1998 Ford Ranger transmission fluid pump not pumping

Got the converter off. I got the gears engaged properly by following the Chilton Guide. It's back on but we still have a few things left to put on before we can test it out. I understand how the torque converter operates better now and I've got a good feeling that I got it right. "Viscous coupling" very cool.

It went really well and then not so well. We got everything hooked back up, started the engine, and witnessed the transmission fluid squirt out the radiator line we left disconnected. We thought we nailed it! With the transmission line hooked up again, in the garage, we went through the gears and moved a few feet back and forward. We checked the fluid level. Everything was looking good. Now, as we manuevered around the driveway to go on a test drive things stopped working! The trans fluid was no longer pumping.

I'm pretty sure nothing was damaged with the first installation of the torque converter as there were no noises or bangs that usually accompany mechanical failures. And there were no such noises today either.

I read somewhere that you should be carefull if you flush older transmissions as it could dislodge debris and clog things. Even though we didn't do an official "flush" there has been a lot of turbulence in that transmission lately. Could we just have a clog somewhere?

What do I do now?

I was afraid you were going to say that :( Is it something fixable? Is it back to the salvage yard for a transmission? What would a shop want to do if I brought it in and said, "fix it."

AAMCO said it would be something like $1600-$1800 to tear down that transmission plus any parts. I think I'm up for tearing into it myself. What do you think I should do?

Assuming we screwed something up with the torque converter what would I have to do?

I called a couple of shops and told them my situation. If I bring in it to them they'll fix it for around $300. That's what I'm gonna do.

On the road again! Finally! I do get an error code that indicates it's "running lean" though. I've had this before and it turned out to be the idle air control valve. I replaced it and it fixed the problem before. We put the newer control valve on the engine so I don't know why it's not working right. It's exhibiting the same symptoms as before. It doesn't always idle too well.

I haven't figured this damn thing out yet. I drove 500 miles this weekend with the check engine light on and got really crappy gas mileage. I checked the fuel pressure this evening and it was 65 psi. That's about 20 psi higher then normal (I think). I made sure all the vacuum and electrical connections were secure too.

P0174 is the code. In the course of troubleshooting this I broke a vacuum line. I haven't traced it yet so I'm not sure where it goes but it doesn't seem to effect the problem. Do you think the fuel pressure is high because the computer is trying to pump a lot of gas into the engine to compensate for the lean condition?

Oh, and I believe the error code indicated both banks. What does that mean?

So I traced down that broken vacuum line. I had to remove the "panel" (for lack of a better word) that is between the front passenger side tire and engine compartment. The vacuum line lead to a cylinder/tank looking thing right behind the headlight. What is this? I'll get a new vacuum line tomorrow. I read in the Chilton Guide that the PCV valve should be replaced every year or so. What is the purpose of the PCV valve? Should I replace it?