new to forum. quick question.

[dhambley]

hello everyone, im new to the forum and i have a question.
I Cant find a diesel torque converter for the th400 the six bolt one.
i was wondering if it was possible to use a three bolt torque converter out of a gas th400 as a temporary tactic?
thank you.

 

[ammuscle]

I replaced mine with the three bolt one. My mechanic who's very experienced in gm transmission rebuilds said it should be just as good.

 

[ammuscle]

Done it last summer and it's ran great ever aince

 

[Warthog]

Do not use a gasser converter in a diesel. It will work but you will be very disappointed. The stall speed for each is different.

A three bolt will work fine.

 

[dhambley]

So a gasser 3 bolt tc will work just run like s***? right now im just trying to get the thing moving again. thanks for the input.

 

[ammuscle]

So a gasser 3 bolt tc will work just run like s***? right now im just trying to get the thing moving again. thanks for the input.

Well i can tell you that my 6 bolt was replaced with the 3 bolt almost a full year ago and it has worked just fine so far. That being said, knowing my luck it will go out tomorrow. But so far i haven't seen a lack in performance or shift quality.

 

[Howlin Mad Murdock]

So would I be further confusing this or clarifying by saying that there are two types of 3 bolt tc's? The gasser one and the diesel one? From what I'm drawing from here and from my own knowledge, the tc's used to be 6 bolt, were changed to 3 bolt, but still have both gasser and diesel versions available. Am I right?... I know that my Grandpa's 6.2 truck has a 3 bolt tc but it also has a 700r4.

 

[nyoffroad]

Lots of different T/C's just cause it fits don't mean it will work correctly. A gasser TC will work BUT will be very slow taking off (yeah even slower than normal) because it starts to lock at a higher RPM than a diesel.
I was told and don't know how true this is but the hash marks on the outer shell of the TC tell what RPM.

 

[Howlin Mad Murdock]

Try Autozone... They have a tc for an '85 k10, 6.2 and th400, that is six bolt, 1200-1400 rpm stall speed, and part number B6M. $80 + $40 core. Hope this helps everyone!

 

[dhambley]

so a gasser th400 torque converter will bolt up to everything and work, just be slow taking off?

 

[Warthog]

The lockup speed on a diesel torque converter is around 1600 rpm. A gasser TC can range anywhere from 2400-4500 rpm. If you want to blow up your engine then go for it.

 

[dhambley]

no thanks. haha. where would i go about buying the diesel tc. anyone got a part number?

 

[Howlin Mad Murdock]

Dhambley, look at my most recent post, store, part number, specs, and I did look up and confirm that there are Autozones in Arkansas... Looking at what Warthog said, it is the right one (and still 6 bolt). And if you are wondering, Autozone is a fine place, they have treated me and my family well and had good prices/quality.

 

[Skinny]

The difference is stall speed which has to do with the pitch on the turbine and impeller fins inside. It also depends on the engine size/power as the same converter will stall at a higher speed from a small block to big block V8. The gas version is typically a tick higher in stall speed. It will more than likely rev past it's powerband during acceleration and make the transmission feel "loose" while cruisin down the road.