Hey all,

I have a couple questions about the 46re torque converter and flex plates on the 318.

I'm replacing my transmission with a used one. My truck is a 2001 with the 5.2 Magnum, which is the identical setup to the new transmission. The transmission i purchased came with a torque converter which the seller claimed would work. Now that I've gotten the new transmission up in place, I can't get the bolt holes to line up. 3 out of 4 go in perfectly fine, but the last one is out by roughly half a hole. Turning the flex plate and trying to line it all up one hole at a time doesn't work.

I've done some reading online and it seems that some torque converters for the 5.9 have an offset bolt pattern. I'm just wondering if the torque converter has to be changed to the correct one for my 5.2, or if I can swap out flex plates to the one from the 5.9 and still use this torque converter? Either way I suspect this transmission is coming back out, but I need to know my options.

 

5.2 is internally balance, 5.9 is externally balance, and the balance point moved from the torque converter, to the flex plate for some time in the 96 model year. So, no, the flexplates are not interchangeable. You need to get the correct torque converter for your engine/trans combo.

Also, are you sure the donor trans is an RE? It should have an 8 pin connector for trans control. The RH will only have a three pin. (the plug that does straight down into the top of the valve body.)

 

Hey sorry for the late reply.

Yes, the donor is an re and everything lines up right. I got a used tc which lined up propoerly to the engine.

The tranny worked great for about 2 days but I'm noticing issues today. Probably around 150km on it so far. It started hard shifting this morning after warming up. Same thing happened this afternoon after more than 30 min drive. Slipped in and out of 2nd and 3rd gears, only while accelerating. When I pulled in the driveway at home, the engine stalled before I could shift into park. When I restarted, it idled great in park and neutral but died as soon as I shifted into drive or reverse. I managed to get this issue to stop by giving a shot of gas while shifting into drive. The engine no longer stalls but the tranny shifts into D and R very hard - enough to shake the truck. I haven't drive it since.

One other thing I will note - there is a small dent in the donor oil pan that I didn't notice until I filled up the fluid. It weeps fluid and has gone down quite a bit in the last few days but still in the safe zone. Not sure it's low enough to cause this issue.

Any ideas? Did I lose the gamble on that torque converter, or maybe the fluid is a bit too low? I might make a dedicated thread for this later.

 

Before you throw any more fluid in it, swap the pan. I would also be REAL tempted to change the governor pressure sensor and solenoid while you have it down.

Another thing to consider is: The crankshaft position sensor mounts between the engine and trans. If you didn't remove it when you did the trans swap..... there is a good chance that the crank sensor took some damage. It's a pain in the keester to get to, but, pulling it out, and inspecting it would probably be a good idea. Dieing when shifting out of park at an idle, is one of the symptoms of a failing crank sensor.... Of course, there are three dozen other possibilities as well.... but, given that the trans has been out recently..... worth havin' a look.

 

Thanks, I’ll try both suggestions. I might try to swap in the governor pressure sensor/solenoid from the old tranny and see if that helps. Is there a way I can test it to diagnose if it’s the problem?

 

If you have a scanner that can read live data, you can monitor the governor pressure, and see what it is doing. Should be zero when stopped, and then go up roughly 1 psi/1 mph.

 

I don't have one so I guess I'll have to try throwing some money at it