Got sort of a newbie question. I blew the transmission in my daughter's 94Z with 4L60E. I was told by the previous owner that the transmission had recently been replaced. Knowing this, I think I can assume that the torque converter would be fairly new (at least it looks relatively clean and like it hadn't been in there too long). My question is can I flush out the torque converter and how would I do that? And, is this NOT a wise thing to do, considering I blew all gears but 1st in the transmission?

FYI, when I asked the guy at the tranny shop about flushing it he said "no can do". He said you used to be able to with the older ones because they had drain plugs, but no longer. I just didn't know if this was a standard answer, that it is a real hassle to flush out, or that it truly is a stupid thing to even consider.

Thanks for any and all input.

Greg

 

What they do is cut them open on a special lathe and clean them out that way, then weld them back up. It isn't that hard for a tranny shop to do if they are equipped to do it in the first place. They can also restall a converter once it's open, braze the fins, rebuild the clutch, put a thrust washer in it, etc.

The guy is right in that our converters don't have a drain plug, so it's also hard to even drain it in the traditional sense, like you used to be able to do when you were changing the trany fluid. You would pretty much have to pump it out as the car was running and as you are adding new fluid.

 

Thanks for that information Kevin. That was quite helpful. I'm starting to understand automatic transmissions a little more now. I guess maybe this shop doesn't have the equipment to cut it open.

Thanks again!

Greg