so i was at the boat ramp and had the truck loaded down with all of our gear in the bed, and was ready to pull my boat out of the water! tide was out so i was pretty far down the steep ramp and trailer tires were in the sand so i knew it would take some power to pull her out. so i started on the pedal and nothing so i kept giving it more she was reving up making boost and no movement so i really pushed the pedal and she began to crawl! it took alot of throttle and when i got to the top i smelt a burning smell not too strong but noticeable like a burning clutch sorta but trans temp didnt budge and all seemed well besides the unusuall amont of power it took to pull her up. guy at the ramp said it was my torque converter slipping bad. is this true
sorry for the winded post but like to get a clear answer thanks

 

When you pull a load like that it is a good idea to put into 4 LOW, that way it slips less when pulling hard. Same goes when you back-up a hill with a trailer. Lots of guys have put in a switch that will not engage the hubs, but will give you the pulling power of 4 Low.

 

The ONLY clutch in a torque converter is the one used for "lock up". There are no other clutches in the torque converter, and as such, NO friction surfaces of any kind nor are there any hard parts that come in contact with each other. It is a FLUID COUPLING. In regards to the guy who told you that you were burning up your torque converter.....he shouldn't be allowed to change his own oil if that's what he thought.

 

In retrospect, I can tell you exactly why your truck didn't move.

The gear ratio of first gear is stupid-high...like 2.5:1. It's useless for towing anything heavy or mired without the 2.71:1 low range. Second gear is equally as bad, but that's not the topic of discussion.

The stock torque converter used in the 7.3L powerstroke uses a stator which sucks for multiplying torque (which would make the 2.5:1 more livable) but it helps the transmission live a longer life by basically limiting input shaft torque from a stand-still. Aftermarket torque converters usually have a stator which increases the torque multiplication abilities therefore giving you more power to the wheels.....but at the cost of being a bit harder on transmission internals.

As woodnthings said, put it in low range next time.

 

If you are pulling it straight up the ramp no need to worry about the hubs being locked. Just don't make any tight turns. I used to do it all the time. Never hurt anything.

 

ok i will give 4lo a try next time! as you said it is a stupid hi 1st gear ratio to put in a diesel truck!
i feel like a have this beast under the hood but cant get the power to the ground!!
i must say she pulls like a beast on the highway 60-80 in no time she just pulls , and that i like

 

Yes, you overheated the torque converter. It was slipping, but that is how a torque converter works. It trades RPM for torque multiplication. If you want to understand how that works go to HowStuffWorks - Learn How Everything Works!. It's too long to type here.

When it is multiplying torque it is shearing the ATF. That generates A LOT of heat.

 

Sounds like the truck was in 2nd gear lock which acts just like you described. I have a PI stallion converter, if it did'nt move it would burn the rear tires off.

 

If it were in 2nd with the converter locked and the truck not moving the engine would stall. What he is describing is just not enough torque at the wheels to get the load moving. As stated about putting it in 4x4 low will increase the torque to the wheels by 2.7 times.