Articles
Stator support removal and installation (700R4 & 4L60E pump)
Remove the stator support bolts with hardened Torx 27 bit (comes in all of my rebuild kits) with an air impact gun only. DO NOT try removing them with a breaker bar as this will destroy the bolt and possibly the tool. Press out the stator support, remove the TCC valve asembly, boost valve assembly, Hi-pressure checkball, spring and pin and finally the filter. If the pump surface is beyond saving by flat sanding it on a granite block or equivalent very flat surface, then it will need to be machined flat at a machine shop. Flat sand it after any work is done using 180, 320 then 400 grit sandpaper, using the granite block or equivalent surface. Once this is done rinse in solvent or mineral spirits all passages and holes throughly and blow out all passages with high pressure air. Re-install the dowel pin if it came out. Put the new stator support in the freezer overnight (4-5 hours minimum). Now put the pump in the oven at 500F - 550F for 30 - 35 minutes. Bring out the stator support from the freezer, remove the pump from the oven with the proper mitts or heat proof gloves and install the stator into the pump very quickly (no more than 10 to 15 seconds). Use a rubber tipped hammer if needed to install the stator support. Once the support is installed flush with the pump, turn the pump over so the stator support is facing straight up with the pump sitting against the stator support. Once it has cooled down install the bolts at apx. 120 in lbs. and stake over the dowel pin hole using a chisel or equivalent, then file any high spots where you staked over the dowel pin. Again with high pressure air blow out all passages and then install the TCC assembly, new boost valves and springs, Hi-pressure checkball, spring and pin and finally the new filter and a new O-ring. Never use a press to install the stator support as the dowel pin is impossible to line up and there is a good chance of breaking or cracking the pump. I have never had a problem or heard of a problem (with crossleaks) doing it the way I suggest here.
Front half of pump (700R4 & 4L60E)
If the front half of the pump is in very good shape and does not need to be machined, then flat sand to get .002" - .003" slide to surface clearance Using a depth micrometer or a straight edge sitting across the pump surface. Using a .002" and a .003" feeler gauge under the straight edge with the new slide or new rotor underrneath, the clearance should not be tighter than .002" and not more than .003". Check it in several spots. With more than .003" flat sand a little at a time till you get the right clearance. If it is "too tight" less than .002", then you will need to flat sand the slide and rotor to get the desired clearance for each. Sand the slide and or rotor very carefully using 180, 320, 600, 1,200, 2,500 then finally with 3,000 grit sandpaper, using a granite block or equivalent flat surface. You should wind up with a "mirror finish". If the pump is in poor shape and needs to be re-machined, then you will need to give the machinist the slide and rotor and tell him you want the .002" minimum and .003" maximum clearance here. Once the pump is ready to go, take a file to the outside of the pump cavity where the O-ring to case sits and make sure that all high spots are eliminated and the O-ring fits properly in the seal bore. Install the Teflon bushing very carefully, do not install to far as the lip in the pump bushing bore will cause bushing to shrink and the pump will not install over the torque converter. Once the bushing in installed, install the pump over the torque converter careful not ot damage the Teflon bushingto make sure it is not too tight. Use a "dead blow" hammer or rubber tipped hammer on the pump here as you rotate it on the torque converter to make sure that it moves freely. Where the seal sits in the bore, if there is material left from the previous seal, take a new razor blade and drag backwards to remove old material and smooth out the bore. Flat sand the top of the seal area to make sure it is flat. Install new seal "as is" with the correct tool till it is flush. Now install all of the new parts here (slide, slide ring and seal, rotor and guide, new steel rings and priming spring, vanes, slide pin and spring and teflon and rubber seal to slide and housing seals) in the front pump cavity. Pump is ready to bolt to the back half if it is ready to go. Put a little oil on all of the pump parts in the pump cavity. Bolt the two halves together using pump alignment tool or equivalent and tighten hand tight in a star pattern, then to 10 pounds, then finally to 25 foot pounds. Now install the front seal retainer