Anybody ever had to use an impact on torque converter bolts?

[jhenegh]

Got my engine out today . And in the process had to use a 1/2" Ingersoll-Rand 231 impact gun on level 4/5 to get the four torque converter bolts off!!! I know the trans is a Ford Reman from a previous owner as it has the Ford reman tag.

But why in the world were those bolts so tight!?? I absolutely could not get them by hand, and with the right body position I've broken drive heads off 1/2" Craftsman breaker bars with no pipe on the handle...

Thankfully I had the whole core support off and about 2 feet of impact extensions so I could hold the gun just below the fan and hit each bolt when it was in about the 4 o'clock position.

Hulk Jr. must have bolted up the TC or something. Funny thing was the the 6 bolts holding engine to trans were no problem.

 

[Danielle]

If a shop did them they probably gunned them on, or wrong bolt and it seized up? We've had to heat up some of those need different kind of persuasion to get off haha. But now I know who to call if I need a strong extra set of muscles!

 

[cpdenton]

When I pulled my parts motor, someone had installed a jasper trans in the truck. When they did, they used grade 5 nuts in the tc studs. They were so soft that all they would do was round over even with 6 point sockets. I ended up pulling the TC out of the transmission and cutting the nuts off. Glad you were able to get them off.

 

[typ4]

Any signs of loctite on them?

 

[jhenegh]

Nope just clean threads that I can see. I'll have to get new nuts as these took a small beating coming off.

 

[icanfixall]

What grade bolts and where did you find them. Ford still makes the torque converter and flywheel bolts plus the exhaust manifold bolts. The exhaust manifold bolts are a special interference bolt thread so don't try cleaning up the threads.

 

[86f2fiddy]

FWIW at the trans shop I used to work at we always used an air ratchet or impact depending on the space available to do converter bolts/nuts along with lock tite.