Picture of cause of P0741 code - Bad Torque Converter Seal

[cwelty]

I repaired the dreaded P0741 error by replacing the torque converter. I am posting a picture of what the defective seal looks like for anyone interested. The arrow in picture points to missing part of seal. There should be seal material, not a shiny metal surface at arrow tip. You can feel rough edge of broken seal with your finger. There was also a broken piece of the seal at bottom of torque converter.

[broadkid718]

wow this looks intimidating... how long was the process to change? Can you feel a difference in performance?

[cwelty]

I worked at slow pace and probably spent about 15 hours to do the repair. I did it on jack stands, which makes job take longer. Almost all the time is spent removing and installing the transmission. Once the transmission is out of the car is only take a minute to pull off the torque converter and put on the new one. I bought a rebuilt torque converter from Eriksson Industries (authorized ZF distributor in USA). I also use Valvoline Max Life transmission fluid (rated LT71141 on label).

I can post more pictures if anyone is interested.

[rf900rkw]

I'm just amazed you got it drained down and cleaned enough to get that picture. You can drain a converter for weeks, and it will still manage to dribble oil on the camera lens.

[cwelty]

It was hard to drain down the torque converter enough to take a nice picture of missing seal. I used a syringe and paper towels to get all the fluid out over the course of a couple days.

It was important to me to see that I actually did have a problem with the torque converter, and not some other part of the lock up system such as a solenoid.

Fixing this problem did not help drivability at all, it just will help with better MPG and lower RPMs at higher speeds. I mainly wanted to fix it so that my "Service Engine" light would go off.

It was a ZF 5HP-19 (A5S 325Z) transmission. Failure occured approx 60,000 miles.

[bretto]

Thanks for sharing your experience and pictures! You are braver than me for doing it yourself. I've had enough DIY for awhile after tackling a bad A/C blower motor inside the dash. I'm taking her in to the local transmission shop next week for the same problem and will print out your picture of the bad seal. Thanks again for sharing!

[Mark@EAC]

Common issue on these A5S 325Z torque converters unfortunately. We stock remans at good pricing, you can find them here:
http://www.eactuning.com/parts/produ...ls/24407519535

[Jim530i]

Common issue on these A5S 325Z torque converters unfortunately. We stock remans at good pricing, you can find them here:
http://www.eactuning.com/parts/produ...ls/24407519535

Is there a refund for the core? That is a pretty good pricing. And does the reman come with a warrenty?

After looking closely, there is a 200 refund for the core.

How much is this shipped to hong kong?

[Mark@EAC]

Jim, I will look into the shipping options for you and send you a private message with some more info as it is available to me.

thanks!

[Jim530i]

Jim, I will look into the shipping options for you and send you a private message with some more info as it is available to me.

thanks!

Please do.....please do.....

Cheapest shipping method preferred as I am used to a bad torque converter.....

[kimokk]

Common issue on these A5S 325Z torque converters unfortunately. We stock remans at good pricing, you can find them here:
http://www.eactuning.com/parts/produ...ls/24407519535

Mark,

Who rebuilds your torque converters? Thanks.

[rebornsoul85]

I just bought a E38 and it has the same code. I changed the transmission fluid hopping that would help but now looks as if I have to replace the TC. Anyone know of a DIY thread on this? or recommend any good tranny shops in SoCal? I'm willing to put in the hours to fix this myself but I need to see if I can find a DIY that can help me out :/

[rf900rkw]

You have a ZF5HP24. This seal problem applies to the ZF5HP19, and only to the cars with the multi-plate clutch. This would be E39 530s, E46 330s, and certain Audis. This particular thread has no more relevance to your car than a thread in the Chevy Lumina forums.
I'm not saying your problem isn't the converter. What I am saying is that there is no pattern failure in the '24. Blindly replacing the converter to see if it fixes it has only slightly better odds than blindly replacing the fluid. It needs to be diagnosed first.

[Higgpigg]

How much did the rebuilt one cost you?

[maxnest]

I repaired the dreaded P0741 error by replacing the torque converter. I am posting a picture of what the defective seal looks like for anyone interested. The arrow in picture points to missing part of seal. There should be seal material, not a shiny metal surface at arrow tip. You can feel rough edge of broken seal with your finger. There was also a broken piece of the seal at bottom of torque converter.

could this be the reason why there was transmission fluid flying around in the front of my transmission and leaking everywere mind this i rebuilt my transmission and still the same problem

[djb2]

could this be the reason why there was transmission fluid flying around in the front of my transmission and leaking everywere mind this i rebuilt my transmission and still the same problem

No, this is an internal seal. A leak just bypasses the lock-up clutch inside the torque converter, preventing it from being fully applied. The leaking fluid simply joins the fluid returning to the transmission from the torque converter.

There is a single external seal for the torque converter. It rarely fails. A leak around the seal is usually because the oil pump bushing seizes to the torque converter, resulting in the bushing spinning in the oil pump housing. The resulting bouncing causes even a still-intact seal to leak. The leak can be quite bad because of pressure from the adjacent pump.