is the tore converter siezed?

[dusterbd]

ive been working on a 68 hemi roadrunner all day, trying to finish the EZ EFI swap. it starts and idles great, but anytime you pull it into gear (automatic), it lurches and dies. the idle is set at 1000 RPM. it feels like when you are sitting at idle in a stick car and let out the clutch. just lurches and dies. if you start the car with it in gear, about the time it starts running, it starts moving. then dies out, like its being bogged down by being in gear.

after talking with FAST for a long time, and trying everything from relearning the computer to fooling the IAC, to having the idle set at 2000RPM, they said the car had a bad torque converter. does this sound right? is there any definate way to diagnose a bad converter without dropping the trans?

thanks
Michael

[fox]

It sounds like the converter sprag has failed/seized.
Time to remove it.

[John Kunkel]

Can you keep it running if you brake with your left foot and throttle up with your right?

From my experience, 99% of "won't idle in gear" complaints are tuneup related, not converter related.

BTW, a seized sprag will result in runaway stall speed.

[dusterbd]

will not continue running in fear, even with left fiit in the brake and right feathering the throttle.

due to my various threads on this topic, ive got some ideasd to try.

the car has always died out when coming to a stop according to the owner, and hes never had a good idle.

first step is going to br checking his base timing and seeing where thats at. get it set correctly if its not, then relearn the efi setup.

also going to check for good spark.

already confirmed no vaccuum leaks.

if the car still dies out when put in gear, jack up the rear end,put it in gear, and slowly apply the brakes and see if it still stalls.

the fluid in the trans is burnt, so im not putting trans out of the question. i just want to make sure that its not my EFI install that he just paid me to do screwing up.

am i missing anything in my checkup?

i rarely work on cars with automatics. so the engagement into gear stalling problem is new for me. the last 3 cars i converted to fuel injection
were all stick shift, and 98% of the cars i work on are as well.

is there anything else in the tuneup that i may be missing, or the diagnostic chain?

Michael