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Have you had torque converter bolts come loose?

Don Frelier

Don Frelier

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I've had it occur twice this year.
First my truck after driving it 6 years and likely over 40,000 miles.

Just last evening on my Plymouth after 3 years.

Both times I cleaned the bolts ( Plymouth had new bolts) installed with blu loctite and torqued to factory specification.

Oh and both converters were new as well.

I used to just get them as tight as possible with a small box wrench.

I'm going back to the old incorrect way.
 
I'm with you on the tight as possible, without ripping your knuckles off. I've made the up- step to red now
 
RemCharger said:
I'm with you on the tight as possible, without ripping your knuckles off. I've made the up- step to red now
Click to expand...
Luckily both were caught early.
The small block is a pain because you need to pull the starter to get the dust shield off.
 
It is a crappy situation.
I've been there. CLEAN bolts, RED Locktite and snug bolts have still backed out. The 5/16" bolts with fine thread make me nervous to tighten where I'd feel comfortable. I've never put a torque wrench on them, just Locktite. There is no room for a lock washer.
 
Never had them come loose and I don't use locktite on them either.
I just tighten them 90+ degrees to engine rotation to get them tight without spinning the engine.
 
I use red locktite also. Before I started using it, I did have them come loose after driving 2.5 hours to a test and tune and had no way of tightening them at the track, so 2.5 hours back home.
That was 20 years ago, and never had it happen again.
 
There is an orange Loctite that is high strength but doesn’t require heat to remove. Of course on smaller bolts a longer wrench or bigger arm usually gets them off with red.
 
what are the symptoms if these bolts start to loosen? Vibration and sound? My engine builder who installed my engine and trans torqued to spec and used red loctite. 7000 mi and a few dozen hard passes and so far so good.
 
Yeah, I had it happen, once. Initially, I thought my engine was f@cked. I flat-bedded it home, courtesy of my CAA card. Further investigation determined that the drive plate came loose from the crankshaft. I bought a new drive plate and crankshaft bolts. I torqued to spec's with Red Locktite. O.K. after that.
 
I have removed and reinstalled TC bolts several times and none of them ever came loose Once on a SB Chevy/TH350, 3-4 times on a SB Ford/C4 and 2-3 times on my 383/727 Satellite. All re-used original bolts with no loctite.

Longest stretch was about 30 yrs/30k miles on my Satellite. All were still tight when I pulled the engine late last year.
 
Why do these YouTube people always say "We are going to talk about....."
There is no WE. You were the only one talking.
Secondly...at 2:20, he states that on big blocks, you can't get a socket on the bolts. Uhh, if the flywheel is clocked right, you can. The 2468 side allows access.
 
Yes, and it sounds like a rod knock which is funny :) I use red loctite and a wrech+deadblow to tighten/loosen them (couple of whacks) which i believe is the proper torque :)

And Dust shied? they exist? :)
 
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