expnsive noise from torque converter!! help!

stevevanderveer

stevevanderveer

Member
Major Problem Alert!!! Here's the story; I had the 3500s shipped to Sedona, AZ from our previous home in MA, 2700 miles on the back of a fancy-ass truck, pointing forward at a normal angle (my series 3 and '98 4.6 were on a trailer behind) The vehicles arrived at our new home here seemingly fine, without incident. Then, I fired-up the 3500S - immediately comes a very loud squeek/shriek, unmistakeably from the torque converter...... Does not improve with warming up/use - the sound of metal screeching against metal. Absolutely no sign of trouble before it was put on the transport. (oh, the trans still shifts normally - otherwise its running perf.....) Needless to say I consider this big trouble..... Any ideas of what the hell could have happened? Where could I get an appropriate torque convrtr in the US??? thank you for any advice, friends........ sv
 
Hi , Harvey is your Man for this one , and i expect he'll pick it up in a bit , but in his absence i'd first ensure the fluid level is correct , their is a full description "sticky" at the top of the transmission / gearbox section .
Then have a look at the bell housing bolts and ensure they're tight . Also remove the cover ( half moon shape ) on the front side , bottom of the bell housing and check the converter bolts . That'll give you something to focus on until Harvey answers fully :D
 
I'd echo the advice to check the converter bolts, and have a look into the vent holes in the bellhousing and look for witness marks. If the noise is that loud you should be able to see signs of it. If it has a cooling shroud on the converter they can foul if they get distorted.
 
thanks for the prompt replies..... First thing I did was whip off that little cover, everything looks normal. The (loud) sound appears to be be coming from inside the converter. Has anyone ever heard of such a thing? (incidentally, I'm gonna post some pics of the vehicles on the transporter later today).. I'm quite concerned. steve
 
stevevanderveer said:
The (loud) sound appears to be be coming from inside the converter. Has anyone ever heard of such a thing?
Click to expand...

They can get noisy. It might be an idea to post a video if possible to give a better idea of the noise. It does seem a coincidence that's happened since it was transported, but it may just be that...A coincidence. If it is the converter then they can be overhauled.
 
UPDATE; Most of my tools (and everything else we own) is still in the PODS container shipped from Mass., which is a week late in arriving in AZ, so I haven't ripped it apart yet..... but, I now think it's not an internal torque convrtr issue, but something more minor. Can't articulate precisely why, but I will know more later and will stay in touch...... thanks again everybody..... steve
 
My P6b sat for over a year once . Never turned over !!! Bad I know .
When I started her up the gearbox/torque convertor made such a racket , I thought the worst had happened .
It settled down once the t.c had refilled itself [ I told myself this theory ]
Nice and quiet now and shifts gear perfect .
Maybe something magic happened .
Gerald
 
And it works. oh yeah! Turns out to have been a very loose top starter bolt..... can't explain why it would have only made itself known after 2700 miles on the back of a truck... one of those unknowable, car-mystic things that can mess w/your head......... but, again, thank you all for your interest and help. Steve V.
 
Re: torque converter again

Gentlemen, my engine is out of the car, and I'm about to fit the automatic transmission to the engine. I have a mountain of converters and fly wheels, so it is just to pick one. Some of the converters have welded bars (ca. 2x1 cm) on the side ( for ballancing?), others have not. - My question is if I shall just fit a torque converter to a flywheel and hope it will be in ballance? and if not, fiddle with the ballance bolts on the flywheel when in situ. - Or will a mechanic be able to ballance it before I put the engine & automatic transmission back in the car.? Regards, Chris Varming
 
What you see welded on are balance weights, but they are to balance the converter as an individual unit, once they're fitted to the flexplate you can still get vibrations if you're unlucky. Personally I'd just fit one and hope for the best, and if you do have problems you have 4 alternative positions on the converter to flexplate mounting, so you can move it around and hopefully cure it.
 
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