I put in a new engine and my old tranny yesterday and everything was going smooth until I took the blocks out and the car started rolling! The flexplate didn't have any play, but I noticed when installing the driveshaft (with the wheels in the air) that I could spin it without much effort. The torque converter is bolted to the flexplate. The shifter cable did bend a slight bit but I can hear it click through the gears. The torque converter spun freely when not bolted to the flexplate. My only guess (and hope) is that I didn't shift all the way into park, but the car rolled freely in all positions I could reach. Any ideas?

 

Disconnect the cable from the trans and manually put it in park. If it works, you need to adjust the cable.

 

Well can the car roll freely backward and forward in drive? Because I pushed it manually forward and back a few positions and either way it rolled freely. So atleast once it was in some form of drive. And it was one person pushing the car and I didn't hear the engine turning over so it couldn't have been turning the flywheel.

 

Did you seat the T/C onto the transmission input shaft properly?? Just slapping it on the shaft, and bolting the other side to the flexplate isn't going to work.

 

Yes, if the car is not running.

If the torque converter was on correctly, the trans should have seated onto the motor flush when installing it. You then should have had to pull the converter out a little when installing the 3 bolts to the flywheel. If you pulled the trans up to the motor with the bolts, good chance it was not seated right and the pump would now be wasted. Either way it will still lock in park.

 

Hmmm, I'm not sure then. The torque converter was never removed from the tranny. Basically what I did was:
Put tranny under car, drop engine in, jack up tranny and bolt it in, then slide the TC forward an inch or so and bolted it in place. It was never removed from the transmission- the most I've pulled the TC out was when bolting it to the flywheel.

 

The only problem you probably have is one with the cable adjustment. Unbolt the cable from the trans (have shifter in park) and push the lever forward. It should click and be in park if cable is out of adjustment. If it clicks alot push it in the other direction for park. If it goes in park and the trans locks, just adjust the cable so you get all of the gears. Would help to have a buddy for this one.

 

I'll report back when I test it next weekend (its at my parents house). No biggie if its broken since I'm hoping to have a T5 or even T56 soon enough.