premature presicion converter failure, suggestions?

[Flyin Brian]

I damaged a Precision billet 9.5" multi-disk lockup 3500 rpm stall converter after 1500 miles of "moderate" driving. Stall speed is way up and a handfull of parts are rolling around in it. Took it to shop today,they will be into it tomorrow. Trans is very well built. Don't know if Precision will warranty the converter as it was bought nearly 3 years ago. I notice their warranty is 5 years now but was like 2 back then. It clearly should not have broken this soon with my combo. Any suggestions? I am using a TT chip that does not lock up the converter at WOT by the way. If I have a chance to switch should I get something else?? Non-lock up? Different stall? Different brand?

 

[bison]

Cut your losses and order a 9.5" PTC. Contact Dusty Bradford on here.

 

[Dusty Bradford]

I damaged a Precision billet 9.5" multi-disk lockup 3500 rpm stall converter after 1500 miles of "moderate" driving. Stall speed is way up and a handfull of parts are rolling around in it. Took it to shop today,they will be into it tomorrow. Trans is very well built. Don't know if Precision will warranty the converter as it was bought nearly 3 years ago. I notice their warranty is 5 years now but was like 2 back then. It clearly should not have broken this soon with my combo. Any suggestions? I am using a TT chip that does not lock up the converter at WOT by the way. If I have a chance to switch should I get something else?? Non-lock up? Different stall? Different brand?

Do you have an et goal in mind for the car?

 

[turbo nasty]

I damaged a Precision billet 9.5" multi-disk lockup 3500 rpm stall converter after 1500 miles of "moderate" driving. Stall speed is way up and a handfull of parts are rolling around in it. Took it to shop today,they will be into it tomorrow. Trans is very well built. Don't know if Precision will warranty the converter as it was bought nearly 3 years ago. I notice their warranty is 5 years now but was like 2 back then. It clearly should not have broken this soon with my combo. Any suggestions? I am using a TT chip that does not lock up the converter at WOT by the way. If I have a chance to switch should I get something else?? Non-lock up? Different stall? Different brand?

Your over 3k on the stall so you need to go NON L/U . Dusty will get you fixed up.

 

[Flyin Brian]

Do you have an et goal in mind for the car?

My et goal is to get into the 10's and still drive it to and from the track. That should be possible with my current combo. Wouldn't a non-lockup kill the highway mileage and cause excessive heat buildup in the fluid? I was happy driving the 3500 lockup on the street and track for the short period of time that it worked.

 

[turbo nasty]

IMO its best not to force lockup at WOT for trans and convertor longevity. With that said the inherent design of a lockup and a required stall over 2.8 k will make it slip real bad unlocked on the big end.

So its gain 200 rpm on the highway, produce lil more heat and burn a lil more gas but....it will pull better than a sloppy L/U unlocked going down the track.

Most people think they can run a 3k plus L/U inlocked and yes it spools and comes out the hole but they are losing alot on MPH and tenths. Its just the design.

Do a search, theres a good thread on the design of L/U's and why they slip when the stall is over 2.8k.

Also you could send your convertor to PTC and get some credit towards a convertor from them with your old one. Dusty will give you the details.

 

[Grumpy]

they will stand behind it..about 500' !!! Like others have said there are a LOT of converter threads out there. I like LU's because the majority of our driving is on the street.

 

[Flyin Brian]

IMO its best not to force lockup at WOT for trans and convertor longevity. With that said the inherent design of a lockup and a required stall over 2.8 k will make it slip real bad unlocked on the big end.

So its gain 200 rpm on the highway, produce lil more heat and burn a lil more gas but....it will pull better than a sloppy L/U unlocked going down the track.

Most people think they can run a 3k plus L/U inlocked and yes it spools and comes out the hole but they are losing alot on MPH and tenths. Its just the design.

Do a search, theres a good thread on the design of L/U's and why they slip when the stall is over 2.8k.

Also you could send your convertor to PTC and get some credit towards a convertor from them with your old one. Dusty will give you the details.

That makes sense. I did drive a 3000 stall non-lockup on a big 4x4 with a TH350 for years. Just put a big trans cooler on it. I should hear from Precision today but am not expecting much. Non-lockup converter should be cheaper too. Thanks for all the input!

 

[turbo nasty]

Another plus with Non L/U's that never gets mentioned is they stay better balanced due to no clutch compoinents wearing over time

 

[Grumpy]

Another plus with Non L/U's that never gets mentioned is they stay better balanced due to no clutch compoinents wearing over time

raced these beaters since 86 .. NEVER had a LU "go out of balance" To this day I still drive with a LU switch ready. 12 sec down to the 9s.. Guess we were just lucky

 

[TR Custom Parts]

Cut your losses and order a 9.5" PTC. Contact Dusty Bradford on here.

x2, probably overkill for me as my GN hasn't seen the track since 02, I like my PTC converter. Don't really notice the lockup being gone now. I am only running a B&M trans cooler with the fan on it, not going thru the radiator at all and high temps are not an issue. Dusty is easy to work with.

 

[turbo nasty]

raced these beaters since 86 .. NEVER had a LU "go out of balance" To this day I still drive with a LU switch ready. 12 sec down to the 9s.. Guess we were just lucky

Relax young fella.... look how well the stock recip assembly does "unbalanced". LOL

Its not drastic but they will drift further off from initial balance vs. Non L/U is all. Youll never know the difference.

Yeah Ive burned through my share TCC's in D5's, Protorque's, Pats, etc etc. Locking them at WOT.

That clutch lining breaks and burns off and clogs holes in all sorts of places and cause planet failures and all sorts of disaster. Been there done that.

Hows the Hybrid coming Grumpy?

 

[Dusty Bradford]

Every issue with the non lock's of the old days has been addressed. If built right, they don't burn fluid or cause excessive heat.

You will gain 150-200 rpm or so at cruise but that calculates out to 5-10% slip. Not much difference in mileage.

As for price. There are non locks that are nothing more than a lock-up minus the clutch so they will act just like your current converter unlocked. My non lock is based on an entirely different design so it doesn't have the drawbacks of the old non locks.

 

[Flyin Brian]

Good news. Took weeks but Precision did warranty the torque converter even though it was out of the original 2 year period. A stator fin had broken off. Got it back in the car today and it runs good. Got a couple of more years of warranty too. I will definitely switch to a PTC non l/u next time based on what I have read here. In the mean time I may experiment with locking the Precision at WOT next time I am at the track.
Thanks again for all the input.