First off I just want to say that you have a great forum here. I have been lurking and reading a lot over the last two days and have decided that this would be a good place to go for the advice that I need.

I have a 98 Durango with the 5.2 4wd and I need to replace my torque converter. I just purchased this vehicle two days ago for my fiance and came to realize that the previous owner had cross threaded the torque converter bolts. So on the drive home two bolts came loose and screwed up the threads and oval out the holes on the flexplate and the other two bolts are snapped off in the converter. I am on a budget like most people and just want to get this truck going. I am wondering where the best place to purchase a torque converter is going to be and also a flexplate. I would like to get this asap so hopefully I can drop the tranny and swap it and reinstall quickly. Any and all advice would be greatly appreciated, also where can I find out which trans I have?

 

if you just purchased it 2 days ago i would take it back to the dealer and demand that they fix it, most cars from a dealership come with at least some sort of warranty

 

You're assuming that it wasn't a private purchase (craigslist, newspaper, etc...). Considering that he's on a budget, it seems likely to me that it was.

As far as where to get a torque converter and flexplate, I'd start calling salvage yards. Others will chime in soon and recommend that you never use anything but brand new parts, but I'm on a budget myself and sometimes you just have to save a few bucks where you can. Just remember that salvage yard parts are always a crapshoot. Might be as good as brand new, or you might be calling them up for another one in three months. That's just the gamble you take when you need to save some bucks.