<VV> Re: VirtualVairs Digest, Vol 7, Issue 44 Overheated PG

[Silveyyevlis at aol.com]

Generally when the oil in a PG turns black in a short amount of driving the  
cause is the sprag clutch in the torque convertor  slipping and the stator  
assembly is  turning when it should not be turning.  To test the sprag  clutch 
remove the convertor, obtain a convertor support that supports the  convertor 
on the differential case. Insert the support in to the convertor and  try to 
turn the stator with a hard twist in both directions.  You should  only be able 
to turn the stator in one direction.  If it turns in both  directions the 
sprag clutch is bad  and the convertor needs to be  rebuilt.  Warning.  If you 
take your convertor to a rebuild shop be  sure that they know what a Corvair 
convertor is and that it turns the opposite  direction compared to most other 
convertors---sometimes they install the sprag  clutch backward which results in a 
very poor performing convertor.
 
Tom Silvey