Alright, I know that torque converters theoretically add a 4th gear to a 3speed, such as a TH350...but mine NEVER engages. I've heard one person a while back talking about how he connected a fuse looking switch behind his dash where the gauges are, and then his torque converter began to work. I don't know anything about this, since I thought torque converters were a stand alone thing (no switches or wires involved). Could my converter be bad? Is there a way to check?

I was told that when in third gear, while moving if you were to press the brake slightly while pressing the gas, the torque converter would disengage, and the RPM's would go up slightly. My car has never done this. Help me out someone.

 

A torque converter is nothing more than a fluid coupling between the engine and the transmission. It doesn't give you another gear. Think of it more as a fluid clutch and a manual with a clutch doesn't give you another gear when it's applied.

A torque converter is designed to slip at low speeds so that the engine doesn't stall. When the rpm reaches the torque converters stall rating the converter is slipping at it's least. A non lockup converter usually slips 8-12%. A lockup converter just removes this slippage by locking the 2 halves of the converter together. When the converter is locked there is no slippage and you'll get better gas milage becasue of this. The converter can be locked in any gear except first.

 

Thanks for the info...that's just what I needed.

 

Just to clarify something, the TH-350 does not have L/U capability. The TH-350C does.