Yes I would assume its a tranny issue. Trans was fine before Idk really dont have the time or money for another tranny/motor. Depending how quickly it sells I do like the chassis and its super clean for a new england truck so might look into a v8 swap of some sort. Doesnt seem to be worth it for another vq and they're starting to piss me off haha.

5implejack wrote:update: unfortunately i may have to give up on this. currently starts right up and runs makes a very mild clunking/knocking noise. main issue however is that it wont move at all. ive let it run in park for a while, checked the atf, topped it off but refuses make any effort to move. just sits in neutral and revs.

Did you ensure you mated the torque converter and tranny back up properly??

I had a car MANY years ago that did the exact same thing (was one of the first cars I ever pulled the tranny out of when I was like 15 yo and it was a learning experience.) After I pulled the tranny for repairs and put it back in it would act like it wanted to move but just revd in every gear. Turns out I had done a foolish thing, when I mated the torque converter to the front of the tranny I didn't line up the pump notches quite right. When I started the engine it shattered the pump gear in the front of the trans. I had to pull it back apart and remove the front pump to replace it. After that it ran and engaged just fine.

Blindaviator wrote:

5implejack wrote:update: unfortunately i may have to give up on this. currently starts right up and runs makes a very mild clunking/knocking noise. main issue however is that it wont move at all. ive let it run in park for a while, checked the atf, topped it off but refuses make any effort to move. just sits in neutral and revs.

Did you ensure you mated the torque converter and tranny back up properly??

I had a car MANY years ago that did the exact same thing (was one of the first cars I ever pulled the tranny out of when I was like 15 yo and it was a learning experience.) After I pulled the tranny for repairs and put it back in it would act like it wanted to move but just revd in every gear. Turns out I had done a foolish thing, when I mated the torque converter to the front of the tranny I didn't line up the pump notches quite right. When I started the engine it shattered the pump gear in the front of the trans. I had to pull it back apart and remove the front pump to replace it. After that it ran and engaged just fine.

That's the first thing that came to my mind. I've never done it but I've heard lots of cases of it being done. Neighbor of mine who does a ton of side work was talking about a guy who did it 2 or 3 times on the same truck. Used extra long bolts because the engine and the tranny wouldn't meet.

that might be the issue. ill look into it when i get a chance got like 3 other cars im working on currently. not looking forward to pulling tht out again haha

When you put the torque converter onto the tranny's input shaft rotate it around until it falls into place. On all the ones I have done it will usually fall into place at least twice and sometimes 3 times so don't assume it is done the first time. Keep rotating it around, wiggling it until you are sure it is good. I think the first time it is getting past the seals in the pump and the 2nd and / or 3rd time is it lining up with the pump.

Best way I have found to do it and ensure they are lined up properly is put the torque converter on the front of the tranny before putting it back into the car. After you get a few bolts on the tranny snuged up if you have like 1/4" between the torque converter and flexplate then you should be golden.

tried seating the torque converter again still nothing. everything lined up and bolted up no problem i must have messed something up last time i put it together or something.

5implejack wrote: ↑

Mon Jul 10, 2017 8:30 pm

tried seating the torque converter again still nothing. everything lined up and bolted up no problem i must have messed something up last time i put it together or something.

If they were aligned improperly the first time and the pump was damaged then reseating it won't work... You will likely have to remove the pump and disassemble it to see if the gearing is damaged... That is what I had to do when I messed up mine years ago to find the damage...

I too messed up my transmission during my first engine swap. My main issue was a project management faux pas where the trans ran with low fluid while I checked that the engine ran
You bet I learned my lesson and carry those teachings with me all the time.

Anyway, I lucked out and got a 2WD trans from Texas on eBay for about 250 bucks shipped. I paid a local shop $200 to install it and called it good.