I hope this is okay to post this in both the 2nd and 3rd gen sections. The car is a third gen but I don't think it ever came stock with the 350 or the 350 turbo tranny so I am sticking it out in the 2nd gen where I think the application may be more prevalent.

I have a 1986 Camaro that has a 355 with a 350 turbo bolted on it. About 8 months after we got the car, it started leaking transmission fluid out of the front "lip" seal that the TC goes into. After replacing the lip seal we are bolting it back together.

The transmission is all bolted up to the motor nicely. I have a concern though, two of the holes where the fly wheel bolts to the TC have a very small gap between them but one of them has what I would say is at least an 1/8th or better. My biggest concern is that they are not all three consistent?

Does this mean that the fly wheel is bent? I have pulled it apart a couple of times to be sure that the TC is seating correctly into the crankshaft.

Is it safe to just snug them all up and draw the flywheel to the TC on the one hole?

Thanks for any help that you may have out there. I always apreciate the generosity of the time that people spend on here.

Thanks Much

 

All three bolts should be flushed against the flywheel. It is possible the flywheel is bent but I seriously doubt it. you installed the tc into the transmission first before bolting it up to the flywheel right? Check and make sure the flywheel as well is flush with the back of the block. Good time to check/ replace the rear seal. Are you doing the install in the car? You could be bolting it up at a angle or the you dnt have the tc fully engaged on the trans pump

 

Yeah everything should bolt up flush, im sure you have checked but the transmission bell housing is seated flush on the engine right? There was no shmag in your dowel holes or anything causeing the trans to not sit right? Maybe it could be something like the transmission cross member was somehow done up before the trans was mounted onto the engine? As slick said it could be the TC isnt fully seated in the oil pump inside the transmission.

Other then that i have no ideas

 

Thanks for the help guys. I did put the TC into the Tranny and was sure that it was seated well into the pump. I also made sure that the bell housing was solid to the back of the motor....good question though it was the first thing I thought of and checked.

 

Try turning your torque converter with no bolts in it. If the gap remains the same regardless of how it's turned, then the issue is in the flywheel, if it becomes closer as each tab aligns with the mounting point, then your torque converter is the culprit.
You can also pull the coil wire to keep it from firing and have someone crank the engine while you watch the flywheel turn. If the flywheel is bent then it will not turn true, and you'll see the wobble. If you are careful you can hold a piece of rod or wire on the bellhousing so it just touches the flywheel and see how much runout it has as it's cranked.

 

Keep in mind that if the flexplate runout is only a little bit, it's not going to hurt anything. Bolting it up to a solid torque converter will help stabilize it. The flexplate is supposed to be able to flex, hence its name.

 

Thanks again guys. I got this all bolted back together, new front seal in it and ran the motor for about a second to be sure it would start and I had all of the motor stuff right (I pulled the motor and did the tranny to motor assembly outside the car) and as soon as I started to tighten up the coolant lines, it started leaking again our of the front seal. SO, have purchased a 4L60 with the flexplate and TC that came out of a 92 camaro. Replacing everything from the motor back...tired of messing with it.

Are there any land mines that I would want to be aware of on this swap? Going from a 350 turbo to a 4L60.

Thanks again for all of your help.

 

Not sure on the 4L60 swap. I'm planning on a 700r4 swap, as I heard the 4L60 needed a controller to work.

 

4L60 is just a 700R4 by a different name, same thing. 4L60E is a different animal, with having shift solenoids. The 700/4L60 will need an aftermarket controller for the TC lockup, if you want it to work automatically. You can wire a manual switch to lock up the TC if you prefer to go the cheap route.

 

Thanks for all of the help guys. I decided to just replace the flex plate and for the moment the leak is gone. I am not counting any chickens until we drive it but for now I am feeling good.

Now for another rookie question. Where on the motor does the vacuum line from the tranny go? I'm honestly not sure that it was ever hooked up but can it shift without the vacuum hooked up?

Thanks again for all the great help.