Hi, I have 5.9 '98. Grand Cherokee with 46RE transmission. The car was broken when bought, during transmission rebuilding I found that who ever messed with it before me put the wrong torque converter - 3 of the bolts will align with holes on flex plate but 4th will not in any position. I guess it is from 5.2 44RE or similar, as the TC obviously has bolt pattern with offset bolt while the flex plate has symmetrically positioned holes. Flex plate has weighs on it, while TC has no visible weighs. TC looks to be in good shape, one way clutch works as I could see by fingers and there was no metal debris inside, and they are quite expensive to rebuild over here in Serbia. Can I use it as is with 3 bolts, or to enlarge the 4th hole on the flex plate to align it as well or it would not be a good idea? Thanks!

 

More likely its the wrong year torque converter. Prior to 96, (95 and older) the balance weights for the 5.9 were on the torque converter, in 96, they moved to the flex plate, and the t/c was neutral balance.

 

But i do have weights on flex plate and no weights on the tc, so that shoukd be the match, right? But still hole won't align..

 

One of the two is wrong. Weights on the flexplate indicate it is the correct part. That leaves the torque converter.

 

I even think that someone messed up with those little threaded plates which are welded to tc body, altought I can not figure why, as this don't have to be disturbed even during tc rebuilding on a lathe. I saw fresh traces of welding on the housing near these plates and the weldings are rough and look like they were made from hand by amateur. Also that 4th hole misaligns only for about half of its diameter while 3 others perfectly match - if tc had offset bolt pattern intentionally shoudn't it be more obviously offset? What if I Just cut off that one problematic threaded plate of the tc housing and re-weld it to match the alignment?

 

Only picture I made before reinstalling the tranny back to the car where tc is visible

 

I think cutting and welding with the trans in the truck would be more problematic than simply dropping the trans again, and putting the correct converter in there...... Line it up on the flexplate, to make sure the new one works, before sticking it in the trans, and installing it.

 

No, no way of doing it with the trans in I thought to remove it out and then do the mentioned correction.. I know the best solution would be to replace it with new one but the matter of act is that rebuilding the TC (or buying a rebulit one) over here in Serbia costs about 30% of the car price.. the problem is that there is only a few cars with automatic transmission over here so parts specific for them are next to impossible to find and cost senselessly too much even when you find it. I could purchase from ebay but the shipping would be astronomic bearing in mind the weight. That's why I am doing all this gymnastics

 

Before 96 ALL ALL ALL Dodge inline 6 and V8s had 1 torque converter/flex plate bolt slightly "off" so they would only bolt together 1 way, because the weights were with the converter NOT the flex plate. Once they switched to flex plate weights then they changed the bolt spacing on these bolts to symmetrical, I'm talking back at least into the 1960s maybe longer. The bolt spacing holding the flexplate to the engine are similarly offset, will only line up one way. This was because when the balance weights (for those engines that needed them were part of the converter, this insured that the balance weights would be in the correct orientation relative to the crank when assembled. Yeah I remember having to start the flexplate to converter bolts until I came to the 1st one that wouldnt line up, then take them out, rotate the converter 90* and try again////
and no, a 44 RH/RE converter WILL NOT fit a 46 RH/RE no way, no how...... because the diameter of the pilot that slides into the front pump is different between them.

Somewhere on a converter newer than 95, will be stamped with "90*". that tells you that all 4 converter to flexplate bolts are evenly spaced. I have ovaled out the one "oddball" hole in the flexplate when I have been in a jam.

 

That actually sounds like the best solution here.....