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Old Sep 16, 2013 | 06:46 PM
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Question th400 complications

4K Stall, no Trans cooler...

When taking off from a dead stop it revs really high before it even starts pulling a little bit and sometimes it wont pull at all...
On the other hand, it pulls in reverse just fine...

It has plenty of Trans fluid so what would be causing this?
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Old Sep 16, 2013 | 06:48 PM
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No cooler with a 4K stall is pretty risky and foolish but it keeps transmission shops in business.

Are the cooler lines looped or blocked?

Might need to put a pressure gauge on it and see what's going on.
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Old Sep 16, 2013 | 07:04 PM
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Theyre blocked, I was told it would be ok for a little while. Ive only driven the car a handful of times, maybe a total of 30-40 miles.
My guess was that it was getting to hot.
What should my pressure be running at?
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Old Sep 16, 2013 | 09:26 PM
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You're likely not getting good converter charge. You cannot just block cooler lines. I don't know where you've been getting your information but it's not good.

Put a cooler on it and then worry about it. Hopefully you haven't damaged it.
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Old Sep 16, 2013 | 09:37 PM
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Will do... Are most coolers the same or do you have a certain one you would recommend?
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Old Sep 16, 2013 | 09:58 PM
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Use the biggest one you can fit.
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Old Sep 17, 2013 | 10:16 AM
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Originally Posted by Jake's Performance
Use the biggest one you can fit.
Hate to thread jack but which trans cooler would you recommend? as i am in the process of switching to a th400 and where would you mount it for maximum efficiency?
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Old Sep 18, 2013 | 08:41 AM
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Most people mount them in front of the radiator.
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Old Sep 18, 2013 | 06:33 PM
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I bought a derale cooler with it's own dedicated fan, and mounted it flat underneath the body of the car right next to the TH400. But mine is a track only car. Nothing wrong with running the lines to the front of the car. I do like this cooler though. It is about a 10"x10" cooler.
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Old Sep 19, 2013 | 09:20 AM
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I wouldn't want it there on a DD. You could have issues with road debris etc.
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Old Sep 19, 2013 | 09:17 PM
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Well I got my Trans cooler all hooked up today... I guess I was a little too late because all I have is 1st gear
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Old Sep 19, 2013 | 09:35 PM
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Originally Posted by InsaneDomestics
Well I got my Trans cooler all hooked up today... I guess I was a little too late because all I have is 1st gear
That sucks. Hopefully it's just clutch failure and not a bunch of lube related issues.
For future reference (to everyone reading), the cooler lines cannot be plugged.
The short story is, the pump makes what is called converter charge, this feeds the converter so it can do its job and keep it lubed and cool. It MUST be filled to work. If it has air in it, it will do all sorts of strange things.
I think you're higher than anticipated stall was one symptom in this case.
Converter charge pressure is something that gets a lot of scrutiny in a big power combo but gets little attention on the average setup.
One the fluid leaves the converter it goes out to the cooler, and then back into the trans, where it then goes to lubricate all the bushings, planetaries, etc before running back to the pan.

If you have a blocked or restricted cooler line, it can cause converter fill problems, lube failure, and engine thrust bearing failure.
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Old Sep 20, 2013 | 06:29 AM
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It was making a whining sound when I put it in reverse and gave it some gas.. Is that any indication of what my problem is?
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Old Sep 20, 2013 | 09:21 AM
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Originally Posted by InsaneDomestics
It was making a whining sound when I put it in reverse and gave it some gas.. Is that any indication of what my problem is?
The problem is that you mis-installed the transmission and burnt it up. Rebuild it, have the converter cut open and checked out, and then install it correctly.
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