4HP22 torque converter seating question

[Dash01]

I'd say yes to the first two. If I have the correct tranny, EWD104 in Bentleys shows you have a hydaulic pressure regulator and a TC clutch solenoid valve in there. I'd think either of them not working would do the trick.
You may need a mirror but have a look up the side of the gearbox and see if you can spot the cable - its about 3/8". Obviously that leads to the socket
If thats disconnected it wont work. But IIRC you didnt drop the tranny? Maybe a bit late asking this but did the tranny work fine before the engine change?

Thanks again Whiskey--don't know what I'd do without you guys.

No, I didn't drop the tranny, so to my knowledge there's no reason that plug would have been disconnected or harmed. But, it was my kid under the car who unbolted the bell housing, etc. and he says he didn't mess with anything but bellhousing bolts.

The tranny worked fine before the engine swap, but then the car has been sitting outside for months, in a moist climate, so perhaps if transmission fluid is like brake fluid and absorbs moisture from the air, maybe moisture caused some internals to corrode and bind. (I get that idea from Shogun's valve body rebuild YouTube video, where they notice water in the VB, jamming the little pistons and ball valves.)

The transmission fluid is not red, but rather pretty clear. Is this a BMW thing, or does red ATF go clear with age? So, I'm hoping that dropping the pan and VB for cleaning with a new filter and ATF might fix this. That would sure beat removing/replacing the whole transmission, esp. if the pump is broken.

Also, I may backfill the cooler lines, which are apparently pretty dry and drip-less when disconnected. Presumably the radiator ATF section is also dry, as nothing drains from it, either. Could it be, such backfilling would prime the pump?

Does anybody have a good schematic drawing showing how ATF is supposed to flow through this system? What about one-way flow, or check valves that might jam? If so, could the pump draw all the ATF out of the radiator lines, then concentrate it in the tranny due to jammed or clogged check valve?

[Dash01]

I'd say yes to the first two. If I have the correct tranny, EWD104 in Bentleys shows you have a hydaulic pressure regulator and a TC clutch solenoid valve in there. I'd think either of them not working would do the trick.
You may need a mirror but have a look up the side of the gearbox and see if you can spot the cable - its about 3/8". Obviously that leads to the socket
If thats disconnected it wont work. But IIRC you didnt drop the tranny? Maybe a bit late asking this but did the tranny work fine before the engine change?

Thanks again Whiskey--don't know what I'd do without you guys.

No, I didn't drop the tranny, so to my knowledge there's no reason that plug would have been disconnected or harmed. But, it was my kid under the car who unbolted the bell housing, etc. and he says he didn't mess with anything but bellhousing bolts.

The tranny worked fine before the engine swap, but then the car has been sitting outside for months, in a moist climate, so perhaps if transmission fluid is like brake fluid and absorbs moisture from the air, maybe moisture caused some internals to corrode and bind. (I get that idea from Shogun's valve body rebuild YouTube video, where they notice water in the VB, jamming the little pistons and ball valves.)

The transmission fluid is not red, but rather pretty clear. Is this a BMW thing, or does red ATF go clear with age? So, I'm hoping that dropping the pan and VB for cleaning with a new filter and ATF might fix this. That would sure beat removing/replacing the whole transmission, esp. if the pump is broken.

Also, I may backfill the cooler lines, which are apparently pretty dry and drip-less when disconnected. Presumably the radiator ATF section is also dry, as nothing drains from it, either. Could it be, such backfilling would prime the pump?

Does anybody have a good schematic drawing showing how ATF is supposed to flow through this system? What about one-way flow, or check valves that might jam? If so, could the pump draw all the ATF out of the radiator lines, then concentrate it in the tranny due to jammed or clogged check valve?

[632 Regal]

Mattering on what tag is on the side of the trans it is possible yours dont take the red stuff. If the fluid is filled enough the pump should prime right away > 1 minuteish. What worried me is that you started it without the converter being in all the way. You initially said you had bout 2mm free on the bottom of the converter, and now you had about 3mm... Not sure what to make of this. Usually in removing the TC you will have a loss of fluid, especially in trying to get the sucker back together.

I think before you do anything more that you contact Kirt Kohller, he is like the ZF king: (800)624-3876 ext 5735
or direct at (616)748-5735

Good luck with this!

[Dash01]

Mattering on what tag is on the side of the trans it is possible yours dont take the red stuff. If the fluid is filled enough the pump should prime right away > 1 minuteish. What worried me is that you started it without the converter being in all the way. You initially said you had bout 2mm free on the bottom of the converter, and now you had about 3mm... Not sure what to make of this. Usually in removing the TC you will have a loss of fluid, especially in trying to get the sucker back together.

I think before you do anything more that you contact Kirt Kohller, he is like the ZF king: (800)624-3876 ext 5735
or direct at (616)748-5735

Good luck with this!

Thanks bro, that helps a bunch. I'll call Kirt.

I didn't start the car without the TC being in all the way. Rather, was buttoning it all back together with bellhousing/engine flanges mated, found slight (~1/2 mm) binding of drive plate to TC nuts, re-read horror stories about TC seating failures, so slackened the bellhousing bolts, jiggled the TC until it seated further so it now had ~2-3mm gap between TC nuts and drive plate with bellhousing/tranny flanges snug, then installed and torqued TC/drive plate bolts. The engine was turned by hand maybe a revolution or two in the process to line up the TC nuts with drive plate holes, rather than uber-torque at startup. No noises or leaks in the process.

Still, I could have buggered that pump either on re-assembly, or previously when pulling the engine apart from the tranny, with TC still bolted to engine drive plate. That was a mistake. No weird noises or crunches were heard in any of this.

Now, since the thing sat for months, I'm wondering if crud buildup in the valve body has frozen up some of the check valves, etc. preventing ATF flow. There is nothing dribbling out of the radiator hoses or radiator when hoses are taken off, so those lines and the radiator are presumably pretty dry. Dipstick says full. Cavitation at the pump?

I hope to sort this out, and share insights with all. I suspect that at least some ZF transmission failures in our cars may not have been so bad after all, and that some transmissions might be more economically fixed. Shugun's YouTube videos with keywords "E32 body valve" and similar vids. should be seen by all.

[whiskychaser]

Maybe its time to take stock. I'm sure the ZF guy will have some pointed questions:
What is the ZF tranny type and BMW long number off the plate?
Is the plate black or green?
Is the selector lever moving
Is the ATF the correct type and to correct level?
Is the filter clear or even recent?
Are there any fault codes?
Is it showing transprog?
I think your ATF should be Dexron III. Its normally red. Type of ATF and amounts are here:
http://www.crag.ch/downloads/OilReferenceGuide.pdf
You havent said as much but I think we have all been there: 'WTF? do I have to do it all again?' I hope not Yes I know its boring and methodical but humour me
Edit: After a bit of searching I've found you CAN get Dexron III in colourless form!