ORVette

The guy at the transmission shop that did mine before I bought the car said the kid who owned it before me blew out two in 6mo. He said it was for that reason that his dad had them install the converter in it now which he described as a "heavy duty truck converter". I swear the thing has like a 1200 stall speed. The brakes can hardly hold the car back past 1500. Anyway, the guy seemed a little flaky and I wondered if anyone had ever heard of a blown out torque converter. I've pounded the crap out of a lot of TurboHydromatics and never had it happen. Thanks.
Troy

45ACP

Yes, it happens!

I have handled the guts of countless blown converters in my own hands.

norvalwilhelm

I broke 4 a few summers ago. All in one summer. I backed out in front of the house on a brand new rebuild and it tore right there. When cut open the fins are split or tore away from the housing. When a higher stall speed it wanted they bend the vains in a certain direct then furnace braze them to the housing. The force of the transmission fluid can tear the vains causing them to split open or bend them the other way if not welded or tear the weld joints.
I was a very costly summer for me. Over $3000.CDN

gkull

It's more like how many. Therer are several ways that I have managed to tear them up. I had one sawn in half to see if it was repairable because it was $500 or so one. What happened to it was the inner splined stator shattered and bent all the furnace braised fins all up and fed metal all through the tranny That was in a 6500 stall convertor with a transbrake.

In cars if you do drag racing and roll through the water and floor it so your speedo goes up to 100mph and you let off when you hit the dry super sticky surface it causes what they call ballooning (I've done that also) If you power break with a big enough motor low bugget converters just blow.


Always buy better converters with anti-ballooning.


[Modified by gkull, 10:17 PM 12/10/2001]

Steve Straus

Can you elaborate on baloooning? What causes it? Is it hot fluid from the tranny settling in the converter causing expansion?

Curious.

PatsLs1vette

yep i did at the track one night it wiped out my transmission too i had a 3000 stall in it by the time i got back to the pits all i had was first gear.

oger

My first Super Comp car actually caught the fluid inside it on fire. It is not that an unusal occurance

theanswriz42

Wow, this goes to show you learn something new every day. I thought the only way to blow out a torque converter was to install it incorrectly and not get it in all three spots.

:cheers: