Pump failure - any idea what caused it???
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From: Grand Rapids, MI
Pump failure - any idea what caused it??? Well I am 99% sure my pump failed. The symptoms are the car won't engage in fwd or rev gears, acts like it always in neutral except for park, fluid shows overfull even though it should read normal, very little trans fluid flowing through the cooler lines, fluid brownish-red, gray sludge in the bottom of the pan.
After reading MANY posts it appears that pump failures almost always occur when someone doesn't install the TC correctly. They don't fully engage it on to the trans with three clicks or they bolt it to the engine and then install the trans. I do have a Fuddle 3400 TC and B&M trans cooler that were installed by a local repair shop. The trans was fine for about 2 years (25k miles) with the new TC.
I am about to have my trans replaced with a used, lower mileage trans. I decided not to have the original trans pump repaired because of the amount of gray sludge in the pan. I am looking at having the Fuddle stall cut and cleaned.
Is it possible that the local repair shop installed the TC incorrectly and it took 2 years before the pump was damaged? Or is there something else that could have happened to the pump? The car and trans have 110k miles. THANKS.
After reading MANY posts it appears that pump failures almost always occur when someone doesn't install the TC correctly. They don't fully engage it on to the trans with three clicks or they bolt it to the engine and then install the trans. I do have a Fuddle 3400 TC and B&M trans cooler that were installed by a local repair shop. The trans was fine for about 2 years (25k miles) with the new TC.
I am about to have my trans replaced with a used, lower mileage trans. I decided not to have the original trans pump repaired because of the amount of gray sludge in the pan. I am looking at having the Fuddle stall cut and cleaned.
Is it possible that the local repair shop installed the TC incorrectly and it took 2 years before the pump was damaged? Or is there something else that could have happened to the pump? The car and trans have 110k miles. THANKS.
Last edited by ARCTICWHITE98Z28; Feb 14, 2009 at 09:03 AM.
Launching!
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From: Modesto, Ca
I had a verry similar situation a while ago. Had a full trans performance build done/ new torque convertor, Lasted a year and 18k miles then at 120mph racing on the freeway at 2am lol my pump stator snapped in half taking out the pump with it! When it was inspected the shop said my flexplate was cracked and suspects that may have caused this. here's what the flexplate and pump stator looked like.... BTW cost me $1200 to fix, new plate, new stator, new pump, rest of trans was fine...
The damaged flex plate may be the cause or converter spacing
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You should be running an SFI flexplate, and hopefully your builder put in the HP rings that separate the vanes. Make sure you put the converter snout in the crank with the flexplate on and make sure they mate with no binding. Use Lithium Grease in the snout to help the converter "slip in and out" as the "flexplate" flexes during operation. Measure the distance from full converter engagement in the pump, with the trans installed before the converter is bolted to the flexplate, to the flexplate. It should be 3/16"-1/4" at best. Good Luck.
PS, Check your crank endplay-.003"-.004" is spec.
PS, Check your crank endplay-.003"-.004" is spec.
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With close pictures of the pump rotor it may be possible to determine why it broke but in some cases they just break , 2years and 25000 miles would make and install error causing it unlikely
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12 Second Club
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From: Grand Rapids, MI
If I replace my trans, flush the cooler lines and trans cooler, inspect the flex plate, and have my converter cut and cleaned should I be good to go? Or do I need to replace the converter? I am thinking of having FTI do the cut and clean. THANKS.