TC or Tranny?????????????

[CARdiac]

I have a 94 3.4L w/an auto tranny and I need help diagnosing my problem. My car has been tapping for a little while, it sounds like my lifters…I took it to the Engine remanufacture who installed it. He claims the lifters and rocker arms are ok. He said that the tapping is coming from my torque converter. He said they disconnected (?) it and the ticking stopped.

For a while when the car is under load it seems to hesitate, there is no change in RPMs but the car seems to lag and then surge. I have also seen a drop in gas mileage and I have a rough idle. There is the ticking/tapping that I mentioned above, the ticking seems to increase with the engine RPMs. The lag has gotten worse in the last month or so with it being worse when cold.

Any thoughts….I just lost my job so I cannot afford to drop my car off at a tranny shop.

[Turbo V6 Camaro]

ummmm

does the ticking stop when the car warms up ?

i have NEVER heard of TC ticking

it it happens in park the its you motor not your tranny cuase its not even spining in park, also if you tranny was slipping the rpm would go up and you would slow down, you would have to left off the gas for it grab then you would be on your way.

im thinking it is not the tranny,

i think you MAP sensor could be bad, but that dont explain the ticking

ummm anyone

ticking in crease with Rpm sounds like liters to me

[Jerriko]

Originally posted by viper04af:
ummmm

does the ticking stop when the car warms up ?

i have NEVER heard of TC ticking

it it happens in park the its you motor not your tranny cuase its not even spining in park, also if you tranny was slipping the rpm would go up and you would slow down, you would have to left off the gas for it grab then you would be on your way.

im thinking it is not the tranny,

i think you MAP sensor could be bad, but that dont explain the ticking

ummm anyone

ticking in crease with Rpm sounds like liters to me

Sorry, but that's wrong. The torque convertor ALWAYS is spinning. It is physically bolted to the back of the flexplate which is attached to the crank. My guess is it would be the TC. What he unplugged was the electronic torque converter lock up. The reason why your gas mileage has dropped off is your torque converter doesn't lock up anymore. The lock-up was installed in vehicles to improve gas mileage. The lock-up creates a physical link from the crank to the driveshaft so no torque/hp is lost through the trans. A failing torque converter can cause many mysterious noises when they start to fail.

[CARdiac]

Thanks...how hard is it to replace? I have been quoted $300-400...much more than I can afford as an unemployed person. I ordered a TC for $90....

[camaro_dakota]

It might be the flexplate. Mine is cracked right now and it makes the same ticking noise. It also runs very rough. My tranny guy said it was a flexplate. I found a replacement and it was also cracked so im guessing it could be a common problem. It isnt that hard to replace really. If you are slow you could replace the TC and the flexplate in a day. All you do is take the DS out and put a jack under the tranny and take the tranny mount off and the torque arm off. Then lower the tranny a bit, take out the tranny fill tube and unhook the trans fluid lines from the trans and unbolt the flex plate and then the bellhousing from the block lowering the trans about an inch and moving it backwards. You do not have to take the trans out of the car all the way. You can take the flexplate off and the TC out. Then you put the new TC in and spin it while pushing in till it clicks 3 times. Then put the flexplate on and move the tranny back into position it should sit on two bump things that are circular. Then bolt the TC back to the flexplate and do everything in reverse putting it back together

[Jerriko]

Originally posted by camaro_dakota:
It might be the flexplate. Mine is cracked right now and it makes the same ticking noise. It also runs very rough. My tranny guy said it was a flexplate. I found a replacement and it was also cracked so im guessing it could be a common problem. It isnt that hard to replace really. If you are slow you could replace the TC and the flexplate in a day. All you do is take the DS out and put a jack under the tranny and take the tranny mount off and the torque arm off. Then lower the tranny a bit, take out the tranny fill tube and unhook the trans fluid lines from the trans and unbolt the flex plate and then the bellhousing from the block lowering the trans about an inch and moving it backwards. You do not have to take the trans out of the car all the way. You can take the flexplate off and the TC out. Then you put the new TC in and spin it while pushing in till it clicks 3 times. Then put the flexplate on and move the tranny back into position it should sit on two bump things that are circular. Then bolt the TC back to the flexplate and do everything in reverse putting it back together

Yes, what he said.

[CARdiac]

Thank you, how much is a flexplate?

[DrFix2Fly]

Cracked flex plates sound just like cracked torque converter hubs. Happened to me. Check yours while you are in there. If it is cracked, you will have to replace it and also check to see that you didn't trash your pump.