brendan603

Newbie here. And full disclosure, the car is not 100% Oldsmobile. I have an 85 Buick LeSabre that I have swapped and Olds 350 into.

The engine runs great but the car does not move or show any signs of wanting to move in any gear. Park engages so I am assuming it is not the linkage, but in gear with the engine running it is as if the car is neutral. Engine just revs and does nothing.

We kept the original 200-4r transmission and swapped over the torque converter. The transmission was working fine when the engine was pulled. It has been sitting for about 6 months.

Hoping this is something stupid/simple? Ideas?

nicks1966

What converter did you use?

Gpc1

check the fluid level, also if you didn’t fill the converter before installing that may be why it won’t engage

brendan603

I don't know what torque converter it is - whatever was stock on the 85 LeSabre with a 307 Olds.

I do not think we filled the converter before installing, so that could be it. Do we need to drop trans again to do this, or will it pick up fluid from the rest of the tranny if we keep filling? (sorry if this dumb question)

nicks1966

you wont need to drop the trans, the converter will fill as long as there is fluid in the pan. Put fluid in and keep checking the level, you don't want to overfill the transmission

70W-32

Was the converter fully seated before you installed the engine?

Sugar Bear

Did the engine and transmission bellhousing mate flush together on their own or did you have to use bolts to pull them together? Are the converter to flex plate bolts installed? Did the converter have to be pulled toward the flex plate about 1/4" to start the bolts?

Trying to figure out if the converter was seated in the front pump of the transmission.

Good luck!!!

oldcutlass

At this point, you might as well just check the level of the fluid in the transmission and add whats necessary. You need to do this with engine running and in park.

nsnarsk65cutlass

Maybe broke the pump if the converter was not seated properly.

brendan603

Added a bunch of fluid - took about 3 quarts and now reads at the right level. Still nothing.

This is a father son project and my son re-installed the torque converter... not blaming, just don't know the answers to your questions, but thanks for pointing me in the right direction. I'll check with him about how it went together.

I do believe he fully seated the torque converter to the engine/flywheel before installing. Is this wrong?

oldcutlass

Was the engine running?

svnt442

The torque converter needs to be seated into the transmission properly or you will damage the pump in the transmission. If you didn't remove the torque converter from the transmission, then you should be OK there.

How are you checking the fluid level? it needs to be checked with the car on level ground and running.

One last question....are you are that the converter bolts to the flexplate were installed? I know it sounds stupid, but I have seen it happen.

Sugar Bear

The torque converter goes into the transmission first, it is then rotated and needs to "jump" back twice, this seats the converter into the transmission pump. The engine and trans are then mated together, after they go flush together the bell housing bolts are put in and tightened. After this is done the converter is pulled forward approx 1/4" and bolted to the flexplate. If the converter was on the flexplate first and the engine and trans were pulled together with bolts there is a chance the front pump on the transmission has been damaged.

Good luck!!!

Schurkey

At this point I wouldn't guarantee that the converter from the "parts" trans is compatible with the trans installed in the vehicle.

As in, "was the converter from a TH350, and you've crammed that converter into a TH200-4R?"

matt69olds

Let it sit overnight, before starting the engine pull the dipstick and note the fluid level. Reinstall the dipstick, start the engine. Pull the dipstick again, if the fluid level didn’t drop chances are you broke the pump. The converter will drain with the engine not running, that will make the fluid level rise on the dipstick. Starting the engine will cause the pump to refill the converter and oil cooler, making the fluid level drop. If there is no change, same to say something broke in the pump. You can be 100% sure by removing a cooler line, and then have a helper start the engine. You should see fluid coming from the radiator or cooler line (depending on which line you disconnected. No fluid,= bad pump

Olds64

All the advice above is great! If you do all of this and you're still wondering if the pump in your transmission was damaged you can put a pressure gauge on the auxiliary port on the transmission.

brendan603

both the torque converter and transmission were from the same running & driving car. They match. The only thing we swapped was the engine.

We definitely did not install torque converter correctly following those instructions.

I assume the tests others mentioned to validate whether pump is working should only be done after reinstalling correctly?

Gpc1

You may have gotten lucky, I would unbolt the torque converter and try while turning it to push rearward , you should get two “clunks” as you turn and push . Then you can move it forward to rebolt the converter.
hope this helps, good luck. Don’t start it again until you’ve done this.

brendan603

Finally had time to work on the car today, so just a quick update. After all that, turns out the issue was that my son had forgotten to install the torque converter to flywheel bolts. (doh)

Put those in and took her for a quick drive! (first time in a year)

Thanks again for all the advice. Glad it was something simple but kinda embarrassed it was something that dumb.

Gpc1

Glad to hear you found the problem. Its a good idea to locktite the torque converter bolts too.

70W-32

Might seem dumb. but just an oversite. Ive seen professional mechanics do far worse. Like installing an engine without the flexplate installed. Glad you got it running.

oldcutlass

X3, glad it was something simple.

svnt442

I'm glad it was something simple and didn't cost you anything to fix.
Now it's time to enjoy the car!!