4l80e install question

[Schurkey]

Perhaps a moderator will move this from "Engine" to "Transmissions".

 

[tayto]

You WILL want to make sure the torque converter is fully seated. It'll drop in a few times. Once the trans is bolted up, there should be something on the order of 1/4" gap between the flex plate and torque converter when you shove it all the way down. You should have to pull the converter up to the flex plate to bolt it up.

should be between 1/8" to 3/16". any bigger and you need to shim the converter. any tighter and the converter and/or flexplate has been manufactured wrong or converter not seated correctly. this all has to do with how the converter engages on the pump.

You should get three clunks when installing the torque converter. As you push it back you'll hear it hit. Rotate it while pushing inward and it will slide in and clunk again. Then rotate and push inward again and you'll hear it clunk a third time. So long as it doesn't slide back out, you are ready to bolt. I've had torque converters skip a clunk and go right in, and I always pull them back out and verify the clunks. You really don't want to dork this up. Three clunks and you're golden.

a better method is to put a straightedge across the bellhousing and measure to the converter mounting pad. with the converter fully seated this measurement should be about 1 1/8".