possible bad converter?

[icetech]

Sorry to post but not sure where to go with this... finally drove my car for about the 5th time tongiht, put bout 40 minutes on it and it's beyond a dog... Since i put the car together just moving it in and out of the garage it never felt right almost like it's fighting itself to move. But no dragging brakes and i could push it fine.

Tonight was the first night i actually got to drive it and see how it goes and basically it takes off like a dog, like im in the secondaries to get it to even move decently but no missing, no hesitation... just feels like it's fighting itself.

What i am curious about is if a bad converter can cause this? I have never had a after market converter before and am not sure what it should feel like.. but it pretty much has no stall. and i was curious if a bad one would make the whole car just feel like it doesn't want to go?

Setup is a small block 9.4:1
Trick flows
RPM intake
Howards roller .530/232@50 on 109.. nothing huge, just a driver.
pushbutton 727 with TF-2 kit all new internals. shifts well..
8 3/4 4.30 gears

Converter is a FTI 9.5" 3200rpm which has pretty much no stall.. I know i'm not making much power at all but not sure if that would make it not stall?

Sorry for being long winded but i am just trying to convey as much info as i can. Hate to blow another $900 on a converter and take this apart and be wrong..

This was tonight from a stop and it doesn't seem to stall at all (no tach in the car at the moment but you can see in the vid)

 

[pnora]

Did you degree the cam?

 

[icetech]

Did you degree the cam?

3 times... it was the first time i did one so i did it a few times starting fresh each time just to double/triple check.. although i still have doubts due to how it's running.

 

[ruffcut]

Your video wouldn't connect but from what you're saying seems like converter. Wondering if you had the converter built to your specs?

 

[icetech]

Your video wouldn't connect but from what you're saying seems like converter. Wondering if you had the converter built to your specs?

weird.. vid won't work here but did on fabo..
Video of car

 

[496 polara]

Was this a new converter?

I have seen a lot of gear effectively eat the stall out of a converter. Double check all the basics such as timing,full throttle,etc.

Stall is based on torque output so get the running nailed down first.

 

[icetech]

Your video wouldn't connect but from what you're saying seems like converter. Wondering if you had the converter built to your specs?

It was a off the shelf FTI 3200(ish since they are all different combos) it's just a street car figured that would be fine

 

[icetech]

Was this a new converter?

I have seen a lot of gear effectively eat the stall out of a converter. Double check all the basics such as timing,etc.

converter is new.. timing seems fine.. i am working on an issue there also.. but the no stall thing is bugging me and the car just doesn't feel right compared to any i had in the past. Never felt something like this before

 

[496 polara]

They should recheck the converter for free.

 

[icetech]

They should recheck the converter for free.

yeah, i haven't talked to them yet.. it's been like 2 years and i shoulda got the lifetime warranty. My own fault. I am just thinking things over at the moment and getting opinions.

I just had no idea how a bad converter would feel. It's like the car is super tight and just doesn't want to go.. hard to explain. and with 4.30s i figured it would be at least peppy.. but my v6 cherokee is quicker right now

 

[icetech]

BTW.. i'm not sure it's the converter, just not sure where else to look.. at speed it cruises fine, no vibration or anything weird.. i think if the shifter was mis-adjusted the trans would have done some bad things already.. i don't think bands adjustments could cause this.

 

[496 polara]

Back to the basics,distributor installed correctly,Carb opening all the way,compression check,etc. Firing order correct? Just throwing stuff out there. I haven't a clue. Folks smarter than me will be along. If you have another known good converter swap it out?

 

[icetech]

Back to the basics,distributor installed correctly,Carb opening all the way,compression check,etc. Firing order correct? Just throwing stuff out there. I haven't a clue. Folks smarter than me will be along. If you have another known good converter swap it out?

155-160psi in all cyls, motor runs smooth and in neutral/park revs/sounds great. i'm going to play with it and the timing more tomorrow. It doesn't just feel like low power though it feels wrong somehow..

My last car was a challenger with 3.91s and a stock converter and it was night and day compared to this as far as how it feels. this almost feels like i'm holding the brakes and trying to take off

 

[WileE]

155-160psi in all cyls, motor runs smooth and in neutral/park revs/sounds great. i'm going to play with it and the timing more tomorrow.

What is your idle vacuum ? What does the needle do when you accelerate ? What is your initial timing ? What is your total timing at what rpm ?

 

[Geoff 2]

If you have a smooth-ish idle, that tells me that the engine has plenty of HP to move the car from a stop. Is it a trans problem, stuck in 3rd gear?

 

[icetech]

What is your idle vacuum ? What does the needle do when you accelerate ? What is your initial timing ? What is your total timing at what rpm ?

idle vacuum is 9inches, initial is 24 total 34.. don't have a tach right now. Not enough power will make a converter not stall at all? that's what i'm trying to determine.. not lack of power

 

[icetech]

If you have a smooth-ish idle, that tells me that the engine has plenty of HP to move the car from a stop. Is it a trans problem, stuck in 3rd gear?

Trans shifts fine, can see it go through the gears in the video above.

 

[dvw]

Did you check TDC on the balancer? Even though the timing numbers seem good? It sounds like it has low timing or partial throttle opening. Also it wasn't wound up with enough rpm before the shifts. Even a stock converter should make that thing rip. That engine should have plenty of power to get well into the 12's.
Doug

 

[icetech]

Did you check TDC on the balancer? Even though the timing numbers seem good? It sounds like it has low timing or partial throttle opening. Also it wasn't wound up with enough rpm before the shifts. Even a stock converter should make that thing rip. That engine should have plenty of power to get well into the 12's.
Doug

The timing thing has bugged me, i have checked the timing mark 3 times in the past cause of it but i am going to check it again after work. It does feel like not enough timing. when i was driving last night i actually pulled over a few times and kept advancing it. (don't trust the mark so was doing it like we use to..find the ping and back off) idle kept getting better and response decent but i ended up according to the timing mark when i checked afterwards at 55ish btdc which is insane and obviously wrong. Even bought 2 timing lights due to not believing the first one. Even with that i couldn't get it to ping or get unhappy (well more than it was)

when i put in the cam howards card said install at 103, i had to advance it 4* to get it to 103.5 which i also triple checked due to my first time degreeing and not wanting to mess up. doesn't mean i didn't though. Am wondering if i can check cam timing without pulling it apart.

tonight though i am going to try to figure out the weird timing mark issue.

I haven't worried bout the motor/power that much just due to how it feels, i have never had a old car or any car feel like it's too tight and not want to take off. It doesn't even want to creep when in gear at idle.. or barely will

Sorry for all the babbling just overthinking and planning ahead. What's funny is i have had at least 20 big block cars and i could do anything and they never gave me issues.. this thing is my first small block and it's punishing me being a SB isn't the issue, just saying it kinda cracks me up..

BTW... cam is hyd roller using a 85 LA roller block and factory lifters that are 1.25 turn past zero (i believe, i have adjusted them a few ways) i need to start writing things down. But no weird noises, fires right up and revs fast and clean in neutral

 

[icetech]

Last thing.. reason i am fixated on the converter is that one way they fail is to slip obviously but i did find some talk that if the sprague fails you lose torque multiplication and it will be a complete dog like i'm seeing and almost no stall. I have maybe 60 miles on it but doesn't mean it didn't have a problem to start with. Wanted to get opinions before i order a PTC