I agree you have run out of things to check and unbolting the converter is the next logical move.

 

The motor was turning slow when I tried to start it and during the compression test. It turns over by hand with a little effort. It feels more like compression resistance though and there are no strange noises like grinding or clunking when I turn it by hand. All I can here is the starter not spinning fast enough to start. I put a new catalytic converter in it before all this happened so the exhaust stroke seems a little deeper and louder. I wish I could describe it to you. It seems if the motor could spin normally when the starter engages it would start though. If I separate the flex plate from the TC and the motor starts then I'm stuck with trying to figure out if it's the transmission, TC or transfer case. I'll post back this weekend with results. A spun bearing would be nice because the motor still has 1 more month of warranty. If it was a motor issue would it through an obd code? My scanner is too cheap to scan the transmission.

 

When you did the compression test did you have all the plugs out at once? If so the starter should (normally) spin that thing fast with no effort. Worry about codes when you can start and drive your truck. There are no codes for spun bearings, seized engine, cracked flex plate, broken drive train, and most mechanical failures except low oil pressures.

 

No. I took one plug out at a time. I didn't think of taking them all out. When I spin the motor by the crank pully bolt it's hard but not unreasonable plus I can feel both compression and exhaust strokes.
I had a guy at a transmission shop say he could pull transmission codes with his scanner. He would "ONLY" charge me $280,00 to diagnose. I don't mind paying a fair amount to a shop but I didn't trust the guy or the shop, it has some bad reviews and $280,00 just to pull codes is a but much. Plus I trust you when you say the things I'm looking at won't throw codes.

 

I would still pull all the plugs and see how easily the starter cranks that engine. You are facing some major work so learn all you can.

After you have completely eliminated the engine/starter/flex plate as the cause of your slow cranking, you can start diagnosing your torque converter/transmission. It is possible for the binding you describe to be caused just by a failing torque converter. Not only is there a lockup clutch that could fail but the stator disk inside could have a failed bearing or one-way clutch not to mention broken turbine blades. Any of these could cause abnormal binding between the normally rotating parts and the normally non-rotating or fluid coupled parts, and there is still some chance the tranny front pump is damaged.
Lots of moving parts:
I would talk to a few experienced transmission rebuilders. Ask how they would diagnose this problem without being able to start the engine with the tranny connected. Ask if there is a way to check the torque converter once it is out. I don't think a code reader will tell you anything. Even so, Autozone or even some garages will let you borrow one and read what codes might be left over in the ECM, but your problem happened suddenly so there may be no codes to read, and some or all of those codes go away when you disconnect the battery anyway.

You don't want to just throw in a new torque converter without making sure your tranny is OK, but if you do, drain/blow out all the old oil first.

 

Agreed. You need to pull all the plugs to do an accurate compression test as well as get a cursory feel for the condition of the rotating assembly.

With all the plugs removed, if you are still having trouble turning the motor over then I would think something is wrong with the rotating assembly, valve train, or timing belt/tensioner.

Without the spark plugs installed the motor should turn very fast.

 

I Unbolted my flex plate from the torque converter today and the engine turned fine. It sounded normal where as before it sounded like it had resistance making it hard to turn. So it must be my torque converter, transmission or transfer case right?

Correct me if I'm wrong but in my mind the only thing that would cause something like this is a torque converter that's stuck in the locked position. It could explain the whirring noise I heard before this happened but Im not sure if it explains the slight gear slippage I had the two days before I broke down. It only slipped when the truck was cold and I drove off without letting it warm up. If it was as bad transmission or transfer case fluid would have to be moving through the TC which it doesnt do while in park. Is this correct or did I not understand what tns1 explained to me and the video showed?

Thank you again for all the help. I'm getting closer to figuring this crap out.

 

Your reasoning is fine, but I think you can eliminate the xfer case. The dogs on the front pump are (normally) always engaged and the pump spins along with the engine so the tranny (pump) is still a possible cause of binding. Fluid is always flowing somewhat when the engine spins but where and how much is controlled by solenoid&spool valves and how fast things are spinning. At cranking speed there wouldn't be enough fluid pumped or rotating speed to (normally) cause engagement of the converter, and am I correct in that that tranny is still drained of fluid (except what is left in the converter)? If so I think a failed converter is the #1 suspect with the front pump a close second, but its wise to do more checking.

When you unbolted the torque converter, you normally would be able to easily slip it back into the tranny at least 1/4" to 1/2" inch or more. The reason I ask is if the notch on the converter shaft were not aligned properly back when the engine was installed you may not be able to do this and it would be a clue as to what was wrong. You would normally be able to spin that detached converter with just your fingers, but I suspect in this case you can't.

If you haven't already, put the plugs back in and start the engine briefly as another sanity check. If the converter is completely clear of the flex plate, start the engine a few times to be absolutely sure its fine.

Previously you checked out the tranny shift linkage and made sure nothing was loose and with the pan off you could see that the linkage was directly connected to the valve body, and shifting thru the gears moved parts in the valve body. Another thing to look at is the neutral/park safety switch on the side of the tranny. I don't think it could cause the issue, but there are write-ups of removing and cleaning this switch. You could do this now or wait until the tranny is out.

I don't know about the slipping other than it is probably connected to your binding issue. When my converter failed I did notice a big delay before the car would move when it was first started.

 

Here's a couple of things to note,
if your driveshafts are spinning when your transmission is shifted into park it has nothing to do with the torque converter unless its failure also did more damage internally.
Also, don't even consider just putting a torque converter in and hoping for the best.
If you are pulling the transmission, at least take it to a reputable tranny shop for inspection unless you plan to do it yourself, because something isn't right.
Also, make sure you flush the cooler lines before putting anything back together.

 

When I separated the flex plate from the torque converter it was extremely hard to push back into the transmission. I could not turn the torque converter at all.
the transmission pan is not on the transmission yet. I figured I would wait to put it on until I tried to turn the motor over with the flex plate disconnected. I'm going to put it back on tomorrow when I put the new TC in. I'm also going to completely drain the system and replace the trans fluid. What is your recommended atf fluid? I would eventually like to go full synthetic even though it's pricey. For now I'm just going to fill it with what I have on hand to see if the transmission works. I'm crossing my fingers.

I'll report back once it's back together. With good news hopefully.

 

I forgot to mention to akwheeler that the driveline does not spin in park. I might have been tripping the day I thought it was. I put the truck in 4wd and heard it engage and after that the driveline would not spin in park anymore. I was kind of distraught the day it happened and probably had it in gear or neutral when I thought I was in park.

 

That doesn't sound good at all. If it were me I would drop the tranny since you still can't be sure its just the converter at fault. If instead you want to pull the motor to save time you may just find yourself pulling the tranny later anyway.
Here is one description of the work. As DIY it wasn't a one day idea:
https://www.yotatech.com/forums/f2/1.../#post51716836

I have recently switched to Valvoline MaxLife atf with no issues. I would continue to use the cheapest stuff until it all works and switch to the pricey stuff when you do the full flush.

You will learn more once you have pulled the old converter off the tranny input shaft. You can put the new converter on the shaft, engage it into the front pump all the way and see if it spins or not. If not I think you have a seized front pump. I believe you should also be able to turn the (longest) input shaft by hand since no clutch should be engaged.

 

now that we have the whole story...
you still are not realizing that if the torque converter has failed all of the scrap metal emanating from it has been going into the rest of the transmission and the tranny cooler.
Even if a new torque converter and fluid swap helps you will not be doing yourself any favors or saving any money if you have to pull the transmission again later to rebuild it or replace it.
And in that case you probably got more metal shavings into your new torque converter.
I would highly suggest that you only pull the transmission once and do it right the first time because it is only a matter of time before it fails again. right away is my bet.
If your truck is a POS to the MAX and not worth spending money on then find a known good transmission as cheap as you can. If you care about your truck rebuild the tranny and get some YEARS out of it.

 

I dropped the transmission finally. I could not get the torque converter off or even spin it. It was so stuck I cracked the bell housing trying to get it off with a 5 foot digging bar. Stupid I know. I brought the transmission to a shop a friend recommended. The guy there told me my transmission and torque converter are history. He said what happened was my torque converter spun on the shaft in the transmission in turn destroying the components inside the transmission.. Is that even possible? If so what could cause that to happen? I thought if the keyway on the shaft broke the TC would just spin, not weld itself to the shaft which is what it sounds like happened.

 

I forgot to say he recommends I look at my flex plate now that I can view the whole thing. He said it's possible it's cracked, warped or missing teeth after this happened. He quoted me $2800.00 to rebuild me transmission but I will have to bring him a core because of the bell housing I cracked. He said it would be less labor for him to rebuild another core than the one from my truck. I can get a core from the junkyard for $150.00. I think his price seems fair especially for a 1 year warranty on the rebuild.

 

The converter slips on at least two splined shafts (not keyways), the input shaft and the rigid support shaft, while also slipping into the front pump. The splines are coated with oil so it should slide right off and out with minimal effort no prying necessary. Rather than stripped or seized splines, I wonder if the notched converter shaft is seized in the front pump and this is what is preventing the removal of the converter. You already suspected the converter was bad, so rather than using a pry bar, it would have been better to drill & drain the converter and maybe hack away at it with an angle grinder enough so you could at least unbolt the front pump housing. Depending on how badly cracked the housing is it may be repairable or it may be scrap. Even with a ruined housing there are probably some re-usable hard parts in there that have value to a re-builder.

As to why it happened, I don't know. Maybe oil starvation on that hill, maybe a sudden lockup or seizure while at high revs. You can go to the shop and they should show you what they found and why they think the tranny is internally damaged. If you/they haven't opened it up, it's difficult to know what is damaged. The parts are yours to take home and investigate yourself if you want. Ultimately you will either need a re-buildable core, get another core from a yard, or look for a good used tranny.

I didn't see your last post. The core price seems good and the rebuild price seem fair. I went with a Jasper tranny + converter rebuild ~11 years ago which was a 3yr,100k warranty for about $3k.
Back when I was shopping there appeared to be two different versions of the A340F, a Federal version and a Cali version. Not sure what the difference was but you may want to ID your old trans.

 

I finally have a conclusion to this mess. The transmission guy said either the pump stopped working or when I put the engine in I didn't seat or misaligned the torque converter correctly. He said whatever the case the pump built up too much pressure and blew seals in the transmission in turn overheating it. He did say he has never seen a torque converter stuck onto the trans shaft like mine was.
he found me a core and is only charging me $25.00 for it. I told him go ahead and put it together for me and I will income pick it up. The guy who owns the shop is renting me his son who has worked at the shop for 5 years to come to help me put it in. He's charging me $250,00 to come to my house to help me. That seems like a good deal so I'm going with it.
price for everything including help from his son is going to be a little less than 3k.
thank you again for all your help especially tns1. I learned a lot on this project from you especially when it comes to the troubleshooting procedure.
I decided I'm going to pit a timing belt, water pump and seals in the truck while I wait on the trans to be done. I'll start another thread on the one question I have about it that I haven't found and answer to yet.
thank you again.

 

This has been quite an epic tale, but at least the end is in sight. Because of the time, cost, and skinned knuckles, I really wanted my rebuild to last. For years I have been draining the pan and refilling (a little over a gallon) for every other engine oil change. I figured replacing even a third of the oil is better than not at all and cheap insurance. Now that I am switching to a synthetic, I may still do that but not as often.

I found it easier to install the tranny and transaxle as separate steps since they weigh a ton combined. Be careful of the easily damaged dip stick tube and power steering lines. You may also want to inspect & grease your u-joints & fittings while its apart.

 

I'm replacing my u-joints and will be greasing everything. I thing it would be wise to do as much as I can with the transmission out.

I should be getting the transmission back by Friday. My plan was to lift everything together with 2 transmission Jack's and a couple ratchet straps. That's how we got it out but I admit it was a bit terrifying when I started lowering my jack a second before my friend lowered his. Once I was called a few harsh words we got it out fairly easy.

Ive had a couple people that you can find a shop to rebuilt and beef up the transmission for 800-1000 more. I'm not sure what that involves but after everything I just went through I will pay the extra cash selling body parts if I have to. I never want to go through that again.

Again, thanks for the help especially tns1.