I did install an extension on the pickup in the deep pan if I remember right it was a triangular chunk of aluminum sandwiched by gaskets. It is supposed to be a +2 quart pan.

I fired her up this am and added two more quarts of fluid which surprisingly didn’t just over fill up into the dipstick tube. Now it has 9 quarts of trick shift in it. I sat for 5 mins or so slowly shifting from reverse to 1 and back. Nothin. Tires didn’t move at all, no feeling of going into any gear, pan and cooler lines are cold

Yes. I remember being amazed at how small the bolts were compared to the bolts holding the flex plate to the crankshaft.

as stated front band servo piston is installed wrong, also looks like band adjustment is backed all the way out?
gary

If dumping more oil in it didn't result in any improvement, then you can assume it has to come back out. So many small (or large) details could be incorrect, at some point you'll have to have someone look at it. I wouldn't take it apart and then take it somewhere else in pieces.

Me thinks you knock the two drive lugs off the front pump while installing the converter, I did that the first time I installed a converter in my 1962 Plymouth Fury with the 727 I had not understood how hard it is to get the dang converter to install correctly on all the 727 Mine dropped down once, it needs to drop down three times usually
I stand the tranny up so I can drop the converter in and twist and rotate it so it drops down all the way, sometimes it goes good and other times it does not
I do start off by aligning the drive lugs in the pump so they are both at zero and 180 degrees on the front shafts and align the slot in the converter the same way
I found out that by using a straight flat edge like a carpenter square on the front of the tranny bell housing flange that with the converter lugs need to be around .750, 3/4 inch from the converter side of the flat edge
if it won't pump fluid in neutral it is probably the front pump drive teeth broken
Let us know what you find

Here's my trick. Go into the pump with a pick type tool and align the pump ears to 12 and 6 o'clock. Spin the converter in your hands to get the notches to 12 and 6 also, and slide it straight in. Usually it takes a bit of gentle in and out without spinning the converter very far from that position to get it to drop. If it's contrary, you might have to start over a few times. Easiest way I've found.

Ok so it could be a few obvious things but she’s coming back out. I think that pic is from when I had the kickdown piston installed upside down and took pics to compare to my books. I didn’t take a lot of pics doing the trans since I was usually covered in sticky blue grease. I’ll report back once I have the trans dropped...

I’m still curious to know what to look for in the converter- if the snout is ok where it turns the pump how do I know if I smoked the guts of it? It is a holeshot which was like $400- a cheap converter but still ouch

Burnt = fluid discolored and smells like death. Parts broken or torn up = jewelry store in the pan. Neither of these = parts missing or installed wrong or something broken clean.

Ok so I have a chance of saving the converter if the pump drive isn’t sheared or something. I didn’t know if it could be fried from spinning dry
Thanks!

I’m 80% sure I got the converter to drop in- tipping the trans down, spinning it, and trying it clocked a bunch of ways took a couple hours but I remember pulling it slightly back out to touch the flexplate when I bolted it up. And of course I forgot to mark the offset hole so it took a few tries spinning the motor around before all 4 bolts went in...

Assuming the pump drive is engaged- Is there a good chance the problem could be either in the valve body or accessable once the valve body was dropped? I’d hate to pull the trans to find out it was something that could be fixed just dropping the pan. Plus I sprung for a pan with a drain and a nice one piece rubber gasket so dropping the valve body is pretty easy and I can get a brand new oil pan to catch the atf and reuse it- dipstick reads super clean not burnt

Read my PM about diagnosing your issue further.

You can’t burn the converter up doing what you have done so far.
If broken drive lugs - you may have scored up the pump rotor pocket but you won’t know either until you get it apart.

The manual valve supplied in the TF-2 kit allows converter fill in Park. Symptoms point to failed pump drive lugs.

Once I pull the valve body is it possible to cover the pump suction port with my hand while cranking with the ignition off to see if it is pulling? That way I would know for sure if it’s the pump or something else.

see tech archive on moparts for air checking servos and drums with valve body down
gary

Go through the valve body, if all good - a better test for the pump is reinstall the valve body and pan then add all the fluid in to the trans.

Note how high the fluid is on the dipstick before starting the engine.

Start the engine and run it for a few minutes and check again. If the fluid level is lower then the pump is working.
When you pull the valve body the converter will lose some of it’s fluid. Upon startup you will fill the converter which will lower the fluid - if the pump is working.

Once you get the valve body apart take a pic and post it of the end of the regulator valve - the end that sticks out once installed in the valve body.

Only 7 qts thats not near enough to fill am trans and converter takes more like 12......I's add more fluids before pulling anything apart

Do you have a stock valve body or a core trans to get a valve body to swap it with? As you said you have a drain plug and reusable gasket. If you did something wrong when you did the valve body you probably won't know what it is by looking at it. Ten bolts when the pan is off, air test the case ports and try the stock one. All your out is a little time and oily hands.

Warning: staggering stupidity below. File under “who sold this guy tools?!”

Welp after figuring out that I had to roll the rear wheels with my foot to free the parking pawl I got the valve body on the bench. Guess what? I found something RIGHT AWAY. Oh man this is so dumb I’m embarrassed. My filter extension was on backward.

I remember fiddling with them and I know exactly how I managed to not pay attention to such a simple step- there are three holes in the filter and extension block for the deep pan and one is offset. I think I assembled the filter to the extension block with the gaskets and long screws and spun it around until all 3 screws found threaded holes to start into by hand. I stupidly assumed that the offset bolts would make it only install one way- the shape of the block makes kind of an optical illusion that the middle screw is closer to one of the others.

Well apparently it is possible to install backwards. Not being familiar with the auto I didn’t look thru the extension block to be sure it lined up with something.

I’m not going to beat myself up too bad I’m just happy that a pint fell out of the trans with the VB removed. Maybe it sucked enough fluid to lube things a tiny bit even if it had no pressure. There was a tiny drip when I pulled a cooler line. The fluid is clear and there is nothing burnt or shaved into the pan.

What’s even funnier is that if I had went ahead and filled it until the VB was fully submerged it probably would have started working until it made and ate enough dirt to clog something from filterless running.

Oh man this is the cheapest fix ever. I guess the lesson is don’t take anything for granted and double check everything even dumb stuff that barely requires instruction.

Welcome to the club on how to become a expert on fixing Mopars

Thanks Cab!

I’d rather feel dumb than broke any day