torque converter dilema on 200 4r in 442

[Silent viewer]

my transmission is shot in my 86 442, i am not sure if we ran it too low on fluid or if the previous owner toasted it. i have another 200 out of another 86 442 that i am going to swap in until i have the cash to have the other rebuilt. when i pulled the spare transmission and converter out of storage we noticed that the stock converter looked like it was leaking, upon further inspection we found a hairline crack in the casing facing the motor side about a inch or so long. ok so the original transmission when i dropped the pan after fresh fluid had a bunch of black silty type of stuff in it, i am assuming whatever went bad left this behind, there were no metal shavings and the fluid was still clean. i am wondering if i should A reuse the converter from the original transmission even though the pan had the silty residue in it B weld the crack in the spare converter C spend 140 on a new one from the parts store that says that it is a direct replacement for the 442 or D do i buy a high performance converter for it? my current motor is a 355 chevy built up a bit but it will be getting a ram jet 350 long block with a holley stealth ram bolted on in the future. please keep the purest comments about why i should have went with a olds motor to yourself lol, im working with what i have here and what i know best 🙂

 

[dream on mcss]

I'd say you just reuse the old one but MAKE SURE YOU FLUSH THE TRANS GOOD!!! Welding up the other converter is a bad idea because it throws the balance off big time :shock: , and if you were gonna go through all that trouble I'd say buy a new one. So I say either option A if you flush all the old crap out of there and if you have the money and don't feel like doing that just do option C and buy a nice new one, just PLEASE don't weld the cracked one lol.

 

[Silent viewer]

how do i flush a torque converter? or should i just throw it in and drop the pan after i run it a bit?

 

[dream on mcss]

how do i flush a torque converter? or should i just throw it in and drop the pan after i run it a bit?

Im not exactly sure, but I was thinking just a trans flush would maybe do the trick. I'd look it up before I attempted anything though.

Edit: Take a look at this for reference: http://www.ehow.com/how_7641747_drain-t ... fluid.html

 

[RITTER]

You can use a wet/dry vac and suck the fluid from your old one :idea:

I have done this with torque converter cores, because they are supposed to be empty when we ship them back.

 

[dogsht]

I would put in a quality shift kit like what CKperformance sells & change the filter & fluid before putting your spare 442 trans in with the converter from your existing 442 trans. Once in & working have it flushed. When you get the funds together you will still eventually need to have it rebuilt or rather built up reusing your shift kit. At that time you should have your 442 converter built up; furnace braised anti balooning & an even better stall to match your motor & cam. Its useable up to a 3,000 stall & with a working lock up won't cost you any mileage, heat in your cooling system, or driveability. It will work like a normal converter under part throttle.

When you have the trans rebuilt use a custom built or "CZ" ie MCSS servo for shift points that take advantage of your cam/motor peak HP rpm shift points. IE most 200-4r shift WOT at 4,200 the 442s at 4,800, the GNs at 5,200, & the MCSS at 5,600. Fwiw I had good luck with the two I had built by WWW.extremeautomatics.com.

 

[TexasT]

When you have the trans rebuilt use a custom built or "CZ" ie MCSS servo for shift points that take advantage of your cam/motor peak HP rpm shift points. IE most 200-4r shift WOT at 4,200 the 442s at 4,800, the GNs at 5,200, & the MCSS at 5,600. Fwiw I had good luck with the two I had built by http://WWW.extremeautomatics.com.

I think you mean governor(as apposed to servo) to get the shift points. I think if this route is chosen the valve body that matches the governor should be used. I think it might be best to have an expert like Lonnie do the building unless you like to drain fluid and drop the pan a "few" times to get the shift points you desire. a 200 4r surely is NOT a th350/400. If you want a decent one you need a specialist.

 

[woody31]

check with a GOOD local trans shop, they should be able to flush the converter,..DO NOT install it in another trans until you have it flushed by a shop. there is no way you can get all that junk out any other way,, if you cant get it flushed , buy another converter,,, ya dont want to trash another transmission ,,, a starting point would be a factory D-5 convereter
cheers,,,good luck