It is worth noting that not long ago, in 1902, the year, the design for the automatic transmission torque converter appeared. Nearly nothing has changed during this time, all the basics and features are included in modern models.
Initially, these converters were installed exclusively on buses. Only a few decades later, manufacturers started to include it in passenger vehicles. And this is not surprising because the part allows you to convert and transfer the moment from the engine to the installed automatic transmission very well. The driver can also change the torque and speed. Initially, this innovation began to be installed on the Ford car. Popularity has increased significantly after a few years.
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Signs Your Torque Converter Needs Servicing
As an operator of heavy equipment, you realize that it is definitely important that all of the tools of your trade continue to function properly for the Highest Return on Investments.
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Knowing the symptoms of a failing torque converter can make diagnosing problems with a machine much easier.
Despite the excellent capabilities and reliability of the torque converters we provide, problems do arise from time to time””especially considering the extraordinary torque converter performance your extraordinary projects require. Here’s a guide of the most common issues that could arise with your heavy machinery torque converter, as well as a list of signs and symptoms to look out for.
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Here at K&L Clutch, we’re proud to offer a comprehensive line of torque converters for a broad variety of industries, from some of America’s leading industrial clutch manufacturers, including:
— Twin Disc Torque Converters
— Allison Torque Converters
— Manitowoc Torque Converters
— Clark Torque Converters
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The profit losses start mounting as soon as your transmission fails out in the field. When it happens (and it happens to just about everyone), you need transmission replacement and repair parts, and you need them fast.
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K&L Clutch and Transmission offers customers a solid investment for their industrial projects since our products are longer lasting, our work more efficient and our quality services mean less downtime.
1. Longer Life
The longer industrial transmission and clutch components last, the more you’ll save on your project’s bottom line.
For example, our torque converters are tough, durable, and long-lasting, meaning you’ll spend less on equipment repairs and replacement parts, and more on investments that are actually profitable. But beyond their own integrity, our industrial torque converters actually extend the life of heavy equipment engines and transmissions themselves, thanks to smooth operation at optimum efficiency speed ranges, and shock protection from load and equipment damage.
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Here at K&L Clutch, we don’t just supply our clients with critical industrial transmission parts like pneumatic clutches and torque converters. We keep companies drilling, digging, dredging, and doing the work that powers the world.
In other words, our goals exist to make it easier for companies to achieve their’s.
Just take a look at Norfolk Dredging “” a company we’re proud to support, especially in the most demanding work environments. According to Building and Construction Northeast Magazine:
One of the company’s most recent triumphs, for example, was the Hubline Project for Algonquin Gas Transmission Co. “” a 29-mile long, 30-inch steel pipeline installed under Massachusetts Bay. It is the longest undersea gas line in New England, and was built to carry natural gas for local and regional markets. […]
Complicating matters was the location of the work, the company adds. “The uniqueness of this restoration project is that Norfolk Dredging Co. had to perform this work some five miles offshore in the Atlantic Ocean, in the middle of winter, digging to depths of 120 feet over an active high-pressure gas pipeline, while working under a rigidly defined time frame for completion,” it says. Nevertheless, the work was completed on time and without incident.
No excuses. They just got the job done.
We’ve been working with crane and dragline companies like Norfolk Dredging for more than 30 years “” and this company typifies the sort of relationships we aim to build with our clients.
The key is customer service, because professional service capabilities can make the difference between project profitability and failure “” especially since so many industries we work with are hard at work around the clock in hostile work environments.
In the end, customer service is a state of mind. From our headquarters in the Dallas-Ft. Worth Metroplex, this mission revolves around a series of service capabilities:
- Fully-equipped service trucks that come to you.
- 24/7, round-the-clock readiness.
- Expert technicians and staff.
- An innovative in-house machine shop that provides customized solutions to unique challenges.
- A comprehensive catalog, including parts from companies like Twin Disc, Clark, Allison, Rockford, and Oil States.
- Same-day shipping.
- An ideal location just nine miles from Dallas-Ft. Worth International Airport
- The willingness to go anywhere in the world we’re needed, and the experience to do so effectively.
Time is money when you’re out in the field, and even a small breakdown can be crippling to your project’s finances. When you need service, you need it then and there””not in three to five shipping days needed to get the right tools for the fix (or even the three to five hours it takes an ill-equipped company to get the industrial transmission part into the right place) and that’s where K&L comes in with our fully-equipped field service trucks.
Our field service trucks are carefully designed to respond to the complex and ever-evolving needs for job-sites in industries like oil, gas, mining and construction. Our trucks will come to you””24/7, wherever you’re working””and they’ll come armed and ready to get the job done.
Let’s take a closer look at what they carry:
A 5,000-Pound-Capacity Auto Crane
A heavy-duty Auto Crane makes it much easier to respond to demanding industrial power service needs, and gives us the flexibility and accuracy needed to do fixes in hard-to-reach places.
Why? Reach and lifting abilities matter. If we just showed up with the right tools and replacement parts, but no way to easily position them to where they need to be, additional time and manpower would be wasted trying get everything in the right place.
The cranes feature rack-and-pinion rotation systems””resulting in the high torque needed for heavy lifting and positioning””and rotational cylinders guarded by flow controls and load-holding valves, which boost safety and operational precision. All together, this makes repairing or replacing equipment like torque converters, mechanical clutches and pneumatic clutches simple.
In other words, the 5,000-pound Auto Cranes on our trucks make sure they arrive ready to work.
Complete, Customized Tool Capabilities
There’s nothing more dismaying than a service provider showing up unprepared or unable to do the job. From the heaviest-duty appliances to the smallest hand tools, we’ll arrive with everything needed to install and service the wide range of units we sell.
In fact, at our headquarters in the Dallas-Ft. Worth Metroplex, we thrive on coming up with customized solutions to unusual and unexpected problems. Our tool sets reflect these diverse, nimble solutions capabilities.
Machine Shop Support and Talent
In the end, what’s on our truck is only as good as the people that arrive with it. And thanks to our extensive support experience, our technicians are simply the best in the business. Headquartered just nine miles from DWF International Airport in the town of Hurst, we’re also ideally located to get them to jobs all over the country.
Furthermore, as with our tool sets, our North Texas machine shop and service center gives us the backing needed to solve problems specific to your job’s unique needs and situation. We’ll get you back up and running in no time.
Contact one of industrial clutch and transmission service specialists for more information.
24-Hour Field Service & Troubleshooting
Time spent not working is money poured down the drain, so the ability to respond instantly as soon as a breakdown happens is critical. Nonstop service capabilities can make the difference between project profitability and failure “” especially since so many industries we work with are hard at work around the clock. From our service center and machine shop in North Texas, we can respond at any time a need arises, providing excellent industrial equipment services.
Factor in time zone changes, and this flexibility becomes even more vital””when work breaks down in the middle of the day in the Middle East, you shouldn’t have to wait until the normal business day starts up again in Dallas to get technical support and troubleshooting advice. Read Full Article →
Industrial Torque Converter
Industrial torque converters provide the torque and horsepower that makes your projects go””but they’re not immune to breakdowns.
The torque converter is the part of your machine that controls how much fluid is passed on to the transmission. It also allows your engine to continue to run while completely stopped. If this specific component of the machine happens to malfunction, it can cause strange behavior such as slipping. The difficult part is trying to diagnose what the exact cause of the torque converter malfunctioning is. There can be many causes for problems with torque converters.
It can be difficult to separate an issue with the transmission from problems with torque converters. Yet, there are some signs you should be aware of that can help you pinpoint what the issue is, whether that issue be with the transmission or the torque converter.
Take a look at the three common torque converter problems you might run into:
1. Overheating
The most likely problem you’ll run into is overheating. Overheating can usually be directly traced to low converter fluid pressure and/or air present in the system. This can be caused by several factors, including:
- The fluid levels get too low
- The filter gets clogged
- The suction lines are cracked
- The charging pump is beginning to fail
Overheating can damage the seals, o-rings, and gaskets leading to fluid leaks and a lack of proper fluid circulation.
2. Deformed Blades
Fragmented or deformed turbine blades is another sure way to see an industrial torque converter quickly lose its effectiveness. This can happen as a result of rapid overheating of the torque converter or contamination ingested into the system which can lead to the turbine blades beginning to break and pull away from the hubs. With extreme heat, the blades can even break into pieces. Torque converters with deformed or fragmented blades require significant and expensive repairs (or a complete rebuild) to avoid a prohibitive loss of torque converter efficiency.
3. Proper Installation
When installing a new torque converter, it is best practice to install new cooler lines and have the radiator/cooler professionally cleaned. This ensures that all contamination from the previous converter installation is removed from the system. If coolers and lines are not clean, then debris from the previous converter failure will be ingested into the new converter causing a very quick and costly failure.
If you’ve been in this field long enough, you’ve likely dealt with a few common torque converter problems. Although we are confident in the excellent capabilities, and reliability, of the torque converters we provide, we also know that problems do occasionally arise. Considering the extreme mechanical feats of your heavy machinery, and the tasks required of the torque converters in those machines, this makes sense. What also makes sense, then, is being prepared and understanding the signs and symptoms of these common torque converter issues.
So, how can you tell when one of those issues is happening to your machinery? keep an eye out for these common symptoms of torque converter problems:
From our home office in Hurst, Texas, we supply only the best torque converters from the best brands. But we also stock a full catalog of replacement and repair parts, can manufacture customized specialty parts from our warehouse and can meet you with a service team just about anywhere in the world should you have a problem.
We’d like to take a minute and look at common symptoms to help you recognize when something has gone wrong. If you spot the problems early, they will be much easier and cheaper to fix.
SYMPTOM ONE ““ NO POWER FROM THE CONVERTER
A torque converter failure can seriously ruin a good day. You’re out in the field, slamming away at some major task worthy of an episode of Modern Marvels, and suddenly your giant Tonka starts pushing like it did when you were a kid. The engine’s running, and the pedal is pumping, but you’re getting nothing out of it. As the name suggests, your torque converter plays a vital role in converting horse power to torque. When you need it to provide you with power, you need to allow enough time for pressure to form. If it doesn’t, you won’t get the power you need. Give it time, don’t force it, and you may save yourself from a bad day.
SYMPTOM TWO ““ SURGING AND LAGGING
The death lurch. We all know it’s coming, but we never expect it to actually happen. Some machines go way too young, others seem to last forever. But so many good machines could be saved each year if owners payed attention to a few telltale signs of torque converter problems. The shudder. The jerk. They’re not dance moves, they’re problems.
When the machinery you are using feels as though it is shuddering, the problem may be the torque converter. Since the shuddering happens randomly, without rhyme or reason, you should get your transmission checked out as soon as you can.
If your machine is surging or lagging during operation, and can’t maintain constant speed, power or lift, then you may be dealing with erratic converter fluid pressure or flow. This could be due to low converter fluid in the day tank and/or air present in the converter fluid circuit. Check these levels, take care of them, and you won’t regret the extra time you spent on getting extra time from your converter.
SYMPTOM THREE ““ POWER LOSS DUE TO CLUTCH SLIPPAGE
Sometimes, after heavy acceleration, your clutch may slip. It may make you think that the converter is losing power, and that’s understandable. That’s what it feels like. But the engine is making power that the torque converter never sees, and it’s just the master clutch assembly that’s not transferring that power. With a simple clutch adjustment, you could be up and running in no time. If this condition goes untreated for too long, however, excessive damage will occur to your master clutch assembly, requiring removal and replacement. The key to saving money is maintaining your equipment and fixing problems quickly, before they grow into bigger problems.
SYMPTOM FOUR – FLUID CONTAMINATION
Another issue that points to torque converter problems is contamination in the fluid. If, when you check the fluid, you find thick clumps of dark material, either the clutches of the torque converter is damaged, or there is an issue with the transmission. Perform a fluid change before you assume the problem is the torque converter. Then, try and run the machinery for a while, and check back on it later.
SYMPTOM FIVE – SLOW ENGAGEMENT
With a ruined torque converter, the transmission will take longer than usual to engage the engine. This slow engagement results in higher stall speeds. Check you engine’s stall speed specifications, then perform a stall speed test based on the specifications listed, in order to diagnose for any torque converter issues.
Using machinery with a bad torque converter is extremely dangerous, and doing so exacerbates the symptoms listed above. Once you have identified that the torque converter is the problem, you will need to get it replaced by professionals. This particular piece of the machinery is delicate and complicated. Therefore, it should not be fixed by the average person. Otherwise, more damage to the equipment could occur.
At K&L Clutch, we provide only top-of-the-line torque converters from brands like Twin Disc, Allison, American, Clark, and more. But in those rare times when problems arise, our unparalleled service department can get you back up and running again in no time “” whether that’s from our home in Hurst, Texas, or from just about anywhere in the world you need us to be. Take a second from time to time to inspect your torque converter for visible problems like fluid levels, pressures and clutch adjustment to catch potential problems before they show up, but know that we’re here for you when more serious problems arise. Contact us for more information.
