Slips a fine steel wire loop behind a lip seal to lift it out and guide a fresh one in without nicking the sealing edge or the shaft it rides on.
Rebuilt a Turbo 400 and the forward or direct clutch slips from the first drive? A rolled or nicked piston lip seal is one of the most common reasons, and it happens at the moment the piston is pushed into the drum. The T-0015 tool, the aftermarket equivalent of Kent-Moore J-26744-A, is the small wire loop builders use to coax that lip past the drum edge instead of forcing it. It costs less than redoing a drum, and it works on lip seals and O-rings across most automatics, not just the TH400.
Every apply piston in a Turbo 400 seals with molded lip seals. The GM manual has the forward clutch piston fitted with inner and outer seals whose lips face away from the spring pockets, plus a center seal on the housing with the lip facing up. The direct clutch and the intermediate piston on the center support are built the same way. Those lips have to slide into the drum bore pointing in the right direction, and a sharp edge, a snap ring groove or a dry bore will fold them back.
GM specified sleeve-type protectors for this: J-21362 over the hub and J-21409 in the drum for the forward and direct clutches, and J-21363 on the center support hub. The T-0015 loop is the finishing tool. With the piston started, you slip the thin steel wire down between the lip and the bore and run it around the circumference so the lip tucks in instead of rolling over. It also lifts an old seal out of its groove without scratching the groove. The set has two tools, a fine 0.016 in wire and a heavier 0.035 in wire, on anodized aluminum handles.
A cut lip seal shows up as low or unsteady apply pressure in one range only. Our TH400 delayed engagement guide walks through separating a seal leak from a pump or valve body cause, and the TH400 common problems guide covers the line pressure checks. If the unit is out of the car, air-check each clutch before you close the case: a healthy piston applies with a solid thump and holds.
This is a hand tool, not a vehicle part, so it fits any Turbo 400 from 1964 on, including GM truck, motorhome, Cadillac, Buick and Olds applications, and the lip seals in TH350, 700R4 and other automatics. It replaces Atec T-0015 and Kent-Moore J-26744-A. Choose the 0.016 in loop for tight bores and small inner seals, and the 0.035 in loop for larger outer seals. See the full TH400 parts collection for the seals and frictions it goes in with.
Pair it with the seals in a TCI 228600 racing overhaul kit or the TH400 overhaul kit 1965-98, and hold the case on the TH400 holding fixture while you work.
| Pieces | 2 (0.016 in and 0.035 in wire loops) |
| Use | Lip seal and O-ring install and removal |
| Best for | TH400 rebuilds and general automatic transmission seal work |
| Replaces | Atec T-0015, Kent-Moore J-26744-A |
| Material | Anodized aluminum with high-strength steel wire |
Doing this repair right usually means replacing these at the same time. Same transmission, ships together.
It is an aftermarket replacement for J-26744-A and Atec T-0015, made as a wire loop on a handle in the same pattern.
They help. GM calls for J-21362 and J-21409 on the forward and direct clutches and J-21363 on the center support. The wire loop finishes the job by tucking any lip the sleeve does not guide in.
Use the 0.016 in loop for small inner seals and tight clearances, and the 0.035 in loop for larger outer seals where you want a stiffer wire.
Yes. It works on lip seals and O-rings in most automatics, including the TH350 and 700R4 drums.
Use the Dexron-type ATF the TH400 calls for, or a transmission assembly lube that dissolves in ATF.
