VT engine transplant into a VS wagon

[vscom88]

Hey, so as the title says i put a VT engine into my VS wagon and connected everything up / swapped parts around to make things fit.
Now, while the engine was on the ground i turned it over to attach the torque converter to it & it spun with the plugs in it & manifold off.

Now I've got everything back together, manifold is on with the new gasket and the rest of the engine is pieced back together. I've ran into a few problems but I've overcome every single one until now where i am COMPLETELY stumped !
I can't turn the engine over ?? The engine is what you would say ' LOCKED ' .. For starters, it won't crank over on any fuel (duel fuel) so I thought it might be a starter motor issue .. But I thought i would just try and turn the engine over just to see what happens (By the harmonic balancer - 24 MM socket and a breaker bar) and nothing .. Not even the slightest bit left or right so i pulled the plugs out and tried again & still nothing !

The things I did since i last turned the engine over was, Replace the old oil & filter with 5 litres of 20W-50 oil in it.
Fill the cooling system up with just plain water & Seal up the manifold gasket with silicone in the right spots (not in order).

I had to drill the manifold out to make a fitting for the VS temp sensor and there may of been a metal filing in there that didn't come out with the air blower at work, but this shouldn't make a difference right ? That's apart of the cooling system not the oil system.
I've checked inside the bores with a screw driver and they're all dry, no condensation or oil in them. Also, the engine has been sitting outside (Throttle body closed off and exhaust manifold closed off) for a couple years in the weather .. ( i used another engine that had been doing the same thing in another wagon of mine & had no issues what so ever with it, started first go)

I spoke to somebody and they said that maybe the torque converter is jamming up ? The tailshaft spins freely when out of park.

Any suggestions on what you think I should attempt would be much appreciated.

Thankyou in advanced.

 

[Immortality]

OK, you don't bolt the converter to the flex plate and then fit the transmission as it seems you have done from the info above.

You must fit the converter into the transmission, as it slides in you need to turn the converter so that it engages on the input shaft splines and the pump etc, push it all the way in. Once that is done, the transmission can then be mated to the engine block. Once that is done, then the converter can be bolted to the flex plate.

If I have miss understood the above, than I apologise, regardless unbolt the converter and see if the engine will then turn over by hand first.

 

[aussie4life]

Are you getting any sound from the starter motor at all? and as above torque convertor to trans and then to engine. if you have the torque convertor in thr wrong spot and then put the trans on/tightened it up then it will jam up the convertor/flywheel. i believe its 5 - 10mm that the torque converter slides into the trans. If i have been wrong in any way please correct me so that i can give correct info in future.

one last thing. i believe the reason for the Convertor to be mated to trans first is because the groove in the converter mates to the key in the trans and this is where the pump gets its power from. cheers

 

[Brett_jjj]

Spin the converter whilst pushing it back into the transmission, it will click back into the trans 2 or 3 times before its fully home.Then you bolt the converter to the flex plate.

 

[vscom88]

Thanks guys. I assume that I can pull the transmission back a bit instead of dropping it on the ground? I filled it with oil and don't want to lose it.

 

[vscom88]

Also, no the starters not engaging nor clicking... I'm going to assume that it should click? I do have a spare I can put on from old engine. Unsure if it still works tho.

 

[aussie4life]

check relays and fuses again if you already have done. it should make some sort of sound even if its locked up thanks to the convertor

 

[Immortality]

Before worrying about the starter, get the engine turning over by hand. IF you unbolt the transmission you will need to support it with something, you should be able to slide it backwards some without needing to drop it down.

 

[Immortality]

Any updates on this?

 

[RX25SE]

You must fit the converter into the transmission, as it slides in you need to turn the converter so that it engages on the input shaft splines and the pump etc, push it all the way in. Once that is done, the transmission can then be mated to the engine block. Once that is done, then the converter can be bolted to the flex plate.

This........

Before worrying about the starter, get the engine turning over by hand.

....and this.



Sounds like the pump drive is jammed.



As stated somewhere above, the converter must engage with 3 things.
Input shaft, stator support and the pump drive.