Th350/Hughes RV torque converter won't engage

[SpeedlabDan]

Ok I've driven this newly rebuilt trans with the rv torque converter a couple months back but after oil leaks and what sounded like a cracked flex plate I parked it in disgust n threw my tantrum.
After a couple months I resealed a bunch of stuff and decided to shake it down once again but now it's not goin into reverse to get out of the shop. Nothing at all other than a ratcheting when put back in park. As if it were still rolling. I'm gonna perform a psi test tomorrow but the noise I was hearing leads me to think this t/c is bad. Just poking around to see if anyone here has had any issue similar. I'd like to figure it out before I just bolt the stock converter back in bc that thing hooked fine n threw the axles/d shaft in the swamp. Flex plate is good. Bolts are tight. 383stroker 505lbft Hughes GM11XTM T350 30sp 3pd HD TOW. Fresh rebuild on the th350 professionally. Thanks guys

 

[ChrisPerry]

Is your transfer case in gear?

 

[SpeedlabDan]

Is your transfer case in gear?

Hmm you know I didn't even think to check that. That would make me a smacked ass lol

 

[Bent77]

Hmm you know I didn't even think to check that. That would make me a smacked ass lol

Tcase issue is bad

Smacking ass is open for debate depending on recipients


I’d also double check the shifter timing. No reason the torque converter should cause that issue

 

[SpeedlabDan]

Damnit I'm an idiot! That's a what I get for over thinkin shit! Hahahaha if ya can't laugh at yourself... thanks

 

[Bent77]

Damnit I'm an idiot! That's a what I get for over thinkin shit! Hahahaha if ya can't laugh at yourself... thanks

Was it the tcase then or shifter?

 

[SpeedlabDan]

Was it the tcase then or shifter?

I forgot I left it in nuetral after sweeping from 4low to 4hi to see if the shifter would hit my trans temp pod on the bottom of my switch panel. Everything seems good now I'll shake down tomorrow and hope for no oil leaks or strange noises.

 

[1-ton]

Damnit I'm an idiot! That's a what I get for over thinkin shit! Hahahaha if ya can't laugh at yourself... thanks

That's OK. I have had several pick-up trucks that have saddle tanks, and a couple of times the tank selector rocker switch was not all the way in position, thus my truck would not start. I tore a whole bunch of sh!t apart thinking my truck had something totally wrong with it...only to find at after all that my tank switch was not in it's full tank selection position.

 

[Bent77]

Man I hate it when I cause myself more issues than I started with.

Glad you got it sorted Dan

 

[SpeedlabDan]

That's OK. I have had several pick-up trucks that have saddle tanks, and a couple of times the tank selector rocker switch was not all the way in position, thus my truck would not start. I tore a whole bunch of sh!t apart thinking my truck had something totally wrong with it...only to find at after all that my tank switch was not in it's full tank selection position.

That's good to know especially since I'll be bringing my 84 3+3 home in a couple weeks n I've never dealt with dual tanks on a Chevy before haha I'll have to remember that

 

[SpeedlabDan]

Man I hate it when I cause myself more issues than I started with.

Glad you got it sorted Dan

Thanks man it's been a long year and a half with this truck and you would think being a "mechanic" every day my own stuff would go a bit smoother but I broke all my own rules while building a better mouse trap by changing too much at once and it leaves me disoriented sometimes like today lol

 

[Bent77]

Thanks man it's been a long year and a half with this truck and you would think being a "mechanic" every day my own stuff would go a bit smoother but I broke all my own rules while building a better mouse trap by changing too much at once and it leaves me disoriented sometimes like today lol

We all do it. Good catch @ChrisPerry

 

[ChrisPerry]

 

[Fordum]

For future reference, the ratcheting sound when you try to put it in park, is a dead giveaway that the transmission output shaft is spinning. The means that there is no load on it. Usually a transfer case in neutral, or broken.
I get that a lot with my PTO winch.
I use it with the transfer case in neutral. Which means, its almost impossible to put the transmission in park when winching With the PTO engaged, usually the transmission will stall in neutral. But I need to have the transmission in neutral to disengage the PTO. Park usually leaves enough of a load on the PTO that it will not shift out of gear.
But, once its out of gear, its almost impossible to get the transmission in park so I can shift the transfer case into gear, since the output shaft spins even in neutral.

Normally I have to turn off the truck, shift the transmission into park and recrank it.
Sometimes, if I am in a hurry, I can drop the transmission from neutral into reverse, wait just for a second for it to start to shift then drop it into park. If I time it right, it slips right in.