atx problems

[n2nsanity]

i recently did an engine swap which i thought went pretty well, until i found that the transmission isn't working.

i pulled it out still attached to the engine since i was reattaching it to the new engine and it is easier to just remove or reinstall with them together
the only fluid that leaked out is what came out from removing the axle and radiator
i'm planning to do a flush soon, so i didn't drain it all out
removed the tq converter from the old engine and attached to the new (i intentionally left fluid in the tq converter)
lined up the new engine and trans and guided the trans onto the engine slowly and carefully, it looks like it can't go on the wrong way as the shaft is notched on the sides.
bolted atx and engine together and dropped them in
put the axles back in, connected atx to radiator lines and all electrical connectors

i added 2 quarts of fluid as soon as i got it back in before starting it
after starting, ran through gears and added another quart or two
it's now reading full, but still not working

there is a faint buzzing sound (sounds electrical to me) when it's in any gear except for park or neutral

i'm hoping theres something just not connected or loose somewhere
i already checked all connectors on the trans and the entire engine bay for that matter. nothing unaccounted for

any ideas? what should i check first?

thanks

[stealthee]

The torque converter needs to be set in the trans first, not bolted the the engine. My guess is the torque converter is not completely set into the trans pump on the trans. Its possible to put bolt it together without the converter being set right. If its not set into the pump, then the trans can't pump fluid and wont move.

[RealMcCoy]

The proper procedure is to have the converter fully installed in the trans before mating to the engine, then bolt the converter to the flexplate afterwards. It's extremely easy to break the pump gears doing it the way you did...

Before you jump to that conclusion though, set the brake, and put it in neutral to check the fluid. It may still be low.

[n2nsanity]

so i messed up? could i have done harm?

what about that buzzing noise i hear?

when i was putting it on, i aligned it with the shaft
notches on sides looked kind of like this (\\)
11 or 5 oclock position

i'm so used to working on 5spds, it just seemed like the proper way to install it. although much trickier trying to get those tq converter bolts off through that little hole

[n2nsanity]

already checked fluid in neutral and in park
a few times...

i hate atx's, so much more stuff to deal with
worst case scenario, i hosed destroyed a very expensive transmission
i was really looking forward to trying this thing out
i've never driven a car with a shift kit before, or a highstall tq converter, or an lsd for that matter...

at least i still have the full 5 speed conversion
would take me at least another week to get that done

[IPD]

already checked fluid in neutral and in park
a few times...

i hate atx's, so much more stuff to deal with
worst case scenario, i hosed destroyed a very expensive transmission
i was really looking forward to trying this thing out
i've never driven a car with a shift kit before, or a highstall tq converter, or an lsd for that matter...

at least i still have the full 5 speed conversion
would take me at least another week to get that done

sounds a lot like the reason some people shy away from forced induction.

what specifically do you mean when you say "it's not working". (assuming it's built correctly) since it has a high-stall, you may need more gas to get it in motion. have all the plugs on the TCU been connected? are you running a tt-ecu--if so, have you modified it to properly work with the tcu? are you getting any engine codes? are the electronics on the transmission native to the 3/s; or are they from a different car (and what year/trim are they from)? shooter83 (evan) never tried using my new trans with the diamante electronics that it came with; so it's hard to say for certain if that could be a problem. it works perfectly with the stuff swapped over from my OEM 95 3kgt trans.

it might also be possible that the mechanicals are fine, and it's simply an electrical issue. if that's the case, you could also try the IPT manual-shift option.

[n2nsanity]

should be all original electronics
i bought this car from another member
had a blown motor
i bought it because i was wanting to see what the 3.5 and built atx could do together
he said trans was fine before engine died
i didn't seen any metal shavings in the fluid that came out

i'm going to go with either (hopefully something electrical is loose) or i need to pull the trans back off and install the tq converter inside the trans first
and hopefully i didn't destroy anything

noone knows what that faint buzzing sound is when i put in any gear but park and neutral?

[IPD]

i really can't say for certain. i don't have any experience with a built f4a33/w4a33, so i wouldn't be able to venture a guess. the DSM guys might be able to help you pinpoint what that is much better than the 3/s guys.

atx's don't just "not work". they'll limp; but it's VERY VERY rare to have one simply not do anything (worst case, they'll do 3rd gear and nothing else--not even reverse). from what i've seen in my years around the forums, the problem most definitely seems to be electrical--since you can't seem to get any type of response out of it. that...or as brian suggested, you've installed the converter incorrectly. afaik, the only proper way to install the transmission is 100% intact; converter already in the trans.

i know there's breakdown manuals for the f4a33/w4a33 online. if you need to find one...let me know and i'll see if i can find the link.

[n2nsanity]

another thing i like about this site
5 views and several replies
on the other site, 25 views and 0 replies....

[RL7]

ATXs will definitely not work without fluid in the right spots. There's no mechanical connection between the engine and atx, its just fluid. I busted a line while driving and lost most of my fluid and the atx absolutely did nothing. I could rev it as high as I wanted and the car wouldn't move in any gear. I had to push it off the road. It was fine afterwards. My no-go situation was because either the torque converter didn't have enough fluid in it or fluid wasn't getting to the valve body.