Steve40th wrote:
Torque converter. It had exactly 3/16" gap when all the way into the transmission, yet the transmission shop took all that gap out and pulled it all the way to the flexplate, with no washers etc. I think that is BAD, and after searching the internet forever it was true.

The best way to be absolutely certain that the converter is fully indexed into the front pump is to place the transmission/converter assembly up against the back of the engine. The bolt lugs on the converter should not be touching the flex plate. There should be a gap between the flex plate and the converter bolt lugs. With the transmission bolted to the engine, this gap should be approximately 3/16” but no more than ¼”. (If the gap is larger than ¼”, precision shims must be installed to obtain the proper gap before the converter bolts are installed.). Before installing the bolts into the converter lugs you will need to slide the converter forward to the flex plate. If a gap doesn’t exist, the converter isn’t indexed into the pump properly. To get it to index into the pump, you need to continue turning the converter, at the same time, applying slightly inward pressure until it fully engages. Another easy way to check when using a full size converter is to try and slide your fingers between the converter and the pump housing. If you can, the converter isn’t fully engaged. This test doesn’t apply to the smaller v-6 or small diameter high stall converters.