Hey guys, Looking for some info/ tips of Turbo/hyromatics. I want to learn these things, and i might be able to save a few bucks in the process. I have a TH400 that appears to be in good condition. It was given to me and said to be a "Good" trans, I have no way of confirming that. The unit has stickers on it from a professional shop stating its been "re-programmed/ shift kit" However, It does need a torque converter. I would just stick it in with new fluid and see if it goes... But I dont want to pump junk through a new converter I'd like to run this thing...Because well, I already have it. Heres what i planned. *Clean / degrease the unit outside *Pull pan & valve body to clean everything (With the help of manuals) *Install new filter (clean or possible replace pump) *check for damage if evident Thats what i can think of off the top of my head, Does this sound good? What do you guys do when wanting to run an unknown condition trans??? I dont have cash for a shop to rebuild it, And i'd acctually like to learn how to do it. I figure i could invest in books and be no worse for the wear. If i can get a bit of run time out of it then awsome, If not...I learned something in the process and will buck up for a good rebuild when the time comes Im not scared of busting into this thing and getting elbow deep. As of now, I've got a whole lot more time than money Any ideas or tips on a DIY job? *Books/ manuals *Cleaning procedures *Rebuild kits (if needed) *Special tools needed *Hints *Special curse words Thanks for any info, opinions.
I would pull the pan. If its reasonably clean, (meaning a slight amount of metal particles or friction material) and has no water contamination, then a filter change is all that is needed.
i would skip tearing into the valve body, as they may have changed the balls in the holes from stock and if they fly away may not get where they belong,[if it aint broke dont fool with it] maybee you otto think on a new front seal and find out how to properly seat the converter in the drive before installing
what type of motor are you planning to use this with and what type of ride? what is rear gear ratio? search online for engines, etc that turbo 400 were factory installed in. and check dimensions since you will need proper length drive shaft. not having the torque converter is a minus since moving parts wear together. when adding new or other used parts may upset things sometimes. flexplate?
I did my own th400 about 30 years ago, and still have that trans in my tow vehical. I do recall having to buy a Snap-on small thinwall 12pt deep socket for, I think, the bearing support. Other than that, it was pretty simple for an average car guy IMO
2 people open a valve body, ......an expert and a FOOL! I junked a ****** with a wrench and screwdriver, somewhere in WVa there are ball bearings and springs still bouncing.
Exactly. Otherwise a complete tear down is your only other option. I may do that myself but it is not the best idea in the world if you don't have the proper tools and knowlege. I trashed a T-400 when I was learning on my own. but when it went back together the second time it worked real well. I chalked it up to the price of an education. Anyway pull the pan and give it a look, if you don't find metal and your mud is minimal you are good. Mud being a mixture of friction plate dust and oil. Those pumps seldom give you any problems and you have to work at tearing a T-400 up. They are tough as nails.
Could you please tell us more about the lower gear set and its cost? I'd like to do this mod, if it is not overly expensive. Thanks
- Thanks for bringing that up. I'll look into front seals. On the converter seating, I did learn this doing a th350 in my Nova i had. I spent 30min making sure that was the last *Clunk** that would come outta the thing as i put it in and got it fully seated. I understand it will frag itself instantly if not seated right. This is what i'll likely do. I mentioned the pump, because i wasn't sure if there could be any junk in there. (Once again, the fear of messing up a new converter) I'll look into this further, Might just leave it be. All good info & concerns I wanted to make sure my reasoning isn't too off base, Or i was making a mistake somewhere in my logic. It looks like im in the right direction, I'll get one of those books you guys referenced to as well. Thanks for the help guys, I appreciate the real world view ...It seems like when i talk to other people about it, most give you the deer in the headlight look like "Ohhh my god!!! you want to mess with the magic box under the car,,,theres alotta little stuff in there!!!" I do understand the possibility of fu*kin sh*t up. I'll try not to remove the valve body unless im sure of what im doing & its come down to a bench rebuild . My buddy has experience with these so ill have him look over it too. It souinds foolish to some, but I subscribe to the theory of "You can't fix it unless you've ****ed one up...But you learned enough to fix it right the second time" I don't want these things to remain a *MAGIC BOX* if you know what i mean. No one learns by being affraid. I'll chalk it up to experiance & learning.
Got my th350 from picknpull: I cleaned exterior, pulled pan and cleaned, new filter, converter seal, ext housing seal, speedo seals. Hoped for the best and installed. Worked fine for me.....
Its gonna sit behind a 454. 1955 Chevy, 3.73 gears. Im not worried about dims & i'll need a drive shaft made anyways. As far as mismatched parts/ worn in together items. Im not real concerned with it.
I would put new front and rear seals, only because now it is easy and old seals will most likely leak. Pull the pan and if the fluid looks red and not burnt dark red or brown, it is probably OK. If you can tilt the trans up on the tail, a lot more fluid will drain out. Drain as much as you can and the refill with new filter and new pan gasket. T400 are pretty durable trans, I bet it will work fine.
Johny,I had a friend do a c-4 for his little mustang hinself and a shop manual and it's still running. Took his time ( something most of us have little of) and it turned out ok. I have used Desert trans for a number of years here in Vegas and if something wasn't right he made it right and was very resonable on the price I believed. might even help you with the parts etc. Good guy. YRUHOT//Doug. ps if you do it yourself take lots of digital photos just in case you get that " where the hell did that little ball go again"lol
I installed a Magnenfine in-line filter on the return line of the AOD in my avatar. Its a magnetic and media filtration system that removes metal and other contamination that can damage your a transmission. I did the same with the 200 4R in my other car. After 100 miles I pull the Magnefine in-line filter off. Can't be to cautious.
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