After pulling the motor, I found the TC stem/alignment nipple jammed inside the crank at an odd angle. I also have a little damage to the side of the spacer, almost looks like someone took a grinder to it. The stem from the TC has an odd warp or bend to it. I don't really want to replace the TC but i think the stem serves the same purpose as the alignment bushings on the block, to keep everything lined up perfectly to reduce vibration and protect seals. I took a look at how tight the flex plate to TC bolts were inside the FP. Plenty of room for the TC to be out of alignment with the crank. The warp damage to the stem looks very old. It is possible I snapped it off while removing the engine when I didn't make extra room by removing the radiator. I also thought the damage to the spacer might have been from the bell housing for the same reason, but I couldn't find any damage to the inside of the BH. Besides, I wouldn't think aluminum could damage steel like that with no damage to the aluminum. Some of these marks are behind the front of the flex plate, almost had to have happened before I got into it.
I included a photo of the flex plate at the FP/crank bolt holes. I have a strange spiral grind mark but it would have had to occur after I removed the plate as its under where the bolt head seats and the bolt would have been torqued enough to imprint into these markings. This could have happened while I was using a recovery socket (none of these FP bolts came out willingly) after these two bolts were removed if I slipped off another bolt. I can't remember if these marks correspond with the grind marks on the spacer.
Any thoughts are appreciated. One more thing, how stable should the TC be without the engine in? Mine wobbles a bit which is why I'm concerned about proper alignment. Theres no way to determine proper alignment of the TC to the crank which is probably what the stem was designed for.
So my question is, is replacing the TC absolutely necessary? Is there another way to ensure alignment, maybe tapered wedge washers (not sure this is the right name for them)?
I included a photo of the flex plate at the FP/crank bolt holes. I have a strange spiral grind mark but it would have had to occur after I removed the plate as its under where the bolt head seats and the bolt would have been torqued enough to imprint into these markings. This could have happened while I was using a recovery socket (none of these FP bolts came out willingly) after these two bolts were removed if I slipped off another bolt. I can't remember if these marks correspond with the grind marks on the spacer.
Any thoughts are appreciated. One more thing, how stable should the TC be without the engine in? Mine wobbles a bit which is why I'm concerned about proper alignment. Theres no way to determine proper alignment of the TC to the crank which is probably what the stem was designed for.
So my question is, is replacing the TC absolutely necessary? Is there another way to ensure alignment, maybe tapered wedge washers (not sure this is the right name for them)?
