camboinc

Can torque converter bearings be replaced with the engine out and the transmission still in place? I have a new torque tube going in as well. Jim from 928 Int. has suggested the converter bearings be replaced (bearings and TT were supplied by Jim). Any info would be sincerely appreciated.

thanks!

Vilhuer

Converter front cover needs to come down. Its probaby possible to take it out while gearbox is in place. Bearings are in cover as is shaft and flex plate.

AO

Found this using the search button.

https://rennlist.com/forums/showthre...verter+bearing

camboinc

thanks Andrew. you are so fast!! I found another thread that showed the job done with tranny out. Looks like Bill Ball says out with the tranny to do it. Was hoping that others may have successfully done the bearing replacement with the tranny in. Any takers?

edco

Hey camboinc,

It can be done with the tranny in the car the link Andrew posted is my 91 S4 and Bill Ball was the one who helped me do it. We replaced the TT with the Tranny in the car and decided to do the torque converter bearings as well.

We removed the heat shield towards the rear and then loosened the tranny and moved it back as far as we could. It was tight to reach some of the bolts on the torque converter but we were able to remove it on the car. Bill will have a more detailed description on the procedure.

Link to one of the threads

SharkSkin

Yep, we had a tough time getting to two of the bolts on the side closest to the inside of the trans hump. IIRC we used a 5mm universal socket on an extension with a piece of cut-off allen key in the socket.

Bill Ball

Looks impossible, so we decided to try it. You have to be really determined not to remove the rear suspension and tranny to do it the way we did, but it CAN be done. It's almost as much trouble to get the bellhousing out as it is to drop the rearend. If you are willing to cut the rear cross-piece of the bellhousing (we didn't) that prevents the TT from dropping down in the front, then the job becomes easier this way, but you are still faced with getting to the upper rear TT bolts - that took 3-4 feet of 1/2" extensions to break free the 88 ft-lb torque (last shot shows us torquing on reassembly). Also, the upper two small Allens holding the front converter cover on are almost inaccessible this way, right up against the TT tunnel. Dave A. improvised a very short Allen ratchet. I don't have pics of that step, but it was a bitch.

Bill Ball

I started to write it up, based on a variation of the write-up I did on the rear main seal, since they involve almost all the same components...here it is not finished.

TT:
http://www.billsworkshop.com/P928S4/TT/torquetube.htm

Rear main seal write-up it is based on:
http://www.billsworkshop.com/P928S4/seal/seal.htm

camboinc

Bill,Dave, Matt:
thanks so much for the info and pics and threads (oh my!) you guys rock.

sure appreciate it. have a great weekend!
brian