the morons I got the motor from broke the dipstick tube in the block, and the only way to get it out was to drop the pan. After taking it back out, I failed to check the converter again. Once I get the converter back in place and I know for sure I will try to take a measurment and a pic to document the distance needed, maybe it will help another guy going through the same issues.