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Transmission will not engage after engine rebuild..... help?

I recently had to rebuild my 1976 corvette SBC engine since the camshaft was badly worn on it.

After a few challenges (since I am just a weekend mechanic pushed into service when I cannot avoid it), I did manage to rebuild it and get the engine back in.

It seems to run fine pending a bit of a tune, but now the transmission will not engage to move the thing. I can shift and it all feels normal, but no movement at all.

It is a 350 automatic, 1976 vette, 350 SBC.

I did have to pull the rad and disconnect all of that to get the engine in and out. I also had a bit of a mix up trying to get the wires on the starter solenoid correctly and I may have shorted the B+ to the car in the process, but all lights, etc work.

I did put the bolts back in to couple the engine to the transmission. Yes the tranny has appropriate fluid. I was working just fine before I had to remove the engine....

In the meantime I am going to jack it back up and drop the transmission shroud to recheck those bolts (3) hodling the engine to the transmission.

But I suspect something else, but have no idea. Does anyone else have any clues as to what else I could have disturbed in the process? Any insight appreciated since I very readily admit to being an amateur in all of this.

TIA, BSA

Reply to
BSAKing
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Dry transmission fill can be as much as 10 Quarts if it was really dry, fill a few, let it idle, do some more and let it idle until it gets close to the full mark and warm. It should prime even if the converter was dry.

But, there are tangs on the pilot shaft of the converter that has to be lined up with the pump in the transmission body before it will engage the pump when you bolt it to the flex plate. If you missed that engagement you have some new problems. If you have already bolted it together and run it with fluid in it, unhook a cooler line and see if the pump is working. If you get lots of fluid the pump is working and connected correctly and should move your car when primed/full.

Reply to
Dad

**** Bear with me here, but the transmission was not drained, nor dry. I checked the fluid level warm after a 20 min break in period on the engine rebuild and it was ok.
****"tangs lining up" - I think you are talking about internal to the transmission? The tranny was not stripped down nor taken off the car. The engine was unbolted from the tranny by the 3 bolts and the tranny was left in situ on the vehicle.... Maybe I am misunderstanding this one...

If you have already bolted it

**** I will perform that check a little later on today and see what I see.

Thanks!

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Reply to
BSAKing

**** Bear with me here, but the transmission was not drained, nor dry. I checked the fluid level warm after a 20 min break in period on the engine rebuild and it was ok.
****"tangs lining up" - I think you are talking about internal to the transmission? The tranny was not stripped down nor taken off the car. The engine was unbolted from the tranny by the 3 bolts and the tranny was left in situ on the vehicle.... Maybe I am misunderstanding this one...

If you have already bolted it

**** I will perform that check a little later on today and see what I see. Thanks!

When the trasmission is removed from the engine the converter is loose, other than hanging on the center shaft. It can be removed by simply pulling forward on it. The tangs that drive the pump have about

1/4 - 3/8 inch engagement. If the converter moved forward that far and rotated a very small amount it will not drive the pump until engaged again. You should have been able to tell that when you tried to bolt the transmission to the engine block. Sadly that is sometimes over looked as oft times we are on our backs talking in an unkind manner to the SOB. Also the bell housing bolts are strong enought to crush fit the tangs to a non working configuration. BTDT, $^&&*&*%!!
Reply to
Dad

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