hey there gang.... I'm back with another sob story on my '95... even tho we settled in court to have the engine replaced (reman) and have had it back for 8 months, today the tranny went out on me. I'm shopping for advice.
Today: Driving down the highway after a regular warm-up, cruising just fine, then a sudden loud whump-ing noise, consistent with the engine revolutions, and absolutely no transmission engaged. Its an A/T but felt just like the time my clutch went on the '89. Coasting to the curb, the whump-ing continued. Turning the car off, and back on again, in park, the noise continues. The tranny fluid (and oil) both look great. Reman engine in there 7k ago, and tranny was flushed (because it looked burnt) about 3k before that. So 10k ago on the tranny flush.
Historically, the truck has surely needed a good ten minutes of warm up before overdrive would kick in. I've always babied it until then, rpm's never higher than 4, max. There has never been much oomph from this truck off the starting line; I just figured the auto is going to feel different than my other two sticks. Its also a 3.0, not known for its prowess.
Its been suggested that it could be a trans-axle, but the noise continues in park. Perhaps the torque converter, said another, although other than sluggish on take off and long warm ups, it never felt like it was going bad. Plus the fluid is good, although its only got 10,000 miles on it.
Fourteen months with a blown engine and now this, I've owned the truck for 3 years but only have had it on the road less than 12 months. I don't have the cash right now, so its back to driving the dune climber, and searching my toyo buds for clues. Its the loud continuous noise that is so perplexing. Please help!
-L

 

That sucks Mama, so how many miles are on this tranny? Is it a 4wd? The previous burnt fluid is a bad sign.

 

You could try cleaning the filter and replace the fluid. It might work but from what it sounds like its a torque converter : / At the very least if the fluid change doesn't work your looking at pulling the transmission and replacing the torque converter, good news is one can be had at a local junkyard for about 20$ if you know where to go and look.

 

112k on this tranny, MT... last time I checked, Michigan didn't have any scrap... guess I'll have to start calling again... I might just have to unload this one, cut my losses, lick my wounds, and bid Dear Tyke farewell.... tears well up just thinking about it... *sniff

 

Most all the other threads on here talk about sloppy shifting and the torque converter "going" bad. Mine drive shaft just stooped working while i was going down the highway. Loud rhythmic noises continue even while in Park. Linkage wouldn't cause that would it? Maybe it popped into neutral,but would that explain the noise? Likewise for the CV?
My daughter is graduating this year, and as a single mom, I truly have no means to do anything about it now, but how worried should I be?

 

Loud noises huh, here's the first thing I'd check. The bolts that hold the torque converter to the drive plate may not have been properly torqued and worked loose. Or the drive plate itself may have broken. Does the noise sound like rocks in a coffee can?

I'll try to find some pics of what to look for.

 

Can't find a pic showing what I wanted, which is the dust cover you need to remove to get access to the TC bolts. But at the bottom of the bell housing just behind the engine oil pan is a little half moon shaped steel plate/dust cover. There are 3 or 4 bolts that hold it on, just unbolt the dust cover and look up to check that the TC bolts are in place. You can do that Mama. I'm hesitant to post these pics because they show me doing something improperly and lots of people just look at the pics without reading, but they show what I'm talking about so well. So let me just note: The torque coverter should be unbolted from the drive plate BEFORE separating the tranny from the engine.

So this is how NOT to do it:

 

hehe, dale, i think that is the way my brother in law and i did it when we took the motor and trans out of my old 89! learn something new every day i guess.

lee

 

Yeah there are probably a lot of us that do it that way the first time and it can be done that way. But it is harder and it risks damaging the torque converter seal. Plus you get ATF spilling out in your face hehe. I stopped when the ATF started spilling out and went down the street to my neighbor who owns 2 AAMCO transmission shops in OKC and ask him what I did wrong. He filled me in on the correct way.

 

mmmm, atf, love that taste first thing in the morning! took me over an hour to pressure wash the garage floor after we were done, man that stuff really makes a mess!

lee

 

It isn't a "rocks in a coffee can" noise but rather a WHOMP WHOMP WHOMP very solid rythymic crashing, sounds absolutely like its driver's side front wheel-ish but dioesn't resonate the floorboards. And continues even in park. Lots of threads on here about how great the tranny is on my 4Runners, so lets hope it won't be a rebuild, right, but would a bad TC damage the cam/crank/whatever shaft that is that turns it from the engine side? On the bright side, I can be thankful for the investement last year of my torpedo heater, right? February in Michigan is not the best time to climb under your vehicle... Golly, MT, aren't you due for vaca?

 

guy at automasters just said he's NEVER had to replace the TC... highly unusual in my truck he says... suggesting planetary or front or rear diff.... I suppose thats a step up, eh?

 

Front wheel-ish.....hummmm....is this a 4wd or 2wd? If 4wd, I wonder if the transfer case is stuck in 4wd and you blew a front CV or something like that. Is the 4wd dash light on? Oh but wait...you say there is no power getting to the rear wheels right?

 

Does it drive at all? I am curious to maybe the Tcase chain went.

 

does not go into gear at all. Was in gear then disengaged... I've got a toyo cert guy that will drop the tranny for me for $200... is the drive plate different than the flywheel? They look the same... I've got the heater warming things up in the garage and have borrowed a creeper, but its mighty cold out there today... my truck's underbelly is gonna be colder even yet.. !

 

Flywheel for manual trannies, drive plate/flex plate for autos. I think the difference is a flywheel is heavier (more rotational mass makes it easier to let out the clutch without stalling the engine).

 

ok, looking under there, I see no peek panel of any sort,,,, just a piece which connects flush with the bell housing and nothing else. I was under the impression that there should be an access panel within that piece, is that correct? Or should I remove the entire piece off the front of the bell housing? Ok, check that... I took out 4 bolts from the housing thinking that shim panel, I'll call it, would come out, which it didn't. I shone the light up there but couldn't see much at all... there is lust a little tab, no bigger than the blade of the screwdriver, which looks a bit bent but it allowed me the slimmest of peeks, and all I saw was smoothness, and a both attached. Slim pickens, my friends... I've got a friend gonna come listen to the noise in a bit, it quite frankly scares me, its so loud, but we'll try the shifter then too. Let me see if I can attach a sound bite...

 

Ok I took a pic of mine (5VZFE), your 3VZE dust cover should look very similar:

 

yup, thats it all rgith, but 4 bolts later and its not budging. Should that just slide out of the way or something? Does it pivot at all? It doesnt have any gasket around it, but it sure is tight still... I've got an iron bracket on both sides of it too, but it seems to just have 4 bolts, which I've taken clean out....

 

just had a freind come by and listen and he is convinced that it is a rod, likely #1 cylinder... my new engine, Dale! Don't know why it disengaged the tranny going own the road, but if I thought the ro knock ws rough in the old engine, this is 10x worse. Clang clang clang.