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TCI converter won't stay locked

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Old 04-25-2013, 09:01 PM
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Default TCI converter won't stay locked

I put a TCI super street fighter in my 01 SS at the same time I did a cam and long tubes. Got it on the dyno today and it will not stay locked long enough to make a full pull. He ended up having to tune it with the converter unlocked. I guess I'll pull it and go with Yank or somebody.
Old 04-25-2013, 09:02 PM
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Also on the highway cruising at like 70 if you try to lightly accelerate the converter tries to unlock and lock and acts crazy till you let off the throttle
Old 04-25-2013, 09:13 PM
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None of the converter suppliers recommend Locked WOT pulls on single disk clutches. Yes, dyno operators do it to boost their numbers, but it is extremely risky and indeed may have ruined your converter. And even one WOT lockup on the track can ruin the clutch. WOT lockups should only be done with triple disk converters, which are much more expensive and heavy.

IIRC the TCI super street fighter (I had one) is a GM V6 converter modified to have a higher stall. It has an exceptionally small and weak lockup clutch.

EDIT: Since I'm certainly not a converter expert, I looked for supporting threads. I did find this one:

https://ls1tech.com/forums/automatic...erter-wot.html

There is a more recent thread of where some converters are cut apart so show the size of the lockup clutch.

Last edited by mrvedit; 04-25-2013 at 10:06 PM.
Old 04-26-2013, 08:41 AM
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I did the cam, converter, and longtubes at the same time and the converter never acted right and would lock and unlock in 4th. I just assumed it was the tune, but unfortunately it wasn't.
Old 04-26-2013, 09:48 AM
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That converter is not built to be locked, so you probably screwed it up. Also, if you're not locking the converter when racing, don't lock it on a dyno, unless you're into bench racing or being a dyno queen.
Old 04-26-2013, 10:22 AM
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Car made 347rwhp unlocked, but the converter was acting crazy even unlocked on the dyno.
Old 04-26-2013, 12:43 PM
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The clutches in the Streetfighter series are way,
way too wimpy to take WOT torque locked. And
would need the tune (line pressure, force motor
table) worked over to even have a prayer.
Old 04-27-2013, 09:26 PM
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Commanding lock-up and then doing a WOT pull on a dyno isn't the same as locking the converter in the middle of a WOT run down the track. Still, it's stressful on the clutch and it may not hold. Although it's true TCI clutches are weak, my guess is that your problem is more a need for tuning than a toasted clutch. Here's a thread that discusses the issue: https://ls1tech.com/forums/automatic...ight=unlocking

Last edited by RevGTO; 04-27-2013 at 09:34 PM.
Old 04-27-2013, 09:53 PM
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I have the same converter and everything you just described is what my car was doing before the transmission blew. I had the 60 rebuilt stronger and the converter was great.. All those issues were resolved. Mine was also notorious for making like a grinding sound whenever the converter would try to unlock itself during regular acceleration.
Old 04-27-2013, 09:58 PM
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You kept the same converter and only rebuilt the tranny and the problems disappeared?
Old 04-27-2013, 10:10 PM
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The car was tuned by a very good shop in GA that tunes a lot of high end stuff. I'm sure it's not in the tune.
Old 04-27-2013, 10:12 PM
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I have the same converter and everything you just described is what my car was doing before the transmission blew. I had the 60 rebuilt stronger and the converter was great.. All those issues were resolved. Mine was also notorious for making like a grinding sound whenever the converter would try to unlock itself during regular acceleration.
Old 05-03-2013, 09:34 PM
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I have a PTC 4000 stall I'll be installing next week and I will update
Old 05-10-2013, 08:31 PM
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Well the PTC fixed the strange issues, now I've gotta tweak the tranny settings in hptuners
Old 05-10-2013, 10:08 PM
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Thanks for the update. Glad you got it working.
Old 05-10-2013, 10:56 PM
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I had a TCI ssf in mine and the lock up clutch was toast as well.



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