Nothing on the paperwork except genetic notes

 

Hhhhmmm....... It *should* line up....... Think I would have a shot at it again.

 

I ran into this before with an aftermarket converter. What I did to solve it was to sit down with the converter and flex plate and align them as best possible to the one-way bolt pattern. Then, I use a die grinder to open up the one hole on the flex plate just enough to allow the bolt to clear. The last thing I do is put a visible paint mark on both the converter and the flex plate to make it easier to bolt everything up in the vehicle. This worked for me. The other option I had was to send the converter back for an exchange, but I decided it wasn't worth the time and aggravation.

 

I worked on it for about 3 hours trying every combination. I may try again tonight when I get home.

 

Any problems with the balance? This is a 318 so it's internally balanced and I don't want to damage any internals

 

Should not be - there should be no weights on that flex plate or on the converter. Also, the bolt hole should only be slightly off. If its way off, then something is really wrong. Keep in mind that I did this mod with the converter and flex plate in my lap (off the vehicle), so that I could really see what was going on.

 

Learned something new today. Torque converters with the 90 degree bolt pattern have a 90 or a 0 with a line through it that identifies them. The models that do not have the 90 degree bolt pattern simply have a 0 or at O with an x in the middle. The converter I pulled off has a the 90 degree bolt pattern which is correct for my year model. I'll have the replacement one pulled tomorrow and it'll be interesting to see if it's the correct one. Fred, the torque converter guy @ PATC stated he hasn't seen a bolt pattern quality issue in his 25 years as a converter dude. My statement, there's a first time for everything. :-)

Edit: the symbols are stamped on the bolt pad side either between the pads or on the next flat surface towards the center.

 

Interesting. So, they sent you the wrong converter... Ooops.

 

So, was it way off or was it even close?

 

^ Pic on first page, not too close in my book.