can someone explain how a lock up torque converter works and what are the benefits of having one?

 

I don't have an illustration but just follow me on this. In the front of the converter, as it sits in the vehicle, there is a large clutch plate inside of the converter. Now before L/U is activated, unlike a normal clutch, it is held OFF by oil pressure that comes down the Input Shaft. When it is time for L/U this oil is redirected and internal pressures push the clutch against the back inside of the front of the converter. At least that is how it is supposed to work. Under certain circumstances the clutch can drag on when it is not supposed to. The TransGo kits fix that.

The advantage for the factory is that it allows a wider range of rear gear ratios to be used, including some very high ones (I had an '86 Bonneville that had 2.29 gears in it!). This wouldn't be possible, especially with O/D units , W/O cooking the tranny but I don't have time to explain that part right now, just trust me on it. The reason they wanted that was to improve gas mileage. For us it helps the tranny to run cooler which is a big plus.