Jun 26, 2008 a cracked flywheel flexplate can come apart with catastrophic results. The engineer put a triangular file on it and had no trouble marking the plate, he said it is just plain old mild steel, and welding would be no troubles. A dropped bolt will definitely make noise but the noise typically doesnt last long since something breaks. Similar in function to a flywheel in manual transmission engines and ca. A cracked flex plate will usually cause a squeaky sound like a belt but shorter and sharper and changes when in gear or park and under load. A year or so ago i had the stock flex plate break on me. Cracked flex plate my runner has been making a ticking noise when warmed up for the last 20k miles. Before putting the torque converter into the transmission, take a. Oct 19, 2008 evening folks, my 300tdi auto today developed a nasty intermittant knocking, that seems to be coming from the bellhousing area.
Symptoms of a cracked flexplate general discussion modern. There are tough flexplatesand there are chuck norriscaliber flexplates. The flexplate is also ringed by a series of teeth referred to as the ring gear. The torque converter is bolted to the flexplate, and so the engines rotation is delivered to the transmission through it. This increases clearance at the flexplate, which causes stress. Should be causing a noticable vibration idling though. A serious crack can cause a mild vibration when driving, so can a faulty torque converter. One of the most common causes for flexplate warpage involves the wrong torque pressure and sequence on the flexplate. The flex plate usually makes a tinny or clanging some times chirping sound while starting,shutting off, accelerating or decelerating. You might notice rhythmic clunking or grinding noises while the engine is running. The biggest issues that caused cracked plates other than age are misaligned oil pans and missing pilot bushings in the crank shaft. Oct 27, 2014 cant pinpoint the source of the noise im thinking either the flexplate or torque converter its a 2000 5. Thinking they installed a new flexplate and tc when they changed the engine and that the missing tc bolt caused the problem. About a year and a half ago, the flexplate cracked and had to be replaced.
The wildest automatic car i have is my wifes supercharged 347 with a c4 trans, and a 1970 flexplate. And we also have heavyduty and sfiapproved flexplates for highhorsepower, highrpm race applications. Dude, looking at your questions for the past 2 weeks, you should give up trying to fix your own vehicle. A flexplate can crack because of enginetotransmission misalignment or an engine or torque converter that is out of balance. What causes a flexplate to crack twice after two replaced. Cracked flexplate with audio first i had to get it trayed home fuel pump died, i replaced the pump and was back on the road.
Vibration does vary directly with engine speed, and power applied. The reason for needing a new flexplate is that the oem unit will eventually crack due to engine vibration and the inferior thickness of the hub, or center section of. Every 8 months since then, like clock work, it has been cracking. Need help ticking sound from flexplatetorque converter. I was driving along the m4 on my way to an important appointment, doing about 60mph in drive, 2500rpm on the possibly inaccurate tachometer, tc locked it locks at 45mp. How to fix a broken flex plate flywheel, how to find a engine knocking noise duration.
Sucks because it has to happen when its getting cold. Aside from a manufacturing defect, the only things that will cause a cracked flex plate are improper torque on the plate bolts at the crank and torque converter and the most common cause of transmission to engine misalignment. I dont know if this applies to your loader, but an improperly shimmed starter can cause unnecessary flex and eventually cause flex plate problems too. Repair guides and support for the seventh generation of ford fseries trucks. How to know if a flexplate is warped it still runs.
If you really stop and think about a highhorsepower pro modified car planting the tires and launching to a subone second 60foot times, realizing there is a small, relatively thin plate of metal transferring 4,000 horsepower rearward at one of the key junctions in the powertrain, you begin to see the. A reconditioned transmission was installed by a transmission specialist 6 months ago. Is it likely do due to a faulty transmission or installation. Cracking sbc starter nose cones chevy message forum. Flexplate technology and choosing the flexplate for you.
A misaligned flex plate can also keep the engine from running smoothly, which can lead to erratic changes in engine rpm. Like loss of power, this symptom could be caused by many factors other than a cracked flexplate. Models include the f100 discontinued in 1983, f150, f250, f350, and others. What causes diesel engine ticking, clicking, tapping, and knocking. The transmission was replaced in 2005 with a remanufactured ford transmission. Damaged and leaking front seals and front transmission pumps are common symptoms. A vital part of an automobile engine equipped with automatic transmission, a flexplate consists of a piece of thick sheet metal that bolts to the crankshaft and. Going up hill it gets much worse, downshift and vibration frequency increases with engine speed.
In june 2008 the flywheel was cracked again, replaced with a new napa flywheel with spacers inserted. However, a cracked flexplate has been reported to reduce gas mileage, due to the inefficiency it creates in the engine when it cannot perform as intended. Trouble shooter 2004 ford focus zx3 motor magazine. The flexplate also has gear teeth on it which the starter engages to start the engine. Overtorquing the flexplate stretches the metal, causing high and low spots.
Lower engine noise sources include the crankshaft, connecting rods, pistons, main andor rod bearings, flywheel flexplate, and various excessive clearances such as a misbored cylinder causing. Nov 21, 2014 what a cracked flexplate sounds like mrdietrying. It was raining last night when i got off but i will get under there to verify it as soon. Weve driven it 100 miles now since flexplate replacement. The reason for the sound involves the flexplate s location and its function. A competent shop can look at the plate they remove and tell you the cause of the failure. The problem turned out to be a cracked flex plate which. Again, flexplate shims may be available to reduce the unwanted clearance. But going to work accelerating on to east link my motor did not sound right no loss of power or anything so i turned up the radio. When i tore it apart it had a missing torque converter bolt. When the transmission is in place and the trans mounting boltstorque converter bolts are tightened the flex plate is distorted and under a lot of pressure. When stripped down, the plate had split around all 6 bolt holes. The flexplate in an automatic is the same part as a flywheel in a manual. So far over 500hp, and eight plus years, and no issues, not to mention the automatic cars i had when i was a kid.
Any of you out there cracked a flexplate on any of your ford powered rides. How do i know if my flexplate needs to be replaced. How to diagnose underhood engine noises mustang 360. Descriptions of the sound include clanking, chirping and a light knocking. I have had a quick look through the starter motor hole and checked that the bolts that hold the torque converter to the flex plate are tight which they are. Jumped under truck and i can hear a pretty bad noise coming from flexplate area. Pull lower pan,check rod movement,or remove bearing cap. The classic and most obvious symptom of a cracked flexplate involves the sound it makes while the engine is running. A flywheel coming apart at high speeds in those cars have been known to cause serious bodily injury to the driver. It was also leaking pretty bad from the front seal. Also a voltage drop of 4v while cranking would indicate a weak battery. I hear it coming from underneath the car when i rev it, by the bell housing, near the exhaust manifolds, but i also hear it from the top of the motor near the center top backwards and left side of the valve cover area.
Hey guys, i have an issue that i believe is a cracked flexplate. The reason for the sound involves the flexplates location and its function. Nov 03, 2011 so, following on from my breakdown the car, then nearly me. Took flexplate to engineering shop to see about repair. The flexplate can crack or warp due to an out of balance engine or torque converter.
Installing a flexplate without pulling the transmission rear wheel drive. It is almost impossible otherwise to have a misalignment. After checking the flexplate id pull the valve covers to see if theres damage up top that is preventing the engine from turnung over. Cracked flexplate symptoms a vital part of an automobile engine equipped with automatic transmission, a flexplate consists of a piece of thick sheet metal that bolts to the crankshaft and torque converter. I just always assumed it was an exhaust leak or loose header. Would a faulty torque converter cause this problem. I also notice a new tc and what looked like a fairly new flexplate. Im now getting ready to replace it for the 3rd time.
If cracks are present, they will usually be in the area of the crankshaft or torque converter bolt holes. Feb 05, 2011 after a couple of weeks it started making a noise and figured out it was a cracked flexplate. It bolts to the end of the crankshaft and attaches to the torque converter. Smooths out a lot on level ground in 4th but still there at all speeds. Some race cars are equipped with the flywheel shield just for this reason. When a flexplate cracks, it often produces a loud knocking noise as it rotates. Because perfect alignment of the engine and transmission are not possible, the flexplate can absorb the minute misalignment.
What is actually making the noise when the torque converter nuts loosen or the flexplate cracks. Aside from a manufacturing defect, the only things that will cause a cracked flex plate are improper torque on the plate bolts at the. A worn transmission front pump bushing will allow excessive movement of the torque converter and an outofbalance engine, harmonic balancer or torque converter will also put stress on the flexplate. Bad starter drive can cause teeth or ring gear to wear rapidly. Lower engine noise sources include the crankshaft, connecting rods, pistons, main andor rod bearings, flywheelflexplate, and various excessive clearances such as a misbored cylinder causing. A flexplate is meant to move slightly and take up small dimensional irregularities in the flatness of the converter as the drivetrain rotates. In january 2008 the original flywheel cracked and was replaced with a napa flywheel. I investigated it and it sounded like it was coming from the tranny. Cracked flex plate toyota 4runner forum largest 4runner forum.
Havent had time to pull the trans and look yet, hopefully tomorrow night. Symptoms of a cracked flexplate general discussion. There is a ticking noise that happens moments after i start engine after sitting all night, after engine warms up the. If a bolt has broken or become loose, on the flexplate, these can misalign the flexplate and cause the side of the plate to come into contact with. Cracked flexplate question for a bodies only mopar forum. The flex plate is a key component of your cars powertrain, which includes the engine, the transmission, and the other related parts that get the power to the ground. May 27, 20 spun rod bearing vs broken flex plate sound i hear it coming from.
The same things that cause the flexplate to crack can also cause transmission problems. Cracked flexplate a couple of weeks ago i started to get a clicking sound that would speed up slow down with engine speed, but i just assumed was the exhaust. The teeth around the edges can also break off, causing. The sound is very similar to a bad engine rod and is often misdiagnosed. If not properly diagnosed it will occur again and often damage to the transmission may follow. After you find the cause of the bent pushrod, i would check all battery connections, and load test the battery. Even if the flexplate was old and reused, the manufactures specifications call for an exact torque pressure and tightening sequence. A worn transmission front pump bushing will allow excessive movement of the torque converter and an out of balance engine, harmonic balancer or torque converter will also put stress on the flexplate. What can cause a cracked flexplate out of balance engine or torque converter. Feb 11, 2011 dude, looking at your questions for the past 2 weeks, you should give up trying to fix your own vehicle.
The flexplate has cracked twice in the past 6 months. Be sure to check the balancer as unwanted harmonics can crack break the flex plate. Being an auto, it will be fluid balanced by the torque convertor, so babancing it wont be an issue. The flexplate takes the place of the flywheel on automatic transmission vehicles.
It sounded like a big end knock at idle, went quiet when put into drive. Upon startup the converter may then seat or not and the weakened flex plate may crack shortly afterwards or it may go months or years before giving up. Mar 26, 2017 i have an 02 tacoma sr5 w the trd off road package. The starter motor engages this ring gear to start the engine. What causes a flywheel to crack numerous times justanswer. Nov 23, 2015 the other task the flexplate must perform is joining the crankshaft to the torque converter. A cracked flexplate is almost always a sign of other problems. Weve got tough yet affordable flexplates for stock and mildly modified street vehicles.
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