Torque Converter Seal

[mallen]

Hi Fans,

I had my car booked in today to have my Torque Converter Seal replaced with the Main Engine Seal done as well..

I had it all ready, I pre bought:

10 Litres of SPIII the TC Seal and the RM Seal all they had to do was the R&R but alas I got the call today they couldn't do the job as they didn't have a lifter (or something) to hold the gearbox as it come out... MAYDAY!

So here I am back to stage 1 and the earliest due to xmas is mid Feb I can get it done and he's quoted $720 just labor!!! The other place was going to do it for $400 which I admit is quite good but most places seem to think around $500 is about a fair price.

Now I know that we are going to have problems with this as it's a known fault and even a few people have/are suffering the same problem. So I thought we can get all the info and put it hear so we don't get ripped off in price and maybe some suggestions for either good Mechanics/Auto Trans specialists or even a guide to doing it yourself...

I think that our NZ and UK friends will be quite useful here and may be able to share their experience with this pain in the arse $10 part!

 

[Guest]

well i can say it is at least 8 hours of labour only, (out and in, with no problems encountered)
not sure what your guarges charge over there.

 

[mallen]

It seems 8 hours is about the standard time... What about if they run?

I called Agostino Mitsubishi at Nailsworth and they said $500 fixed and they can do it after the new year... Anyone had any dealings with them from SA?

 

[MPBVr4]

Quite a number have had this done in the UK. As Gly said it takes about 8 hours. Form our experience in the UK I would say a knowledgeable independent is better than a Mitsi dealer........ and cheaper.

 

[Guest]

My TC seal appears to be fucked, so I called Neal Lowe (today, oddly enough) for a rough quote. Neal himself is away until 21st of Jan, but his junior said it's $70/hr + gst. Estimating time, he thought 8 hours (based on an evo) so not likely to get much change out of $700.

Leigh

 

[snickells]

I paid about that to have my seal replaced, then it turned into the whole box needing a rebuild... hope you don't find any big surprises!

 

[bradc]

anything around the $700 mark is a fair price, just make sure they intend to use the correct oil and flush it properly.

 

[mallen]

I paid about that to have my seal replaced, then it turned into the whole box needing a rebuild... hope you don't find any big surprises!

Shut up man I don't wanna know! Mitsu said that it's a fixed $500 so I may go with them... I already have the spIII and the seals, I'll get them to flush it and clean out the filter as well... Which is basically a trans service for these cars yeah?

 

[mallen]

Well it's currently in the shop now and apparently the Torque Converter has worn and won't seal properly. The people at Mitsu seem to think that the torque converter will need to either:

a) Have the torque converter cut in half and redone (whatever the hell they do) or...

b) have some sort of sleeve put over it (they tried a speedy sleeve and that interferes with the seal itself)

Has anyone done this or had this done? I find it strange that a car that has only done 70,000k's and it only a few years old (well 7) has a worn torque converter... The mechanic is trustworthy enough he's a friend of a friend so I don't think he's ripping me off...

Any advice? Oh and what is a fair price for just the repair on the torque converter?

But there you have it a $600 job has now turned into a $1000 job...

 

[bradc]

thats something I haven't heard of before! Have you found anything else on the net to indicate other people have had this problem?

 

[mallen]

No I hadn't heard of it either though I can vaguely remember a Auto specialist saying that usually you' d 'can't remember what he said' something machined blah blah blah the torque converter.... If only I had paid attention...

 

[SiliconAngel]

Matt from my experience its really important not to confuse someone's good intentions with their knowledge / ability. They might be the greatest guy in the world but still get things wrong...

Not that I'm knocking his work or anything - just saying people get stuff wrong sometimes - we ALL do!

To your specific problem, are the components in question now out of the car? Can you get photos of them? Can they point the so-called 'wear' out to you? Torque convertor seals are a COMMON problem with the autos in these cars, damaged / worn CONVERTORS themselves however aren't, which you've obviously found. If it were my car I'd want second and third opinions before I went 'cutting the torque convertor in half'!! Sounds dodgey to me...

 

[bradc]

my white VR-4 had a failed torque converter, basically the car would slip under throttle, it was kind of like driving a CVT They do fail, and I do beleive there is every bit of a chance it has failed, but the fix does sound a bit strange to me.

 

[snickells]

Talk to an auto transmission specialist and see what they say. Our auto boxes are used in other Mitsubishi's so they will have some idea on what the go might be.

I really should have kept my mouth shut hu?!

 

[Guest]

my white VR-4 had a failed torque converter, basically the car would slip under throttle, it was kind of like driving a CVT They do fail, and I do beleive there is every bit of a chance it has failed, but the fix does sound a bit strange to me.

for no aparent reason i heard a sound like a bolt flying around in the engine bay today...
after further inspection, i've been told my torque converter is coming loose from the engine.

best part is i'm currently 500km from home, so it has to be put on a truck home...

hopefully it is something 'simple' and the torque converter isn't stuffed as i turned it off very shortly after hearing the sound.

i had to get the seal sorted, i guess this has just forced me to do it right now

 

[hawks]

I hate those kinds of sounds Mitch. I hope is not as bad as you expect.

 

[Guest]

i was praying it wasnt a big end bearing, sounds pretty sinister though

i had to rip the box off anyway, just would of been nice to be at home, and do it at my own pace...

perhaps if the TC is stuffed, i'll get a higher stalling one, 5,000rpm stall?

 

[mallen]

my white VR-4 had a failed torque converter, basically the car would slip under throttle, it was kind of like driving a CVT They do fail, and I do beleive there is every bit of a chance it has failed, but the fix does sound a bit strange to me.

Did you have the Torque Converter reconditioned or swapped over? How much did they charge you?

The mechanic gave the part to a Auto Specialist to have a look and he says the snout will need to be repaired. Otherwise it won't seal properly.
The thing is that if I go in asking to take pics of it and stop the progress my car will be delayed even further. It's a bit of catch 22, the repair to the Torque Converter will only cost $150-250 so it's not that bad or worth the delay.

At least I know the Mechanic and he's not trying to rip me off but he seems ok and I'm confident in his abilities...

Damned Torque Converters!!!

Oh is our Torque Converters used in other cars i.e. the Magna? I though it may be a different snout for the engine entry...

 

[bradc]

I bought the car for $4000 with the dead gearbox, because I already had a spare gearbox. Nothing was done to the dead one at all.

 

[mallen]

Ok the car is back from Mitsu and i must say they did a great job (so far no probs)... surprising and the gearbox feels great...

Problem: Well initially I thought the problem was the Torque Converter Seal as they as discussed previously are a big problem with the Auto Legs/Galants due to a poorly designed seal which they improved. Also the snout of the Torque Converter has worn and wouldn't fit the new seal properly. A speedy sleeve was tried but interfered with the seal and wouldn't work so the Torque Converter had to be reconditioned. As far as it was explained to me the snout was cut and a new one was welded back on. A trans flush and service was also done with a replacement of the rear main seal.

Total cost: Rounded Up to the nearest dollar.

Recon of Torque Converter - $360.00
Flush Kit - $34
TC Seal - $11
RM Seal - $53
10Ltrs of SPIII - $50
Oil removal - $12
Labour - $532

Total - $1052.00

I really am quite happy with Agostino Mitsubishi in Nailsworth SA, they also gave me a loan car free of charge over the weekend and yesterday.