Hey,
Anybody has any experience with the BANKS TC?

i WIL NOT buy the new one for $1,500,

but there's a 97 dodge at the salvage yard, with lots of Banks stuff on it, including a Banks torque converter,

My question is should i buy it, if its cheap enough? (for my 350 Hp truck with a stock tranny)

The owner of the wrecked truck said, the tranny is blown, but didnt know what and how.... what would be the blown part in the tranny? is it the torque converter, or is it only some other stuff, in there, and the TC is fine?

 

Que Pasa,

It might be full of metal particles. Banks stuff is over priced I think.

Where in Mexico are you? Id like to go to that junk yard.

Do you work for Cemex? Just wondering. I used to work for them.

Rick

 

I've heard that often when a transmission goes it spits chunks through the torque converter, ruining it. It may or may not have happened to this one, but it is a definite possibility.

 

how can I find out if metal particles have been through it? by looking at the particles in the oil pan at the magnet or stuff?or what about if just anything broke in there! like a shaft or whatever!

I know Banks is overpriced, but I think good stuff, (now if i could get that for the price of a non working TC, and it would work..) Nobody knows about the conditions of it!

the salvage yard is here in Chihuahua, (on the way from Alvaro Obregon to Cuauhtemoc) 30 km away from where i live!


thanks! any other inputs.

 

Unless something really bad happened, and the conveter just physically got ruined, you will be able to have it fixed if it just got shavings in it. They can cut them apart, go through them, and then put em back together. Id look in the pan. If the fluid is clean in there, then the converter is probably fine unless the input shaft broke off inside it or something. But a lot of times its like $350 just to have the converter gone through(unless you have a GB ), so depending on what you have to pay for the converter in the first place, you may be better off just buying a new one. But if you can get it cheap enough, and it doesent have shavings in it, and nothing else is wrong with it(shaft not broke inside of it or anything), then it is probably worth the money.

Eric

 

A simple method to get rid of steel shavings in the TC is to wash it out with gas until there's no more oil in it and then stick a big magnet down the center with 3 strips of plastic so it's centered. Agitating the TC while it's partially filled with gas will dislocate the shavings. (I usually use this to determine whether to reuse the TC for a beater or not)

HTH

AlpineRAM

 

You could drill a hole in the thing also to get all the fluid or solvent to drain out. Then weld up the hole.

 

Some older more well equipped transmission shops actually have a flush machine that mounts up to the converter to clean it out. If the price is right, buy it and simply send it in to have it cut open and freshened. A "blown" transmission shouldn't cost you much.

 

Thanks a lot! Ill look at it tomorrow, see what the price is...

Now I found out a little more.... The problem with the tranny was:

The owner who sold the truck said it did not shift.... it stayed only in one gear! Then the salvage guy, who took everything apart said there was a wire connector not connected to the tranny!

My question, is there a wire connector on a 97 tranny, that if its disconnected, it wont shift?

another question, would that TC help me on a almost stock truck, with a good tranny? 160 Pump has only a plate, and we dont tow often.

thanks a lot!

 

if the speed sendor was unplugged it would start off in 2nd IIRC and will cause shifting issues.... if it's good almost anything is better than a stock converter.....

 

Aftermarket tq and valve bodys are way better than stock. If you can get a tq for cheap you can put a good vb in and it will feel like a new trans.

 

Thanks!


Will i feel a difference putting in only a TC at first?

can I use lock up on only an aftermarket TC? or do i need a vb as well for it??

what VB should I get? as cheap as posible, wher i dont have to send my core in...

 

Yes, the torque converter alone will make a huge difference. I dont know of any valve body you can buy without sending a core in, but you can buy a transgo on Ebay for about $70 that will make a big difference.

Eric

 

Thanks!
whats the "transgo" about??

OK I was at the salvage yard today, asked for the tranny,
and he asks $450 Dollars for the whole tranny, except the transfer case, (so the tail is missing)
he did not wanna sell ONLY the TC, unless Id give im my still working TC and pay him the difference!

it has a bright red torque converter in it, with a billet front plate,

he said they drove the truck, but it wouldnt shift, so they towed it home, when they took it apart, there where some connectors not pluged in, at the tranny.

They said the oil looks very clean.

I almost feel like i should buy it, this whole tranny costs about 1/3 of what ONLY a new Banks TC costs they are at $1500 right??
but I dont have a year 96 and up truck right now, to put it in.

Maybe we could put only the TC in our 95

 

As a side reference!

It was a white 97 dually, it comes form a german guy in Kansas,

it has a "high" hood with
banks stickers on the side,
Banks Engine ahs the powerpack Twin Ram air intake,
banks plate (i think),
Banks Big head wastegate acuator,
Banks gauges,
5" exhaust,
and the tranny i was talking about,

what do you think about the tranny? $450 bucks as is