I have been experiencing a wierd sound/feel from my tranny lately. I have the 3.0 VZ-E with an automatic trans. I have 150k miles on it and have put 50 on myself. I have personally had the trans flushed at about 105k miles, then had a pan drop/filter change service performed at 130k. Within the past 3k miles, I have noticed a louder noise comming from the area of the trans, only noticable when engine is cold and when sitting in the cab. Coincidentally, I noticed this sound after replacing the rear coil springs and shocks with stock size equipment. Could this have anything to do with this sound?

Also, In the past ~1k miles I have noticed a different feel to the trans when taking my foot off the gas pedal at higher speeds. For example, If traveling 70 mph on a smooth highway then I suddenly take my foot off of the gas pedal, the engines seems like it is being held up by the trans. This feel is not as noticable as if you were downshifting (as if to slow the engine with the trans when decending a large hill with a load in tow), but sort of like a milder feel of such an action. The engine doesn't spike in rpm's, it slows down to normal levels. I just keep hearing this sound/feel. Could it be a sticking torque converter? The trans fluid looks good, but it has been almost 50 k miles since the torque converter has been flushed. This is my next course of action.

Thoughts?