Who builds these torque converters?

Big Blue24

Big Blue24

Comp Diesel Sponsor
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Jan 5, 2008
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It would be hard to say who makes it with no markings. What i would do personally, is stay away from it. :poke:

I love to save money when i can, but a transmission is no place to skimp IMO.

If you are tight on money, but want a better converter/VB, buy a Goerend Single Disc, and a transgo shift kit. Then when you want a triple disc, he will refund you the full amount of the single disc, and put it towards the triple disc.

Im just not a fan of no name transmission parts. A good buddy of mine bought a Dayco torque converter for a decent price. It went out after only 8k miles, and it wasnt that the clutch burnt up. It was because some seals and things let loose inside the converter. Just a cheaply made piece. They did send him a new one, but he said he would feel bad selling it to someone, so he sent it to Dave Goerend for a core, and bought a single disc Goerend and was very happy with it. He just recently bought a full transmission from him.

Anyways, I just wouldnt skimp on the transmission stuff.

Eric
 
I remember Jasper doing the front cover like that before they went to the full billet front cover.
 
not too sure who or what. but it definitly has a billit cover. but like CUMMINSDRIVER said, dont skimp in the trans. that will only cost you more in the long run
 
Cummins Driver said:
It would be hard to say who makes it with no markings. What i would do personally, is stay away from it. :poke:
Click to expand...

So, what "markings" are on a name brand converter? My Goerend has no markings on it...

My Goerend unit does have a different front cover on it though since it is a triple disc converter though, so that is an easy thing to use to identify it as a higher end converter. I *think* that the cover in the pic is one of the Sonnax pieces. You can get all the pieces of the converter from them and assemble it. I think they sell them complete too.

Cummins Driver said:
Im just not a fan of no name transmission parts. A good buddy of mine bought a Dayco torque converter for a decent price. It went out after only 8k miles, and it wasnt that the clutch burnt up. It was because some seals and things let loose inside the converter. Just a cheaply made piece. They did send him a new one, but he said he would feel bad selling it to someone, so he sent it to Dave Goerend for a core, and bought a single disc Goerend and was very happy with it. He just recently bought a full transmission from him.
Click to expand...

There is nothing wrong with a Daaco converter when they are used in the right application. Misuse of any converter can cause premature failure. Additionally, the only seal that I am aware of in a converter is the one for the lockup clutch. The non-lockup converters that I have seen cut apart have none in them.

My guess would be that the thrust washer(s) died and tore stuff up without looking at the unit.


As for the converter in the link, I would treat it as a core or as a base converter to rework. The shipping price seems high too, but if it only goes for $100 it is still cheaper than the core cost.
 
mondtster said:
So, what "markings" are on a name brand converter? My Goerend has no markings on it...
Click to expand...

I dont know about yours, but my converter has markings on it to show that it is the 800/300 stall, along with some other number that i am not sure on the meaning of. You can also bet that someone isnt selling a good name brand converter for $100 and shipping.

mondtster said:
There is nothing wrong with a Daaco converter when they are used in the right application. Misuse of any converter can cause premature failure. Additionally, the only seal that I am aware of in a converter is the one for the lockup clutch. The non-lockup converters that I have seen cut apart have none in them.

My guess would be that the thrust washer(s) died and tore stuff up without looking at the unit.
Click to expand...

I would NOT buy a Dayco/Daaco whatever the crap its called converter mysef.

The guy that had this converter bought it as a performance converter. You know, to hold more power. He had a comp and some small injectors. He didnt misuse the converter. They mislabeled it! If it cant handle extra power then it should be sold as a stock replacement.

But, it had an ok stall, and the clutch held alright on it too. The problem was that the seal went out and it was locking up and wouldnt unlock when he came to a stop. Pretty much a $500 paper weight. When he had the converter put in, he had a local diesel shop rebuild his tranny and up the VB pressures. He told them to put in a good converter and that is what they put in. He said he wasnt too happy when they told him thats what they installed, but it was too late then. He also told me(after having his Goerend single for a while) that the guys son had 2 of the same converters go out on his 2wd 12 valve that just has a plate or something.

It was NOT a quality converter. I would GLADLY spend $150 more on a single disc Goerend as opposed to that junk for $500. I have seen enough of them fail that it is not worth my money and time to deal with something like that. He had to haggle with them to get it warrantied. I realize any trans company/converter can have problems, but I have seen too many of them fail.

If i really needed a decent converter for bottom dollar, I would look at a TCI single disc. TCI seems to make good stuff, and i havent heard of many problems with their converters.

Eric
 

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Cummins Driver said:
I dont know about yours, but my converter has markings on it to show that it is the 800/300 stall, along with some other number that i am not sure on the meaning of. You can also bet that someone isnt selling a good name brand converter for $100 and shipping.
Click to expand...

So sharpie markings on the cover are indicators of a high end performance converter? Who would have guessed?

Point is, it is hard to identify a converter by just looking at the outside. At least you can tell that both the one in the link and the Goerend converters aren't stock by the front cover but unless you cut it apart you won't know what it really is unless you bought it yourself from a reputable source.

Cummins Driver said:
I would NOT buy a Dayco/Daaco whatever the crap its called converter mysef.

The guy that had this converter bought it as a performance converter. You know, to hold more power. He had a comp and some small injectors. He didnt misuse the converter. They mislabeled it! If it cant handle extra power then it should be sold as a stock replacement.

But, it had an ok stall, and the clutch held alright on it too. The problem was that the seal went out and it was locking up and wouldnt unlock when he came to a stop. Pretty much a $500 paper weight. When he had the converter put in, he had a local diesel shop rebuild his tranny and up the VB pressures. He told them to put in a good converter and that is what they put in. He said he wasnt too happy when they told him thats what they installed, but it was too late then. He also told me(after having his Goerend single for a while) that the guys son had 2 of the same converters go out on his 2wd 12 valve that just has a plate or something.

It was NOT a quality converter. I would GLADLY spend $150 more on a single disc Goerend as opposed to that junk for $500. I have seen enough of them fail that it is not worth my money and time to deal with something like that. He had to haggle with them to get it warrantied. I realize any trans company/converter can have problems, but I have seen too many of them fail.

If i really needed a decent converter for bottom dollar, I would look at a TCI single disc. TCI seems to make good stuff, and i havent heard of many problems with their converters.

Eric
Click to expand...

Obviously your idea and Daaco's idea of a performance converter are two different things. I wouldn't hold my breath with a TCI converter either because I bet they use roughly the same parts. I've also heard some complaints about them too, although I don't know of too many people running them.

What I was originally meaning by my response about Daaco converters is that they are a big supplier/manufacturer of stock replacement converters. They have a place, but they probably don't have a place in a modified diesel application like this. I have had no issues using Daaco converters for stock rebuild/mild performance v8 applications.
 
I know what you mean. Im honestly not sure why trans manufacturers dont stamp the brand on the converter somewhere, but it is identifiable by the billet cover, and the stall can be easily seen since it has that sharpie on it.:hehe:

Im not saying the TCI is a wonderful converter either, but i have heard of much more about them than the Daaco. I would feel better about one of their converters than Daaco's, but I will take my Goerend over either one.

The thing about the Daaco converter that i know of failing was that it failed not because of too much power, but because of a seal. Maybe the pressures in the modded VB killed it? I dont know, but his Goerend converter was great the whole time he had it.

My whole point was not to bash any certain trans/tc builder but just to point out that a quality converter/transmission just cant be beat.

Eric
 
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