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TCI converter won't stay locked

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Old Apr 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.
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Old Apr 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
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Old Apr 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; Apr 25, 2013 at 10:06 PM.
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Old Apr 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.
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Old Apr 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.
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Old Apr 26, 2013 | 10:22 AM
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Car made 347rwhp unlocked, but the converter was acting crazy even unlocked on the dyno.
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Old Apr 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.
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Old Apr 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; Apr 27, 2013 at 09:34 PM.
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Old Apr 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.
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Old Apr 27, 2013 | 09:58 PM
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You kept the same converter and only rebuilt the tranny and the problems disappeared?
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Old Apr 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.
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Old Apr 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.
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Old May 3, 2013 | 09:34 PM
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I have a PTC 4000 stall I'll be installing next week and I will update
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Old May 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
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Old May 10, 2013 | 10:08 PM
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Thanks for the update. Glad you got it working.
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Old May 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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