I have an 1987 w150. J just got done building a 318 with a .420 442 cam. Started the engine and and runs fine untill i put the truck in gear. It starts to bogg way down and then stalls. Put back in park and starts right back up. The truck ran grate before i put the motor in. I then pulled the dust coverver back off and unbolted the flexplae off the torque converter and its locked up. Can spinn it at all. My question is, is it possible for a converter to go bad out of the blue. Or is my cam too big? Any advice is appricated.

 

have you checked the trans fluid level? how did it sound when you fired it back up since the ring gear is on the torque converter? can you get it to idle in neutral? could maybe be the carb is out of tune.

 

If the torque converter was not totally seated on the trans input shaft when the engine was bolted to the bell housing, what you are experiencing can be the result.

 

It was kind of hard to start. Slow turning over. But idels at 800 in park and neutral.

 

Hard first starting with a freshly rebuilt engine is not uncommon but should not continue.

In park and neutral the output shaft is hydraulically/mechanically disconnected from the input shaft because no bands or clutches are energized. This will allow the engine to run normally even with a locked up torque converter because the shafts are not bound together.

When you put it in any gear, different bands and clutches are hydraulically energized and a lock-up between the input and output shafts occurs. When this happens a frozen, locked up, or bound up torque converter will cause stalling because there is a direct connection from the engine to the wheels.

If the torque converter is not seated fully the torque converter will bind up. Did you make absolutely sure the torque converter was fully seated and engaged with the front pump in the transmission? Were you able to get the face of the bell housing to slide up against the mounting surface of the engine without pulling them together with the bolts?

 

yes i made sure the converter was all the way back, i had about a 1/2 inch between the converter and the flex plate. dropping the transmission tomorrow morning. ive heard several theories on possible problems, when i unbolted the flex plate from the converter i can not spin the converter by hand.