the pump is the hydraulic pump for the transmission - what moves the ATF around inside the unit. I'll try to translate Harvey speak....The two lugs Harvey references are two cutouts about 1" wide by 1" deep in the hollow extension shaft (about 10" long) that connects the torque converter to the transmission. You can't see it when the transaxle is all together, but inside the transmission part of the transaxle is the impeller - what I've been just calling the pump. These lugs/cutouts have to engage with the impeller/pump.
if you haven't yet tried to start the motor there is still a good chance you haven't damaged the pump. But believe me, when the engine and tranny is bolted up tight, the torque converter will still spin with hand pressure alone.
without having it apart it's very hard to tell you more than what Harvey passed along, but I'll try. The extension shaft on the end of the TC is connected via a spring clip and it sticks out about 8 or 10 inches. When you slide that TC/Shaft assembly back into the transaxle housing and spin it a bit, you can feel it engage the splines (or it wouldn't go in at all). Then with a bit of pushing pressure against it, you spin it again, and it moves back even farther into the housing. As Harvey said, the first engagement is the spines, the second is when the two cutouts/lugs on the shaft engage the pump.
When I screwed up mine I had made the spline engagement, but not the second set with the pump. I then turned the engine enough with the transaxle loosely bolted up until I could get the first TC/flexplate bolt inserted. Then I turned the engine by hand to get the others installed, and then pulled it all up tight to the engine. When I started the engine is when the trouble started as I ruined both the pump and the extension shaft on the torque converter. Luckily I had spares as I was doing this with an old transaxle as my differential had died but the tranny was still good.
I don't mind helping, I'm just trying to keep you from making the same mistake I did, as it will be costly for you. I think that just by removing the engine you could have pulled the torque converter out enough it no longer has the lugs engaged with the pump. I really see no way out for you but to pull the engine - at least enough to get in there and to push and turn the TC until the pump has been engaged. If the TC can not be turned by hand, then it's not together correctly and it's a VERY high probability it's becuase the TC has not engaged the pump.
If it will help, you can e-mail me direct at
lbridges@cfl.rr.com or starting tomorrow morning call me at home after about 8AM eastern time @ 321-768-0425. Maybe direct contact would be better than typing back and forth, your decision. If you read this tonite, it's about 10:25 PM Eastern and I'll wait til about 11.