lazylegacy Posted October 24, 2005 Share Posted October 24, 2005 ok, back to what i thought was a transmission whine. well, the whine seems to be coming more from the area of the torque converter. can a torque converter cause a whine whenever the vehicle is in gear? note, the car drives fine with no symptoms of a bad transmission. it's an annoying whine that increases with rpm whenever in any gear. it doesn't sound like a bearing. my best description would be it sounds like the legacy has a blower. and, i've lived with it for over 30k miles without a change in symptoms. what other symptoms might a failing torque converter make? stuck- B Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nipper Posted October 24, 2005 Share Posted October 24, 2005 http://auto.howstuffworks.com/torque-converter.htm Usually a failed torque converter will make the car pefrom poorly. Now it is possible you have a cracked flex plate. nipper Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lawsonmh15 Posted October 24, 2005 Share Posted October 24, 2005 ok, back to what i thought was a transmission whine. well, the whine seems to be coming more from the area of the torque converter. can a torque converter cause a whine whenever the vehicle is in gear? note, the car drives fine with no symptoms of a bad transmission. it's an annoying whine that increases with rpm whenever in any gear. it doesn't sound like a bearing. my best description would be it sounds like the legacy has a blower. and, i've lived with it for over 30k miles without a change in symptoms. what other symptoms might a failing torque converter make? stuck- B If it seems to sync with revving, see if it doesn't seem to come from your alternator. If so,... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lazylegacy Posted October 24, 2005 Author Share Posted October 24, 2005 If it seems to sync with revving, see if it doesn't seem to come from your alternator. If so,... i wish it was an alternator. unfortunately the whine is absent in neutral or park. -B Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nipper Posted October 24, 2005 Share Posted October 24, 2005 is it there in drive 3 ?nipper Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lazylegacy Posted October 24, 2005 Author Share Posted October 24, 2005 is it there in drive 3 ?nipper yup. -B Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nipper Posted October 24, 2005 Share Posted October 24, 2005 ok look at loose heat sheilds. If its there in D3 that rules out the lockup torque converter, i think the conerter is fine. i'm going to go with a cracked flex plate. nipper Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
idosubaru Posted October 24, 2005 Share Posted October 24, 2005 check your front differential fluid level. if that is fine, i would guess the front diff has some bad gears or spots somewhere. have you ever drained the front diff oil? do that and have a look at the differential oil that comes out. have it pass through a small screen or in a bucket of some sort so you can have a look to see if there are any pieces in the fluid. don't forget to refill the fluid. you say it only makes the noise when in drive, does it make the noise when you're in drive but at a stop? in other words does the vehicle moving make a difference? say you're at a stop and hit the gas with the brake pedal on, will it make the noise? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lazylegacy Posted October 24, 2005 Author Share Posted October 24, 2005 the differential fluid has been changed a couple of times. the whine is there regardless of car movement or not. put the car in any gear, with exception of neutral or park, and let the whine begin. apply the brake so the car doesn't move and the whine will increase in pitch, just as it does when moving. i don't get it, but i do appreciate everyone's input. -B Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
idosubaru Posted October 24, 2005 Share Posted October 24, 2005 well if it does it while you're sitting motionless (but in drive) then it's likely the flexplate like someone mentioned. pull the access plug and keep turning it over by hand and maybe you'll see a crack in it. if someone has worked on this car....anything that would require removing the crank, like timing belts, water pump, oil pump, seals...then maybe they cracked the flex plate while holding it still to remove the crank pulley. even if something is wrong with it, there's no garauntee you'll be able to see it through that hole though, you can only see a percentage of the entire plate. check underneath the car, there's a small opening on most auto's that you can actually see the teeth of the torque converter through. maybe something is wedged in there and hitting the teeth on the torque converter. have you listened to it whine as you switch from drive (making the noise) to park (not making the noise)? does it gradually fade away? can you hear it better from the bottom or top of the TC housing? i had a horribly cracked flexplate and it didn't seem to make much noise, but my car is loud so even a substantial noise to someone else might be a drop in the bucket for me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lazylegacy Posted October 24, 2005 Author Share Posted October 24, 2005 well if it does it while you're sitting motionless (but in drive) then it's likely the flexplate like someone mentioned. pull the access plug and keep turning it over by hand and maybe you'll see a crack in it. if someone has worked on this car....anything that would require removing the crank, like timing belts, water pump, oil pump, seals...then maybe they cracked the flex plate while holding it still to remove the crank pulley. even if something is wrong with it, there's no garauntee you'll be able to see it through that hole though, you can only see a percentage of the entire plate. check underneath the car, there's a small opening on most auto's that you can actually see the teeth of the torque converter through. maybe something is wedged in there and hitting the teeth on the torque converter. have you listened to it whine as you switch from drive (making the noise) to park (not making the noise)? does it gradually fade away? can you hear it better from the bottom or top of the TC housing? i had a horribly cracked flexplate and it didn't seem to make much noise, but my car is loud so even a substantial noise to someone else might be a drop in the bucket for me. access plug? the whine comes and goes when it is placed in/out of gear. there is a short fade going out of gear and a short crescendo going into gear. it is definitely more audible from the bottom of the housing. now, if it is the flexplate, what happens if i keep driving it? i already have at least 30k miles with the whine, and nothing has changed. do i sound like i am whinning now? -B Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nipper Posted October 24, 2005 Share Posted October 24, 2005 i would keep driving it untill it goes or dives you nuts. i had a (dont laugh) a 1969 AMC Rambler with a cracked flex playe that drove 30,000 miles like that. Just dont fo any hole shots with the car, and it may last forever like that. nipper Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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